‘Eaters fall in semis

ANAHEIM — The UC Irvine men’s basketball team shot 54.2% from the field and converted five three-pointers to Long Beach State’s two in the first half of the Big West Conference Tournament semifinal Friday night at the Anaheim Convention Center.

But as the Anteaters entered intermission trailing, 38-35, UCI Coach Pat Douglass found little solace in the knowledge that patterns were pending.

Those patterns proved out as top-seeded 49ers pulled away for a 77-63 victory that ended the No. 5-seeded Anteaters’ season.

The first of the aforementioned patterns that did not bode well for UCI (15-18), was the 49ers’ propensity for second-half production.

Long Beach (23-7), which won its first regular-season conference title since 1995-96 to earn a bye into the tournament semifinals, averaged 47.3 points in 18 conference games this season.

The second pattern was UCI’s history of semifinal exits. The Anteaters, who got this far by earning two tournament wins in the same season for the first time during Douglass’ 10-year tenure, are now 2-10 in conference tournament semis.

Friday marked the seventh straight setback with a trip to the title game on the line for the Anteaters, who have experienced semi-finality five times with Douglass at the helm.

UCI generally failed to curb penetration by Long Beach State guards, and while focusing attention on the 49ers’ perimeter threats, became vulnerable in the middle.

The 49ers had 22 points in the paint and the Anteaters had 12.

Additionally, Douglass said the demands of playing three games in three days left his players “emotionally worn down.”

Long Beach wasted little time taking advantage of its weary rivals, as Sterling Byrd and Aaron Nixon finished a 10-0 run with back-to-back three-pointers to put the designated hosts up, 50-37, with 15:32 remaining.

UCI, which made just seven of 23 field-goal tries after intermission to finish 42.6% from the field for the game, never again got closer than 10 points.

“We knew, coming in, that their pattern was to pick it up in the second half,” Douglass said. “We wanted to get [the deficit] under 10 and then see what would happen. But we couldn’t do it.”

Douglass said he was proud of his players’ effort, but noted that they were physically depleted by the game-a-day schedule that began Wednesday.

“We needed to play with energy to make up for our lack of experience,” Douglass said.

UCI, which survived a first-round scare with a 53-52 win over No. 8-seeded UC Riverside then thumped No. 4-seeded UC Santa Barbara, 70-52, in Thursday’s quarterfinals, matched the sluggish 49ers for most of the opening 20 minutes.

The lead changed hands 13 times and the score was tied five times before intermission.

But after UCI opened the scoring, the Anteaters never led by more than one.

It was 35-35 when Long Beach reserve Artis Gant’s three-point shot from near the top of the key banked in with four seconds left in the first half. The awkward three-pointer gave Long Beach a 38-35 cushion and some much-needed momentum.

“We had some rust to shake off,” Long Beach Coach Larry Reynolds said. “[Gant’s three ball] was a momentum changer. Sometimes you’re just lucky. It sent us into halftime on a high note and left them shaking their heads.”

Junior guard Chuma Awaji scored a team-high 19 points for the Anteaters. He drilled three of five three-point tries and was eight for eight from the foul line. He also had a team-high five rebounds as Long Beach earned a 31-24 rebound advantage.

Junior Patrick Sanders, who finished the season as the Anteaters’ leading scorer, had 14 points.

Senior Nic Campbell completed his UCI career with three points on a three-pointer, No. 134 of his career, which ranks sixth in the school’s all-time annals.

Sterling Byrd led five Long Beach scorers in double figures with 20 points, including three of the winners’ five three-pointers.

Nixon, the Big West Player of the Year as a senior guard, collected 16 points and made five of 11 field-goal tries to help the 49ers shoot 53.2% from the field.

UCI senior Mark Kelley, who had averaged 19.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and three blocks in two regular-season meetings with Long Beach, had six points and three rebounds Friday. He picked up three fouls in a 31-second stretch midway through the second half and wound up fouling out, having played just 13 minutes.

Kelley was three for nine from the field and backup post Darren Fells finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists before fouling out having played 25 minutes.

“Hopefully, we were able to set a foundation for next year,” said Douglass, who returns all but two players and will get the services of 2005-06 Northern California Community College Player of the Year Kevin Bland, a 6-foot-8 forward who redshirted this season after transferring from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton.

Big West Conference TournamentUC Irvine -- Awaji 19, Sanders 14, Templeton 8, Hunter 7, Fells 6, Kelley 6, Campbell 3.

Semifinal

Long Beach State 77,

UC Irvine 63

3-pt. goals -- Awaji 3, Templeton 2, Campbell 1, Sanders 1, Hunter 1.

Fouled out -- Kelley, Fells.

Technicals -- Kelley.

Long Beach State -- Byrd 20, Nixon 16, Ricks 11, Houston 11, Darby 6, Dawson 6, Johnson 4, Gant 3.

3-pt. goals -- Byrd 3, Nixon 1, Gant 1.

Fouled out -- Nixon.

Technicals -- Dawson.

Halftime -- 38-35, CSULB.