‘Big Dance’ eludes Anteaters

One more win would have gotten it there, but the UC Irvine men’s basketball team came up short Saturday night in its bid to join the March Madness.

The Anteaters fell, 81-66, to Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Conference championship game, denying UCI its first appearance in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball tournament.

The Anteaters, who finished the season 18-16, had twice appeared in Big West title games in the past, also losing in 1994 and 1988. Winning the conference tournament guarantees a team an automatic berth into the coveted 64-team tournament, also known as the “Big Dance.”

The victory for No. 3-seed Cal State Fullerton at the Anaheim Convention Center earned the Titans just their second appearance in the tournament.

For complete coverage of Saturday night’s game, see Sports.