UCI comes up short

IRVINE — Visiting Long Beach State was without its senior leading scorer as it took on UC Irvine Saturday night.

But the play of a couple big men helped the conference-leading 49ers dismiss notions that they were short-handed in a 67-63 triumph that dealt a blow to the Anteaters’ inclusion among Big West title contenders.

Donovan Morris, averaging 16.1 points through 19 games, was not in uniform, due to what Coach Dan Monson said was a combination of the stomach flu and concern over a sore foot.

But the visitors (11-9, 6-2 in conference) received a career-high 20 points from 6-foot-7 freshman T.J. Robinson and a crucial eight-point, nine-rebound contribution from 6-10 senior Eric Freeman to help deny the Anteaters in front of a revved-up crowd of 2,917 at the Bren Events Center.

Robinson also hauled in 10 rebounds, helping the 49ers post a 41-28 rebounding advantage, including 14 offensive boards and a 15-8 edge on second-chance points.

“We couldn’t match them on the boards and we couldn’t match their size inside,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said.

UCI (7-14, 4-4), which dropped its second straight conference home game, missed 16 of its first 19 field-goal tries to create an early deficit.

Still, with the help of 6-5 freshman center Eric Wise (19 points, 15 in the first half, and a team-high 10 rebounds), as well as some faulty second-half free-throw shooting by the 49ers, the Anteaters were in it until the final seconds.

UCI closed to within 49-48 on two Michael Hunter free throws with 1:19 left, after Long Beach had built a 58-47 cushion on a Freeman three-pointer with 5:03 remaining.

But 5-9 freshman point guard Casper Ware slipped past the aggressive, over-playing defense of Brett Lauer to get a layup that helped Long Beach maintain control with 69 seconds left.

A three-pointer by Patrick Rembert with four seconds left pulled the hosts within 65-63, but Long Beach guard Stephan Gilling made both of his double-bonus foul shots with two seconds left to preserve the win and the conference lead for the 49ers, who had lost two straight.

In addition to Robinson and Freeman, Gilling and Larry Anderson chipped in 11 points apiece, while Ware finished with 10.

Long Beach made just 20 of 33 free-throw tries (60.6%), including just 13 of 23 after intermission (56.5%). But it plucked eight of its 21 second-half rebounds off the offensive glass to thwart some generally solid UCI defense.

“Defensively, we played hard the first half, but we got four or five guys in foul trouble and then we couldn’t match up with them on the boards,” Douglass said. “We tried to go small toward the end of the first half [due to foul trouble], but they started pounding the ball inside and it kind of continued in the second half.”

Long Beach had 26 points in the paint, compared to 16 by the ’Eaters, who, other than Wise, were virtually without inside scoring.

Senior forward Kevin Bland had just six points and one field goal. He fouled out with 2:26 left, having played just 22 minutes.

Inside reserves Adam Folker and Zack Atkinson combined for three points and two rebounds and 6-5 junior wing Chad DeCasas added four points and four boards, before fouling out in 17 minutes.

Long Beach eventually made things tougher for Wise, who missed both second-half field-goal attempts and pushed Freeman in frustration after a hard foul inside, picking up a technical that produced two 49ers free throws with 7:59 left.

“You’ve got to give Wise credit,” Monson said. “He really gave us a hard time. In the first half, we just tried to make him finish over our size. He’s just too good with his body. In the second half, we doubled him and it helped. He got to the line a couple times, but I think we slowed him down in there. But he’s an awful-good freshman.”

Wise finished five of 10 from the field and made all eight of his foul shots.

“He was a bright spot,” Douglass said.

But the other four UCI starters were a combined seven for 24 from the field (29.2%).

“We had some good looks and if we don’t make those looks, it’s hard for us,” Douglass said.

Hunter finished with 13 points, but was two for 11 from the field, including two of nine from three-point range.

UCI made 22 of 24 foul shots and had just nine turnovers, three fewer than the 49ers. But the ’Eaters finished 17 of 52 from the field (32.7%), their second-worst shooting performance in eight conference games.

Big West Conference

Long Beach State 67, UC Irvine 63

LB – Robinson 20, Freeman 8, Anderson 11, Gilling 11, Ware 10, Phelps 4, Williams 3.

3-pt. goals – Freeman 1, Ware 1, Williams 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – Coach Monson 1.

UCI – Bland 6, Wise 19, Hunter 13, Lauer 8, Strings 5, Rembert 5, DeCasas 4, Folker 2, Atkinson 1.

3-pt. goals – Hunter 2, Lauer 2, Strings 1, Rembert 1, Wise 1.

Fouled out – Bland, Lauer, DeCasas.

Technicals – Wise 1.

Halftime – LB, 31-27.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.