UCI women push Pacific

IRVINE — At this point in Molly Goodenbour’s first season as UC Irvine women’s basketball coach, the Anteaters are who most everyone thought they were.

After scoring just 24 points in a 32-point Big West Conference home loss to UC Davis Thursday, UCI failed to hold on against Pacific in a 48-44 conference setback Saturday at the Bren Events Center.

The loss, by the most narrow margin of any defeat this season, dropped the Anteaters to 5-20, 2-10 in the Big West.

That they are still battling for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament for which one conference team is not awarded a berth, is, some believe, a testament to the players’ tenacity and the collective wisdom and talent of Goodenbour and her staff.

UCI has had just one player among its top three — junior guard Rebecca Maessen — at full strength this season, though she did miss one game with a sprained ankle and has fouled out of seven others, including Saturday.

Junior Kelly Cochran, once a member of the Big West All-Freshman team, has missed 11 games and been limited to 16 minutes per contest due to nagging leg problems that have prevented her from consistently resembling her former self.

And junior guard Mary Has, who averaged 12.1 points (second only to Maessen’s 12.9) and a team-best 5.5 rebounds in 16 games, is now watching from the bench after having season-ending surgery to repair a torn right anterior cruciate ligament.

UCI played eight players Saturday, three fewer than Pacific. Only two Anteaters had more field goals than turnovers, including Maessen who made four of eight field-goal attempts and had just three of the ’Eaters’ 22 turnovers while totaling 11 points. The other to earn that distinction was junior guard Ka’Jahna Johnson, who like her twin sister and fellow starter, Keyonna Johnson, is charitably listed at 5-foot-5, had just one field goal.

Until senior Kirian Ishizaki, who led UCI with 13 points, made a three-pointer that pulled the hosts within 46-44 with two seconds left, the Anteaters had just two field goals since a Maessen three-pointer broke a 30-30 tie with 13:12 left in the game.

So, it was Pacific (13-11, 7-5) that had reason to feel worse about its collective performance than the Anteaters, who led for the first 21 minutes, 37 seconds and did not trail until 10:45 remained.

With all but what the most ardent UCI rooter would admit was a disadvantage in size, skill, talent, depth and experience, the Anteaters tugged at the Tigers’ tail until the final second, when two free throws secured the win.

Perhaps even more impressive than staying within striking distance against a team that moved into at tie for third place, was the consistent energy the Anteaters displayed both on the floor and on the bench.

Several times, the reserves, even the redshirts and those injured not in uniform, rose to their feet to applaud and shout encouragement to their teammates.

“We’ve had that kind of energy in a lot of our games,” said Goodenbour, who continues to be impressed by her players’ work ethic and resolve.

“We’re playing hard. At least we’ve gotten to that point, When we’re bad, we’re god-awful bad. But we continue to try to get it together. Our kids play hard and they work hard. I’ve told them that we’re probably the most engaged and work the hardest in practice of any 5-20 team there is. We’re just limited in some of our capabilities.”

UCI has now been outscored by 288 points in the second half this season, an average of 11.5 per game.

UOP managed a nine-point second-half advantage to overcome a 26-21 halftime deficit.

Foul trouble (Maessen and Keyonna Johnson fouled out and Cochran was limited by three fouls in the first 17-plus minutes), missed free throws, and some missed shots at close range, all proved costly.

“We need to take advantage of every opportunity that we have,” Goodenbour said. “When we make 10 out of 17 free throws and we miss layups, those are five to eight points that maybe could have made a difference.”

Big West Conference

Pacific 48, UC Irvine 44

UOP – Young 9, Simmons 4, Head 2, VanHollebeke 8, Tiernan 2, Dawkins 8, Swanson 6, Fath 5, Price 2, McLeod 2.

UCI – Barnes 3, Ishizaki 13, Maessen 11, Ke. Johnson 6, Ka. Johnson 4, Cochran 5, Theus 2.

3-pt. goals – Maessen 3, Ishizaki 2, Ka. Johnson 1

Fouled out – Maessen, Ke. Johnson.

Halftime – UCI, 26-21.