UCI falters in setback

IRVINE — It was telling, perhaps, that UC Irvine’s men’s basketball opponent Friday hailed from the Silicon Valley, because after jumping out to a 10-point lead against visiting San Jose State, very little of what Anteaters Coach Pat Douglass threw out there seemed to stick.

The Anteaters were ahead, 30-20, en route to a 32-27 halftime advantage that included just four UCI turnovers and eight points off eight San Jose miscues.

But, after a Michael Hunter three-pointer put the hosts up, 40-33, with 16:08 left in the game, the Spartans steam-rolled to a 69-56 nonconference triumph.

UCI (5-5) shot just 31.3% after intermission, including making just three of 12 three-point tries, to lose a halftime lead for the first time in five chances this season.

The ’Eaters, who also lost for the first time in four contests at the Bren Events Center this season, had 14 second-half turnovers to help the Spartans silence most of the 1,107 in attendance.

“We started out well, but you could kind of see the last five, six minutes of the first half that we just kind of lost all emotion, interest and focus in what we were doing,” Douglass said. “We never really regathered it.”

Douglass did not sit idly by through the aforementioned lapse, which continued through the second half. He continually barked encouragement to his players and called repeated timeouts.

“I was trying to get it going,” Douglass said. “We’ve played with effort most of the year. Why [Friday’s lull] happened, I don’t have the answer to that.

“We didn’t make any shots and the emotional involvement just wasn’t there ... It’s not acceptable. But, at the same time, it has to be on [the players] a little bit to play.”

Douglass ran through his bench trying to find a catalyst and praised the play of sophomore Eric Wise, who led the hosts with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. But Wise also had a team-worst four turnovers, and missed six of his 10 field-goal tries in the final 20 minutes, including his final three, all from point-blank range.

Senior guard Michael Hunter, who has been a consistent spark this season, had 13 points and finished five of 10 from the field. But he missed three straight three-point attempts during UCI’s last-gasp attempt to rally.

Hunter, listed at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, was also often overpowered at the defensive end by bigger Spartan guards.

San Jose State relied upon 6-4 junior guards Adrian Oliver (31 points) and Justin Graham (16 points) to produce 26 second-half points, two more than UCI managed after intermission.

“When people play [Oliver] like that, getting up into his face and chasing him around, then you’re going to get some natural driving lanes,” Spartans Coach George Nessman said.

Oliver and Graham combined to make 11 of their 17 second-half field-goal tries, with three of those misses coming on Oliver three-point attempts.

San Jose shot 54.8% in the final half and 50% for the game.

UCI shot just 37.1% for the game, including five of 25 from threedom.

“At first, we were playing pretty good defense. But if you’re not playing with intensity ... defense is intensity,” Douglass said.

Said Wise: “We were trying to win. I don’t think anybody gave up, though we might have been lackadaisical at times.”

Nonconference

San Jose State 69, UC Irvine 56

SJ State – Thomas 2, Jones 0, Webster 6, Oliver 31, Graham 16, Owens 10, Peterson 4.

3-pt. goals – Oliver 3, Owens 1.

Fouled out – Webeter.

UCI – Wise 15, Losonsky 2, Atkinson 12, Hunter 13, Moore 7, Flowers 5, Simek 2.

3-pt. goals – Hunter 3, Moore 1, Flowers 1.

Fouled out – Atkinson.

Halftime – UCI, 32-27.