‘Eaters falter again down stretch

LONG BEACH — After seeing her team squander a second-half lead in each of its three Big West Conference losses, UC Irvine women’s basketball coach Molly Goodenbour lamented that the Anteaters appear unable to “get over the hump.”

But after a 67-55 defeat at Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid Saturday, the third come-from-ahead setback in four conference games for UCI, one might suggest that the ’Eaters are, in fact, reaching their summit much too quickly, only to initiate a disastrous descent to the final buzzer.

An 11-0 run by the 49ers (6-9, 2-1 in conference) erased what had been a 35-25 advantage.

And, after the ’Eaters gathered themselves to lead, 39-38, then later pull even at 45-45, it was another 10-2 spurt by the hosts that left the overworked UCI starters puffing and Goodenbour huffing.

“I’m disappointed by the same things every game that we lose; that we’re able to compete to a certain point, but we’re not able to finish games,” Goodenbour said. “We just haven’t been able to find ways to be successful [down the stretch].”

UCI (4-12, 1-3) was up, 45-37, with 6:08 left in its conference opener at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 2, only to lose, 54-48.

The Anteaters led host Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 46-43, with 13:06 left, only to succumb, 73-61, on Monday.

Even in its 69-64 home triumph over Cal State Northridge Thursday, UCI saw a 22-point first-half advantage that began with a 19-0 bulge, pared to near-perilous proportions.

“We don’t have a lot of depth, so our starters are having to play 30 to 39 minutes,” Goodenbour said.

The starting five averaged nearly 34 minutes Saturday, including 37 minutes apiece by junior point guard Jade Smith-Williams and senior guard Keyonna Johnson.

“And at the end of the game, especially for Jade and Keyonna, who handle the ball so much, it affects your decision-making and it affects your shots.”

Smith-Williams and Johnson had to work extra hard against defensive pressure that often extended beyond halfcourt. Smith-Williams finished just two of 13 from the field, while Johnson made half of her team-worst six turnovers in the final 10 minutes.

Johnson did produce 12 points, netting four of eight field-goal attempts, and also collecting five rebounds.

And Smith-Williams provided a game-high seven assists to go with her five points, while producing two steals and committing only three turnovers.

Sophomore Mikah Maly-Karros, a Loyola Marymount transfer who continues to dazzle since making her UCI debut Dec. 15, led UCI with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals. In 34 minutes. She was seven of 13 from the field, including two of two from three-point range. She also netted all four of her foul shots.

UCI forced 15 first-half turnovers to claim a 24-20 advantage at intermission and a three-point play by Maly-Karros sparked a 5-0 run to open the second half.

But Long Beach produced four of its six three-pointers during a stretch of nearly seven minutes, then sank 14 of 16 foul shots in the final 1:56 to pull away.

Long Beach had a 13-7 advantage in the turnover department in the final 20 minutes.

“[The 49ers] must have hit two or three three-pointers with the shot clock winding down,” Goodenbour said. “They found ways to make positive things happen. We haven’t consistently been able to do that.”

Big West Conference

Long Beach State 67,

UC Irvine 55

UCI – Maly-Karros 19, Barnes 5, Maessen 12, Ke. Johnson 9, Smith-Williams, 2, White 6, Has 2.

3-pt. goals – Maly-Karros 2, Smith-Williams 1, Maessen 1, Ke. Johnson 1.

Fouled out – Smith-Williams.

LB State – Wade 10, Figueroa 17, Moorer 9, Lisnock 8, Sims 5, Bookman 10, Barbee 5, Timmons 3.

3-pt. goals – Lisnock 2, Wade 1, Figueroa 1, Moorer 1.

Fouled out – None.

Halftime – UCI, 24-20.