UC Irvine Scores 99-84 Win Over Cal State Long Beach

UC Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan, the record shows, changes point guards as often as most men change socks.

Another day, another guard, or so the theory seems to go.

Well, last season, he finally found one he liked. His name was Jerome Lee. He started 25 games at the point as a junior, and he helped lead the Anteaters to second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.

So, naturally, Mulligan moved him to off-guard this season and put a freshman at the point.

And Jerome Lee and his jump shot quickly faded away.

Until Thursday.

With UC Irvine struggling, Mulligan moved Lee back to the point, and he responded with his best game of the season, leading the Anteaters to a 99-84 PCAA win over Cal State Long Beach before a crowd of 1,566 at Long Beach Arena.

The win improved UC Irvine’s PCAA record to 3-5, 8-11 overall. Long Beach fell to 0-7 and 2-13.

Lee played like a kid who had just found his long-lost dog.

“I’ve even got my smile back,” Lee said.

Lee, with the ball and the team back in his control, literally ran the 49ers off the floor in the opening minutes. UC Irvine opened a 15-4 lead and never trailed again.

And Lee was the key. He finished with 19 points, hitting 8 of 9 shots from the field. He also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

“Jerome Lee was magnificent,” Mulligan said. “And that’s me saying something nice about a point guard.”

Lee’s year, up until Thursday, had been anything but magnificent. Mulligan moved Lee to the off-guard hoping to give him more opportunities to shoot.

Instead, Lee’s jumper went into cold storage. He had shot only 31% from the field in conference games.

Why? Lee says it’s because he is used to having the ball. He’s been a point guard all his life.

“I was used to having control of the ball 80% of the time,” Lee said. “It’s weird, but when I don’t have the ball, it feels like I’m out of the game mentally. I felt a little more pressure. It’s like moving a center to a forward.”

Lee doesn’t need to forward this message to Mulligan. He saw what happened.