Irvine Turns Cold in Second Half and Is Beaten by Fresno St., 52-40

UC Irvine had this great game plan for that zip-lock zone defense Fresno State likes to play.

They would shoot from outside and drag the Bulldogs out of that zone if it killed them.

This was the night Irvine was going to shoot the lights out in Fresno. Instead, in the second half the Anteaters shot as if the lights were out in Selland Arena in dropping a 52-40 Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game before 10,114 Monday night.

The Anteaters, shooting 48% as a team this season, shot 29% from the field as they were held to their lowest point total since the 1979-80 season.

After leading by five points at halftime and going up by seven when Johnny Rogers opened the second half with a basket, Irvine (6-7 in the PCAA and 11-13 overall) made only 5 of 28 shots.

The Bulldogs rallied to take the lead at 33-32 with 11:52 left on Mitch Arnold’s basket, but Tod Murphy put Irvine back up with one of his own with 11:31 remaining.

However, the Anteaters scored just two baskets the rest of the way.

“We just completely stopped getting it done,” Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan said. “I think it was a combination of Fresno State’s defense and our very inept offense.”

Mulligan’s strategy of trying to beat Fresno from outside might have worked had just one of his shooters shown up for work.

Instead:

--Rogers, perhaps one of the best pure shooters in college basketball, made only 4 of 14 shots. He’s shooting 53% for the season. Rogers also added six turnovers.

--Forward Tod Murphy, a 54% shooter, made only 3 of 8 shots.

--Forward Troy Carmon was 4 for 14. Guard Jerome Lee was 2 for 11. Guard Boris King was 2 for 8.

Remember, this was the night Mulligan was going to beat Fresno with the three-point shot. Irvine made 4 of 20 attempts.