UC Irvine Uses Press to Defeat Montana : Quicker Anteaters Force a Faster Pace in 85-72 Victory Over Grizzlies

In New Orleans, UC Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan had his doubts. In Nebraska, he watched his team come in from the cold, only to see it go frigid again in Malibu.

UC Irvine made its season debut in Crawford Hall Thursday night and, finally, Mulligan is convinced.

“We’re better than we were last year,” he said. “I think we’re close to where we were two years ago, and I keep saying that was the best team we’ve ever had.”

Mulligan’s favorable review came after he had watched his team play the type of game he’s been waiting for. Irvine pressed Montana into picking up the pace, and the result was an 85-72, nonconference win in front of 1,302.

With a small gathering of NBA scouts in attendance to watch Montana forward Larry Krystkowiak--who many project to be a first-round draft choice--the Anteaters used a fullcourt press to force the tempo and prevent the Grizzlies from turning it into a game of muscle inside.

At 6-feet 9-inches, 235 pounds, Krystkowiak and center Larry McBride (6-10, 245) give Montana a sizeable advantage.

“We had to press, otherwise the two big guys would have really gotten in the blocks,” Mulligan said. “Then, we would have had real problems.”

The press helped force turnovers, and helped Irvine (2-2) get the tempo to its liking near the end of the first half. After Montana guard Scott Zanon hit his third, three-point shot of the half to give the Grizzles a 40-37 lead with 2:15 remaining, the Anteaters went on a 9-0 scoring spurt to take a 46-40, halftime lead.

Two and a half minutes into the second half, UCI had extended that lead to 54-44, and was on its way to its first easy win of the season.

Anteater guards Scott Brooks, Joe Buchanan and Mike Hess combined to make 13 of 21 shots from the field, accounting for 32 points. Senior forward Johnny Rogers, who entered the game shooting 40% from the field, was 8 of 14 and finished with 17 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Tod Murphy led four Anteaters in double figures with 22 points.

The win was particularly satisfying for Rogers, who said he worked overtime to recover his shooting touch.

“I can’t help but think about it, because I take a lot of pride in my shooting,” Rogers said. “I worked with (shooting coach) Des Flood yesterday, and I’m going to work with him some more.”

Krystkowiak finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds, and the respect of several Irvine players.

Rogers: “He’s, without a doubt, the best big man I’ve ever faced. He’s quick, strong and aggressive.”

Murphy, checking for blood around his mouth: “He’s tough. My lips are evidence of that. My God, he abused my face.”

It was Krystkowiak’s ability to dominate play inside that had Mulligan concerned over the possibility of his team falling to 1-3.

“Coming in, we thought Montana was the best team we’ve faced this year,” he said.

The fullcourt pressure was designed to take advantage of Irvine’s quickness, and Montana’s lack of it. It worked.

“To tell you the truth, I was surprised it worked as well as it did,” Rogers said. “Even when we didn’t force turnovers, we were able to force the tempo.”

The Anteaters shot 52.2% (35 of 67) to Montana’s 41% (25 of 61). Not surprisingly, UCI was outrebounded, 41-35.

Brooks had the kind of game that has made him something of a crowd favorite in his two appearences in Crawford Hall (the first of which came in UCI’s exhibition win over Club Bosnia of Yugoslavia Nov. 12). The 5-11 junior was 5 of 8 from the field, including two, three-point shots, and had 14 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals and did not commit a turnover in 32 minutes of playing time. His aggressive style of play frustrated the bigger Montana players. Rogers could sympathize.

“Ever since the Yugoslavia game, everybody’s been talking about Scott,” he said. “It’s fun to have a guard like that on my team. In the past, I’ve had to play against players like him. That’s frustrating.”