Without Rogers, UC Irvine Uses Its Defense to Hold Off Fresno State

UC Irvine senior forward Johnny Rogers, pale and weak from the flu, never left his seat on the bench Thursday night at Crawford Hall as UC Irvine played Fresno State, a team that had beaten the Anteaters 19 times in 21 meetings.

With 4:02 remaining in the first half, Rogers had to move over and let guard Scott Brooks pull up a chair. Brooks and Fresno State guard Leo Walker were ejected for their part in an outburst near the UCI basket.

The Anteaters, already paper thin, were running out of fresh players.

They were fortunate to have built a 12-point lead at the time of Brooks’ departure. They needed every one of them as they held off Fresno State in the second half for a 60-58 win in front of a capacity crowd of 1,479.

The victory gives Irvine a 7-4 record in Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. play, 11-9 overall. More important, it came without Rogers, the Anteaters’ leading rebounder and second-leading scorer.

It came after one of the Anteaters’ most embarrassing defeats of the season, a 71-55 loss to San Jose State last Sunday.

It came because UCI beat the Bulldogs at their own game--defense.

Guard Mike Hess intercepted a pass near the Fresno State basket with four seconds to play, than hit one of two free throws to give UCI a 60-58 lead. Wayne Engelstad knocked away a Fresno State pass in the backcourt and time expired, just when it seemed as if a tired group of UCI players would.

Said UCI Coach Bill Mulligan, drained himself from the Anteaters’ closest game of the season: “I knew from the beginning that John (Rogers) wasn’t going to be able to play. When Scotty (Brooks) got thrown out, we were down to six.

“Our intensity wore down late in the game, but that’s because we were tired.”

Tod Murphy, who was held to four points in UCI’s 53-48 loss to the Bulldogs in Selland Arena on Jan. 9, surpassed that mark less than two minutes into the rematch. Murphy had 15 points in the first half, and finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 crucial steals.

Reserve forward Troy Carmon had 14 points and a game-high 9 rebounds, and was the biggest reason the Anteaters were able to compensate for the absence of Rogers and Brooks.

The Anteaters starting lineup consisted of the 6-foot 9-inch Murphy, Wayne Engelstad (6-8) and three refugees from the 6-1-and-under leagues. Brooks (5-10) and Mike Hess (listed at 6-1, but that could be stretching the truth) were at guards.

And, at oh-so-small forward, Joe Buchanan (6-1).

“It was kind of fun,” Buchanan said. “But I was just fillin’ in for Big Red.”

The red-haired Rogers watched this patchwork group take a 30-18 lead behind Murphy and Carmon, who came off the bench to have his most inspired game of the season.

Carmon scored seven straight UCI points to give the Anteaters a 16-10 lead at the 12:17 mark of the first half. Nearly six minutes later, he scored the first of a spurt of six more consecutive points on assist from Brooks. Murphy made both ends of a one-and-one to give UCI a 29-18 lead with 4:16 left in the half.

Brooks’ exchange with Walker came moments later. After Brooks committed a foul, he and Walker became involved in some post-whistle activity that sent them to their respective benches for the remainder of the game.

Details of the incident are sketchy.

Brooks’ version: “I fouled him, then he put his hand up toward me. I moved his hand away, and he hit me. It didn’t hurt or anything.”

Fresno State Coach Boyd Grant said that Walker told him Brooks threw the first blow.

“He said (Brooks) hit first,” Grant said. “I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna watch the film and see, Leo.’ I’m going to be very disappointed if it was the other way around.”

Fresno State lost a reserve guard who entered the game averaging 4.2 points per game. Irvine lost a starting guard who is second in the nation in free throw percentage, averages 11 points per game, and leads the team in assists, steals and three-point shots.

“I thought it hurt Irvine more than it did us,” Grant said. “Their whole game plan was to pressure us, and Brooks is good at pressuring.”

The pressure defense has plagued Irvine all season. The difference Thursday night was that it was the Anteaters who were applying the pressure.

“Normally, we’re the kind of team that gets after it offensively,” Murphy said. “Tonight, we did it at the other end.”

Grant, who has been known to admire good defense, was impressed.

“I told Coach Mulligan that in all the times we’ve played them, this was the most gutty performance I’ve ever seen his team play,” he said.

Irvine led, 35-26, at halftime. The Bulldogs pulled to within one three times in the second half.