For UC Irvine, It’s Misery in Missoula : Anteaters Go South in Northwest, Losing to Montana, 101-80

As far as the Great Northwest is concerned, the word is out on UC Irvine, and it’s not a very good word.

The Anteaters’ 101-80 loss to Montana Thursday night at Dahlberg Arena was their second straight defeat on this two-game trip.

What’s worse, the game unfolded about the same as Irvine’s 80-71 loss to Boise State did Tuesday night.

Once again, the Anteaters gave up a lot of points inside. The Grizzlies’ front line accounted for 62 points.

Montana Center Wayne Tinkle, who had been averaging 12 points a game, led all scorers with 24.

Tinkle did nothing spectacular--a tip here, a follow shot there, and maybe every now and then a three-foot jump hook.

“He just played a real solid game,” said Wayne Englestad, Irvine’s center. “He really plays within himself, makes everyone else on the floor a better player.”

Once again, Irvine was outrebounded, this time by 47-38.

And once again, the Anteaters (3-3) were forced out of their running game and into a half-court offense, which for the the past two games has been no offense at all.

“I think people on this trip have been playing us intelligently,” Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan said. “They’ve exposed our weaknesses and taken us out of the things we want to do.”

The key to Montana’s defensive success was the pressure applied on Irvine’s Scott Brooks by Montana forward Mike Ahlers.

Ahlers, 6 feet 4 inches, was guarding the 5-11 Brooks in the Grizzlies’ matchup zone during the second half.

Brooks came into the game averaging 25 points--mainly from outside and many from beyond the three-point line.

But Brooks releases his shot very low and slow. Ahlers’ superior height countered that, and Brooks scored just 8 points in the second half. He had 19 in the game.

“We knew they had a good perimeter game coming in,” Montana Coach Stew Morrill said. “If you lay back in a zone, they’ll destroy you.”

Montana (7-2) has won six straight games.