UCI Drops 4th Straight, Losing to UCSB, 92-85

Scott Brooks had tears in his eyes, but the real hurt wasn’t in his badly sprained left ankle. The ankle wasn’t anything compared to the way Brooks’ team, UC Irvine, is currently playing.

“This eats me up,” said Brooks in the wake of Irvine’s 92-85 loss to UC Santa Barbara Thursday night, the Anteaters’ fourth straight defeat. “This is biting my heart right now.

“I’m not a guy who can easily accept something like this. I know this team is better than four losses in a row. I know I’m a better player than someone who’s on a team that has lost four in a row.

“Now, we’re battling for eighth place. There’s no way we should be in this situation. This is what we’ve practiced all summer for . . . and it seems like, now, some guys don’t want to play.”

Brooks’ voice trailed off. In February, the play of the Anteaters has done the same thing.

Irvine’s longest losing streak of the season has dropped the Anteaters to 6-8 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. and 11-12 overall. That translates to an eighth-place tie with Utah State.

Only eight teams qualify for the PCAA Tournament.

Although a late, second-half rally made the final score appear competitive, the Anteaters lost this one early. Santa Barbara (6-6, 11-10) led by 19-5 barely four minutes into the game and increased its advantage to as many as 27 points in the second half.

When the Gauchos got into foul trouble during the final 10 minutes, Irvine inched to within three points with 20 seconds left. But by then, as Brooks put it, “it was too late.”

The Anteaters’ last chance came after Mike Doktorczyk’s follow shot had cut Santa Barbara’s lead to 88-85. After the basket, Irvine forward Frank Woods slapped the ball out of bounds--and was slapped with a technical for delay of game. Gaucho guard Brian Shaw hit both technical shots and that was that.

Anteater Coach Bill Mulligan wasn’t disappointed that the comeback failed. On this night, his disappointment was more deeply rooted

“That was a disgraceful first 30 minutes,” he said. “Awful.

“We came back pretty well, but that’s no excuse for the way we started. I can’t explain it. I can’t explain this team. One guy plays great one night and the next game, zero.”

Irvine shot 40.7% from the field and was outrebounded, 43-34, by a Santa Barbara team that has now twice beaten the Anteaters with ease. Last month, the Gauchos routed Irvine in Santa Barbara, 93-75.

“Santa Barbara must be the greatest team in America,” Mulligan said. “At least they look like it whenever I see ‘em. I can’t understand why they’re 6-6. They must have shot 70%. Of course, our defense makes everybody look like great shooters.”

Santa Barbara shot 64.2% from the field, with five players scoring in double figures. Guard Brian Johnson led the Gauchos with 23 points. Center Khris Fortson had 17, guard Carrick DeHart 15, forward Brian Vaughns 14 and Shaw 12.

Brooks had 28 points for Irvine, playing 33 minutes on a sore ankle. Forward Frank Woods had 20 points, and center Wayne Engelstad, playing with a pulled right hamstring, added 18 before fouling out.

About the only thing Irvine got out of this game was another injury. Late in the first half, reserve forward Rob Doktorczyk twisted his right knee on a rebound attempt, possibly damaging some ligaments. Doktorczyk was helped off the court and returned in the second half with a brace on his right leg. He will have the knee X-rayed today.

“We’re down to nine guys,” Mulligan said, “and we have a real easy game Saturday.”

Mulligan spoke with sarcasm. Saturday’s opponent is cross-county rival Cal State Fullerton, which has recovered well from early-season miseries.

At the same time, Irvine is falling apart.

“This has nothing to do with injuries,” Brooks said. “This all has to do with desire. We don’t have the desire that was there when we were winning.

“We played 10 good minutes tonight. That’s not enough. It’s the same thing we did against (Las) Vegas, the same thing we did against Utah State . . . the same thing we’re doing every damn game.”

PCAA STANDINGS

Conference All Games W L W L Pct Nev. Las Vegas 13 0 25 1 .962 San Jose St. 7 6 11 11 .500 CSLB 7 6 12 13 .480 UCSB 6 6 11 10 .524 CS Full. 6 7 13 9 .591 N. Mexico St. 6 7 12 12 .500 Pacific 6 7 10 12 .455 UC Irvine 6 8 11 12 .478 Utah St. 5 7 12 12 .500 Fresno St. 2 10 7 16 .304