UC Irvine Is Counting on Defense

In the first half of Thursday night’s 87-81 victory over Utah State, UC Irvine played the kind of defense Coach Bill Mulligan had been envisioning--but never seeing--all season. The Aggies shot just 29% before halftime.

“We tired a little in the second half,” Mulligan said, “but that’s a good-shooting team, and we can take some credit for their bad first half.”

The Anteaters (7-6 overall and 2-2 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.) won’t get much rest tonight when San Jose State (8-5, 4-1) comes to the Bren Center. The Spartans beat UC Santa Barbara Thursday night, snapping the Gauchos’ 14-game home winning streak. San Jose State, Utah State and Nevada Las Vegas are tied for first in the conference.

Irvine’s main defensive concern will be 6-foot 8-inch, senior guard Ricky Berry. Berry, who is averaging 23.9 points a game, hit a three-pointer through a double-team defense with 49 seconds left against Santa Barbara.

The Anteaters have boosted their defensive effort and slowed down their high-speed offense, becoming increasingly deliberate. Against Utah State, they almost ran out the 45-second clock while running the offense on their initial possession.

Mulligan complained about his team’s free-throw shooting, but Irvine made 28 of 34. The Anteaters missed five in the second half and Mulligan is spoiled. Irvine is fifth in the nation with a 77.2 free-throw percentage.