UC Irvine’s Rally Beats San Jose St.

UC Irvine’s players, the groundhogs of college basketball, dug themselves another nice, deep hole Saturday night, but this time they managed to burrow out and bask in the light of a victory for a change.

The Anteaters--who have been behind by 8 or more points early in the game 6 times this season--trailed San Jose State, 10-3, before rallying en route to a 71-62 Big West Conference victory over the Spartans at San Jose Civic Auditorium.

Irvine (4-8 overall and 1-2 in Big West play) got its first road victory since winning here last Feb. 15. San Jose is 5-10, 1-5.

“Both of these teams desperately needed a win,” Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan said. “We were fortunate enough to get it. Every time we come up here, it’s a war. I’m absolutely delighted with the win.”

Coming into the game, Mulligan was more worried about his team’s mental state than its ability to run, jump, shoot and defend.

“This whole thing has become a mind game with us,” he said before the game. “We need to take a psychiatrist on the road with us.”

Saturday night, it was 6-foot 9-inch senior Mike Doktorczyk, not an analyst, who got the job done for Irvine. Doktorczyk led the Anteaters with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and perhaps most important, he made 8 consecutive free throws in the final 7 minutes.

It’s not especially difficult to understand how the Anteaters won. They made 25 of 26 free throws and sank 6 of 11 3-point shots. Also, San Jose State guard Steve Haney, who was averaging 19 points a game, scored only 4.

Still, this was not a standard Irvine victory--if there is such a thing for a team that has won only 4 this season. Irvine’s top three scorers--Doktorczyk and guards Kevin Floyd and Rod Palmer--made a combined 12 of 31 shots. Palmer finished with 16 points; Floyd had 11.

Forward Jeff Herdman, who had not started since the season opener, earned his starting spot back and made the most of it. Herdman, a 6-6 sophomore from Mission Viejo, made 6 of 7 shots--including 3 of 3 from 3-point range--and tied his career high with 15 points. He also had 5 rebounds.

And the Anteaters excelled in a couple of areas where they are often deficient--rebounding and defense. The Anteaters, who have been out-rebounded by an average of 5 a game, out-rebounded San Jose, 34-21, including a 19-9 first-half advantage that helped them take a 34-31 halftime lead.

Irvine also managed to hold San Jose below the 96-point average opponents have been scoring this season. And the Spartans’ 45% field-goal statistic, though respectable, was considerably less than Irvine’s opponent average of 52%.

“If Irvine hadn’t shot quite so well at the line and on 3-pointers, it might have been a different story,” Spartan Coach Bill Berry said. “I’m not sure what to say about us except that we’re going to have to make some changes.

“Our effort was pretty good, but we forced some shots and missed some layups. And Haney just sort of took himself out of the game emotionally.”