Irvine Gives Pacific More Overtime Pain With 95-92 Victory : Doktorczyk, Floyd Lead 3-Point Attack

An ailing UC Irvine basketball team limped into Thursday night’s game against University of the Pacific hoping to find the panacea for all Big West Conference teams: Take a victory from the Tigers and go to bed.

The Anteaters, who were playing without Jeff Herdman, the nation’s leading three-point shooter who has the intestinal flu, and also had their top rebounder and No. 2 scorer, center Mike Doktorczyk, limping with a severe thigh bruise, got the victory they sought. But it didn’t come easily.

Irvine, 10-12 overall and 7-6 in the Big West, pulled off an improbable 95-92 overtime victory over Pacific (5-17, 1-12) in front of 2,441 at the Spanos Center. It was the Tigers’ third consecutive overtime loss at home.

“Unbelievable, just unbelievable,” Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan said. “There were so many ups and downs. I really feel sorry for them. They just hung so tough.”

Indeed. The Anteaters managed to finally pull away from the tenacious Tigers and led by 10 (75-65) with 5:33 left in regulation. But Pacific outscored Irvine, 16-2, and when center Don Lyttle, who scored a career-high 31 points, hit a 10-foot turnaround jumper with 1:25 left, the Tigers led, 81-77.

Doktorczyk, who finished with 26 points after scoring just two in the first half, hit a three-pointer with 1:13 left to cut the Pacific lead to one.

Irvine, not known for its defensive prowess, but up a stand on the Tigers’ next possession. With 5 seconds remaining on the 45-second shot clock, Anteater guard Kevin Floyd came up with a steal, but was called for kicking the ball, giving Pacific a new 45 seconds with 33 seconds left in the game.

Floyd quickly fouled Reggie Ricks, who barely touched the rim with his free throw. Irvine rebounded, but Floyd slipped to the floor while driving toward the basket and was called for traveling. Floyd again quickly fouled Ricks, who made both free throws this time to give the Tigers an 83-80 advantage with 20 seconds left.

But Floyd, who scored 25, made up for his earlier miscue by hitting a leaning three-pointer with Ricks all over him with eight seconds left. For some reason, Pacific didn’t call timeout until there was only 3 seconds left and the game went into overtime without the Tigers getting a shot.

“I’d take every game having that shot and being three up,” an exasperated Pacific Coach Bob Thomason said. “We were going to give them a two-pointer and then call timeout with three seconds left. Somehow there was some confusion.”

Pacific, with Lyttle hitting another of his patented turnaround jumpers and then a follow shot, moved out to a 91-87 lead in the overtime, but Floyd and Doktorczyk struck again, hitting back-to-back long-range three-pointers. Floyd made two free throws with 18 seconds left to put Irvine ahead by the final margin.

Then, for good margin, Floyd smothered Chris Fox, who was forced to take a two-pointer at the buzzer.

“I think Floyd and Doktorczyk did a helluva job,” said Mulligan, whose Irvine teams are 9-0 in Stockton. “We were fortunate tonight.”

The Anteaters’ fortunes rested on the play of seniors Floyd and Doktorczyk, who combined for 43 points after the first half. Doktorczyk, who is No. 4 in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage, stayed home an extra day to get therapy on his thigh from former Ram trainer Gary Tuthill, winced as he plopped down on a chair in the locker room.

“It’s kinda sore,” he said. “It feels better than it did last week but it still needs a lot of work.

“I told Coach I never force three-pointers but they were on me tonight and I shot anyway. I felt pretty good and we needed them.”

Doktorczyk was three for three from three-point range, but none was more important than Floyd’s at the end of regulation.

“I’ve been working on my (shooting) mechanics before and after practice,” Floyd said. “I was due for one of those leanin’ three-pointers to fall.”

The Tigers probably feel it’s about time for somebody else to play the fall guys.