UCI’s Streak Ends at 15 in 98-97 Victory

The buzzer was ringing and Rod Palmer was half-running, half-skipping toward UC Irvine’s bench Saturday night.

Before he could get there, his teammates engulfed him just as he hurled the ball into the rafters.

The Thunderdome, as UC Santa Barbara’s Campus Events Center is known, was oddly quiet, save for the Anteaters screaming and hugging at midcourt.

The Gauchos stood where they had been when Gary Gray’s last-second try was smothered by the Anteater defense.

Irvine had beaten Santa Barbara, 98-97, ending a school-record losing streak that spanned 15 games and two months and a day.

A crowd of 5,395 saw Irvine (3-20 overall, 1-13 and still in last place in the Big West Conference) shoot a season-best 56.1% from the field and score a season-high 98 points.

The crowd sent the decibel meter at one end of the arena soaring to 107 as Irvine’s Ricky Butler stood at the free throw line with 20 seconds left and the Anteaters trailing, 97-96.

Irvine had just blown a 10-point lead in the last 2:24, but now Butler had a chance to give the Anteaters the lead.

It didn’t look good. Butler came into the game shooting 59.3% at the line.

Butler, who would say later that he had never been in a position to win the game at the line, tried to block out the noise.

“I wasn’t really thinking of anything, just concentrating,” he said. “I looked up and saw it (the decibel meter) was 100.”

Butler, who had been fouled by Lucius Davis as he tried a layup, swished the first shot for a 97-97 tie.

Once again, the din rose. The second shot hit the back of the rim and fell through.

“Looking at the percentages, you don’t figure he’s going to knock both down,” Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan said.

Santa Barbara (17-7, 10-5 in third place) hurried the ball into the frontcourt, but did not take a timeout.

The Gauchos worked the ball to Eric McArthur, who had made 10 of 13 from the field and had 21 points at that point.

But he missed a 12-foot jump shot from the left side with Butler tightly guarding him. The ball bounced into the right-hand corner where Idris Jones turned and missed a hurried 15-foot jumper. Gray rebounded, and the buzzer went off as he tried a two-handed throw at the basket.

“What a relief after the buzzer went off,” said Palmer, a senior guard who had 11 points and nine assists. “Man, it feels so good. I kind of forgot what it’s like to win.”

Dylan Rigdon, a freshman guard, had 24 points to lead Irvine. He made six of eight three-point baskets in hitting his career high. This after a dismal six-point performance in Thursday’s 102-63 loss at Cal State Long Beach.

“It was amazing,” Rigdon said. “It was my first big-time college game. The crowd’s into it, there’s 5,000 people screaming and it’s a one-point game.”

And, for once in a long time, a victory for Irvine.

Jeff Herdman had 22 points, making eight of 11 from the field, including a driving one-handed dunk that put Irvine ahead, 93-85, with 3:06 left. Butler also had 22, making eight of 10.

After Paul Johnson made two free throws with 38 seconds left, the Gauchos led, 97-96, and Irvine appeared to have blown another chance to break its lengthy losing streak.

The Anteaters led, 95-85, after two free throws by Palmer with 2:44 left. But it all started to come apart.

Carrick DeHart, who led Santa Barbara with 30 points, hit a jumper in the lane. Later, he would make an NBA-range three-pointer as the Gauchos crept to within four, 96-92.

Davis made another three-pointer after McArthur stole an inbounds pass from Palmer and Santa Barbara was down, 96-95. The Gauchos could thank the long arms of McArthur for that one. He stands 6 feet 7, but his arm span is a startling 7-3.

The nation’s leading rebounder, McArthur had 13 on Saturday to become the school’s career leader with 837, breaking Doug Rex’s mark of 829 (1968-71).

Rigdon was then called for charging and the crowd was roaring. McArthur, setting up for an eight-footer in the key, walked under pressure from Herdman giving Irvine possession.

The Anteaters didn’t have it long. Butler was called for an offensive foul, trying to free Rigdon, who was dribbling into the frontcourt.

Johnson, leveled by Butler, stood at the line and made both shots.

As he did, Butler was thinking, “I hope I get a chance to win it for us.”

When a driving Herdman fed an open Butler under the basket, the Gauchos had no choice but to foul Butler or give up an uncontested layup.

He made both free throws, but Irvine still had to sweat out the final 20 seconds and three last-gasp shots.

AT AN END, AT LAST

UC Irvine’s school-record 15-game losing streak:

Date Opponent Score Dec. 19 Pepperdine 81-71 Dec. 21 Loyola of Chicago 78-72 Jan. 2 Utah State* 80-70 Jan. 4 San Jose State* 75-69 Jan. 7 Fresno State* 67-57 Jan. 9 Pacific* 70-58 Jan. 11 CS Long Beach* 49-48 Jan. 13 New Mexico State* 88-75 Jan. 18 Nevada Las Vegas* 103-67 Jan. 20 UC Santa Barbara* 73-66 Jan. 25 CS Fullerton* 82-55 Feb. 1 Fresno State* 78-75 Feb. 3 Pacific* 76-75 Feb. 8 New Mexico State* 79-75 Feb. 8 CS Long Beach* 102-63

* Big West Conference game

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