UC Irvine Looks OK in 22-Point Loss to UNLV

Maybe there is hope for these UC Irvine Anteaters after all. Maybe not this season, but in those to come.

Although Irvine lost to Nevada Las Vegas, 99-77, Thursday night in the Bren Center, the Anteaters had their moments.

There was Jeff Von Lutzow gliding down the lane for a right-handed dunk over Larry Johnson in the first half.

There was Von Lutzow again, swatting Johnson’s five-foot jumper into the front row a moment later.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7 junior, is considered to be one of the finest big men in the country.

And there was Dylan Rigdon driving fearlessly around Stacey Augmon, leaning in for a short jumper while drawing a foul.

Augmon, the Big West Conference’s player of the year last season, is widely considered the nation’s best defender and was a 1988 Olympian, largely because of his defensive skills.

Von Lutzow and Rigdon are freshmen. Von Lutzow had a team-high 22 points and five rebounds. Rigdon had 19 points and eight assists.

And Ricky Butler had 20 points, making all eight of his shots from the field.

On another night against another team, it might have added up to a victory.

But this was UNLV, one of the best teams in the country.

Anderson Hunt led a late UNLV surge with 25 points, including three three-pointers in the final 5:36. Johnson added 23, making 10 of 13 from the field, and had 11 rebounds.

The fourth-ranked Rebels are 23-4 overall, 14-1 in the Big West.

Irvine, which set a school record for losses in a season, is 3-21, 1-14.

The Anteaters stayed close for most of the first half, trailing only 34-32, but Johnson’s follow shot got the Rebels started on a 15-2 run over the final 4:41 of the half.