UCI Can’t Get Over the Edge : Anteaters: They attempt 82 shots, but make only 37% of them in a 93-79 loss to Maryland.

UC Irvine’s game--its whole season, come to think of it--is based on shooting.

Shoot quickly, shoot often, shoot a lot more times than the other guy.

But this is what is worrisome to the Anteaters. The season is also based on making a fair portion of those shots.

The Anteaters shot often enough Tuesday against Maryland, they just didn’t make enough of them, losing to the Terrapins, 93-79.

“It looks like a 14-point game on paper,” Mulligan said after the Anteaters’ loss in front of 7,263 in Cole Field House. “It wasn’t.”

Irvine might have turned the tables on a Maryland team that had lost three games in a row. Instead, the Anteaters fell below .500 after making only 30 of 82 shots (37%) and 14 of 46 in the second half.

Irvine attempted 31 more than Maryland. But Maryland made 59% of its shots, and that made all the difference.

Even so, Irvine trailed only 81-77 with 2:23 to play. But Maryland’s Kevin McLinton stopped the comeback when he drove hard to the basket with less than 10 seconds left on the 45-second shot clock, and made a layup despite being fouled by Jeff Herdman. His free throw was good for a three-point play and a seven-point lead with 1:44 remaining. Maryland then made nine of 10 free throws the rest of the way.

Irvine entered the game wary mostly of two players--Walt Williams, the Terrapins’ 6-foot-8 junior point guard, and Matt Roe, a senior transfer from Syracuse who is a three-point threat. Williams did some of the damage, scoring 21 points, including two of five three-pointers. Roe scored 11 points and made just one three-point shot.

But the most critical damage was done by center Cedric Lewis, whose usual specialty is defense. Against the Anteaters, he scored a career-high 21 points and matched his best performance with 14 rebounds. His eight blocked shots were also a career high.

“We were concerned with Roe, but Lewis really hurt us,” Mulligan said.

Lewis also did his part in defending Irvine center Ricky Butler, who had a poor first half for the second game in a row.

Butler, averaging 19 points a game, stumbled through the first half. He finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, but had only four points at halftime. He had only three at halftime Saturday in a loss to Utah, but finished with 23.

Herdman, whose seven points against Maryland in the stretch helped cut the lead to four with about five minutes to play, also finished with 18. He also added eight rebounds.

Irvine played its second consecutive game without starting guard Dylan Rigdon, who was out with a hip flexor but might return Saturday against San Diego State.

“We missed Rigdon,” Mulligan said.

Anteater Notes

About the time the rest of the team was taping its ankles before the game in College Park, starting guard Dylan Rigdon was standing in street clothes, shooting baskets with a friend in the Bren Center. He has not played the past two games because of a hip flexor, but hopes to be ready to play Saturday against San Diego State in San Diego. “I’ll probably be out of shape and out of sync,” Rigdon said. He did not travel with the team because he needed to be able to undergo rehabilitation in Irvine. The only other time Rigdon has missed a trip was last season against Nevada Las Vegas. “I didn’t get picked to go,” Rigdon said, smiling. He was a freshman at the time, and had yet to show the form that helped him average 17 points in the final nine regular-season games. . . . Don May, a 6-9 senior center who wound up at point guard Saturday during a loss to Utah, started the second half at forward in place of Jeff Von Lutzow, whom Coach Bill Mulligan played for only one minute in the second half. Von Lutzow, a sophomore, made two of eight shots and scored eight points with one rebound in 14 minutes. “Don May did a great job. He was magnificent,” Mulligan said. “He’s never played that position before, and he had never played (point guard) before last Saturday.” May had two points, five rebounds, a block and an assist. Von Lutzow’s status as a starter is unclear. “He isn’t doing anything,” Mulligan said. “His mind isn’t with it.”