Butler Devises a Winning Strategy for Irvine, 92-87

That was the new Ricky Butler on the court at the Bren Center Saturday. “A selfish guy,” Butler said, his smile spreading wide.

Butler’s 32 points and 17 rebounds, both career highs, helped his UC Irvine teammates break a four-game losing streak with a 92-87 Big West Conference victory over Cal State Fullerton, which has lost five of its past six games.

“I just wanted to show the new me,” said Butler, a 6-7 senior center. “Basically, I’m going to shoot the ball every time I get it, or get fouled. I’m taking over the team again.”

Despite Butler’s performance, which was his fifth double-double of the season, the game was close the entire second half.

Irvine (8-13, 3-6) led by as many as seven points, and still led by five with 2:19 left after Craig Marshall made two free throws.

But Fullerton (11-8, 4-6) cut the lead to three on a basket by Agee Ward, who scored 25 points despite missing part of the second half with four fouls. His absence made it tougher to stop Butler, with Fullerton missing center Aaron Wilhite because of a bruised left knee.

On the other end, Irvine’s Jeff Herdman missed a three-point shot, and then, after Butler got the rebound, Herdman drove and missed a layup. Herdman, who has carried the Anteaters with his three-point shooting recently, scored 16 points, but made only one of eight three-point attempts.

Fullerton’s Joe Small, who scored 17 points, made a 19-foot jump shot to cut the lead to one, 86-85.

Irvine missed its next shot, but Butler got that rebound, too, and put it back up for a three-point lead.

Fullerton got the lead back down to one with 47 seconds left, after Small made two free throws. But Fullerton’s Greg Vernon was called for a foul as Vernon and Wayne Williams seemed to have wrapped up Gerald McDonald in a trap near halfcourt.

McDonald made two free throws for a 90-87 lead with 36 seconds remaining, and Butler got the rebound after Williams missed a three-pointer that would have tied it. Herdman made two free throws for the final margin.