Irvine Sends Mulligan Out a Winner--Barely

If UC Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan had second thoughts about his decision to retire at the end of this season, the Anteaters probably took care of them Saturday.

Irvine, trying to send Mulligan out a winner, blew a 17-point second-half lead before Gerald McDonald hit a jump shot from the lane with one second left for a 109-107 victory over Utah State in front of 2,261 in the Bren Center.

Jubilation erupted, but Mulligan stood by the bench, hands on his hips, staring at the scoreboard.

“Now you know why I quit,” he said.

The Anteaters led by 17 points with 11:31 left and by 12 with 3:50 left. But Utah State kept closing, with the help of four three-point baskets in the final four minutes by Kendall Youngblood, who had 33 points.

Utah State (11-16, 8-10) tied the score, 104-104, with 1:08 left on two free throws by Youngblood. Irvine took a lead on a free throw by Jeff Herdman and dunk by Jeff Von Lutzow, who scored 27 points.

But Youngblood made a three-point basket with 27 seconds left, tying the score, 107-107.

Irvine took its last timeout with 16 seconds left and drew up a play for Ricky Butler. But when nothing developed, McDonald--one for seven in the game, missing mostly layups--drove the lane.

“I told McDonald it was a good thing that wasn’t a layin or he’d have blown it,” Mulligan said.

Irvine (11-19, 6-12) finished ninth in the Big West Conference.

Mulligan’s record in 11 years at Irvine was 163-156.

Herdman scored 24 and Butler had 18 in their final Irvine games.