FREEDOM BOWL CLASSIC : Irvine Stays Close for Half but Loses to Houston

UC Irvine played hard again Friday night, but against a talented Houston team, hard was hardly enough.

Houston--a team that beat Villanova by 30 points--handed the Anteaters a 73-51 loss in the second game of a doubleheader in the Disneyland Freedom Bowl Classic in front of 2,781 at the Bren Center.

The Cougars led by only four points at halftime, but pulled ahead by 18 midway through the second half as Irvine went cold, scoring only two field goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Irvine (1-2) plays again at 9 tonight, facing USC, which defeated Kent, 74-62, in the first game Friday. Houston faces Kent at 6:30 tonight.

Houston, led by the athletic combination of forward Craig Upchurch, center Charles Outlaw and guard Sam Mack, went on a 19-5 run during the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Mack, who finished with 17 points despite foul trouble, contributed seven points during that run, including a three-point play and a steal that he turned into a breakaway dunk. Tyrone Evans’ three-pointer capped the spree, giving Houston a 52-34 lead.

Upchurch added 17 points and 11 rebounds for Houston. Gerald McDonald scored 11 for Irvine, and Jeff Von Lutzow and Elgin Rogers each added 10.

“They didn’t allow us the same opportunities in the second half,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said. “Maybe they figured this one wasn’t one they were going to be able to walk through. Like good players do, they turned it up.”

Houston is 4-1, and its only loss is a three-point defeat against North Carolina in a game the Cougars led by 15 points at halftime.

“Hey, that ain’t a bad basketball team,” Baker said. “That ain’t Trencin of Czechoslovakia.”

Irvine trailed at halftime, 33-29, after cutting an 11-point Houston lead to four with a 7-0 run in the final three minutes of the first half.

Even though Houston shot 57% in the first half, the Anteaters stayed close early, fending off the quick, high-leaping Houston team with two three-pointers each by Craig Marshall and Von Lutzow, and penetrating drives by Irvine guards McDonald and Zuri Williams.

The problem with driving on Houston, though, is that Outlaw usually lurks behind the defense. A 6-foot-8 transfer from South Plains Community College, Outlaw had 10 blocked shots in Houston’s first four games, and three in the first half against Irvine.

Still, partly because of its drives, Irvine had Houston in some foul trouble, as Mack, Outlaw and guard Derrick Daniels all had two.

Houston took its 11-point first-half lead during a flurry marked by outstanding inside play by Upchurch and Outlaw, as well as a few Irvine turnovers. But the Anteaters scrapped back with a three-pointer from Von Lutzow and two baskets by Elgin Rogers in the lane.