Aggies Ready to Be Upset, but UCI Loses : Anteaters: Irvine closes to within one point before falling, 75-71, to uninspired New Mexico State.

New Mexico State came into UC Irvine’s Bren Center on Thursday with only one loss, but after Irvine’s second-half comeback fell short and ended in a 75-71 Anteater loss, Aggie Coach Neil McCarthy could only sigh in relief.

“We were primed for an upset, the way we played,” McCarthy said.

Irvine was in position to take one, but didn’t grab hold.

After trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, Irvine charged back to cut the lead to one before falling short in front a victory-hungry crowd of 2,372.

Were the Aggies prepared to be upset?

“They didn’t try hard enough, did they?” said Irvine Coach Rod Baker. “We’re in that moral victory category again.”

Baker, a newcomer to the Big West Conference, isn’t steeped in the idea that a victory over New Mexico State would be an upset. All he granted was that the Aggies came in with a 7-1 record.

“They’ve learned how to win, that’s important. At 3-7, we haven’t learned yet,” he said.

Baker saw evidence everywhere.

“I don’t want this to become a broken record, but we have to make plays,” Baker said. “I thought we prepared properly to do the things we needed to do.”

For the second consecutive game, Baker was upset with his team’s ballhandling. After committing 27 turnovers against Tulane Monday, Irvine had 21 against New Mexico State, which had 14 steals.

“I think we have to value possession of the ball a little more, treat it like it’s made of gold instead of eggshells, “ Baker said.

Baker was also disappointed in the free-throw shooting balance. New Mexico State tried 34, making 25. Irvine had eight attempts, of which they made four.

” We go to the foul line eight times in a physical game,” Baker said. “It looked physical to me, from where I’m sitting.”

Irvine’s comeback was fueled by its guard depth. Keith Stewart, a transfer from Marquette, came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points, making six of 10 shots in 17 minutes. His floating one-hander in the lane and his three- pointer helped pull Irvine close, as did three-pointers by David Hollaway and Jeff Von Lutzow.

Von Lutzow, who finished with 12 points, cut the lead to one, 63-62, with 4:05 left when he faked a three-pointer, then dribbled in for a 10-footer. New Mexico State’s Ron Putzi hit a three-pointer to make the lead four, but Stewart cut it right back to one with another three-pointer. But New Mexico State struck back quickly, as William Benjamin hit a three-pointer for a four-point lead that never dwindled.

“Once again, we turned the ball over,” Baker said.

“All of a sudden, we spit it up. How about when Elgin (Rogers), when we’re down by one point with the ball, when he goes to make a pass and it gets away?”

Stewart, who has been up and down in his first three games for Irvine, has one quality most of the team lacks: scoring ability. But it wasn’t enough.

“We felt like if we played like we did down the stretch from the beginning, it was right there,” Stewart said. “I don’t think it’s what they do. We play against pressure in practice every day, but in game situations we get lackadaisical with the ball.”

Von Lutzow had one of the last and best chances for Irvine, but trailing by four with about 22 seconds left, he passed up an open shot and scrambled back for a three-pointer that he missed. It was a decision he regretted.

“I’ve played against a lot better New Mexico State teams than in this game,” Von Lutzow said. “They were very beatable.

“We can’t make dumb passes. We can’t dribble into defenders. If we cut down on turnovers, we win the game.”

McCarthy was just relieved to walk out with a victory.

“It was one of those nights, we were flat and disjointed on offense,” McCarthy said. “Give credit to Irvine. But I don’t think we’d be 8-1 if we’d played that way all year.”

Sam Crawford, a product of Los Angeles Westchester High School who leads the nation in assists, scored 20 points and added 10 assists--his average.

Notes

The 2-year-old daughter of UC Irvine starting point guard Gerald McDonald fell from a 10-foot ledge in the Bren Center bleachers during the final minute of the game, causing McDonald’s family and onlookers several minutes of concern. The child, Jhakia McDonald, appeared to be all right, but was taken to the Bren Center first aid center and later to a local hospital for a precautionary examination. McDonald was on the bench when Jhakia fell, and rushed to her aid for the remainder of the game. . . . Irvine shot 53.4% from the field, reaching 50% in a game for the first time this season. . . . Next: Nevada Las Vegas at 7:30 Saturday in the Bren Center. Tickets are available.