Magic Finally Loses Its Hold for UC Irvine : Big West: After upset of UC Santa Barbara, Anteaters take a 19-6 lead before losing to Pacific, 81-69.

The NCAA tournament will have to find itself another No. 64 team.

UC Irvine’s Anteaters, a 6-21 regular-season team, upset UC Santa Barbara during the first round of the Big West Conference tournament Friday, but lost to Pacific, 81-69, in a semifinal game Saturday night.

Pacific, trailing by three at halftime, made seven second-half three-pointers and used a 16-0 run midway through the second half to take a 15-point lead with six minutes to play.

Pacific (14-15), which hasn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 1979, will play New Mexico State, an 80-72 winner over Cal State Long Beach, for the Big West title and automatic tournament bid at 12:30 today.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said. “They surpassed everyone else’s expectations and never reached their own.”

Baker, in his first season at the school, guided Irvine to a 7-22 record after losing the three leading scorers from a team that won 11 games last season.

Irvine played its best game of the season in upsetting Santa Barbara, and extended it by taking a 19-6 lead over Pacific during the first six minutes before 3,373 at Long Beach Arena.

“When we had a 13-point lead, there were 35 minutes left to play,” Baker said. “If anything, I think Pacific thought, ‘Beautiful, we’re down by 13, but there are 35 minutes left to play. We can get this back easily.’ ”

Pacific did, taking advantage of some Irvine scoring lulls to go in at halftime down by three, 35-32. Irvine had held one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation without a three-pointer.

“At halftime, they were five for 10 in three-pointers and we were 0 for 4,” Pacific Coach Bob Thomason said.

“I thought we had the wrong uniforms on.”

But Tony Amundsen, who finished with 17 points, made three three-pointers during the first 3:35 of the second half, and Pacific was ahead, 45-39.

“To our dismay, Tony Amundsen comes out and just starts knocking ‘em down like there’s no tomorrow,” Baker said.

With the Tiger guards penetrating, Pacific started getting open for three-point attempts. Dell Demps, held to eight points during the first half, finished with 24, including three three-pointers.

Irvine, meanwhile, went cold, shooting 35.5% during the second half. Pacific shot 58.3% for the game.

Irvine got no closer than eight points during the final three minutes.

“The Santa Barbara win was just us playing at our best,” said Irvine’s Gerald McDonald, who led the Anteaters with 15 points.

“Just like tonight, UOP was at their best.”