Turnovers Trouble Anteaters in Loss at Tulane : College basketball: UC Irvine turns the ball over 28 times, 18 in first half of an 86-65 defeat.

After three days of hearing more cries of “Roll Tide” from Alabama’s Sugar Bowl fans than they thought they could stand, UC Irvine’s Anteaters finally met the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday.

They found out the Green Wave can roll, too.

The Anteaters were swept away, committing 18 turnovers in the first half of an 86-65 loss to Tulane before a sellout crowd of 3,500 in Fogelman Arena.

Just last Wednesday, Irvine played No. 10 Georgetown to a 64-60 loss. Tulane, after losing to Alabama Birmingham and Jackson State, has recently fallen out of the rankings. But the Green Wave ran all over Irvine, making 16 steals and helping create some of Irvine’s 28 turnovers.

“It’s really depressing, it’s sad,” forward Jeff Von Lutzow said. “We gave a No. 10 team a game, then against a decent team, not a great team, but a good team, we do this.”

Von Lutzow, UC Irvine’s leading scorer, sat on the bench for all but seven minutes of the first half, and didn’t score until Irvine (2-5) trailed by 23 points with less than eight minutes remaining. He had double-doubles in Irvine’s first three games and was averaging 19.5 points. He finished with eight against Tulane, his exact total in losses to Nevada Las Vegas and Georgetown.

“I know I let the team down tonight,” Von Lutzow said. “Personally, I just want to say I’m sorry, to my teammates and my coaches, especially my coaches.

“I wasn’t there tonight. It seems like I stumble out of the starting blocks in our big games.”

Irvine Coach Rod Baker sat Von Lutzow down for much of the first half after Von Lutzow’s role during a stretch when the Anteaters committed five turnovers in six possessions near the outset of the game.

One pass meant for Von Lutzow rolled off his hands and out of bounds. Then, against Tulane’s harassing press, Von Lutzow leaped to receive a pass around midcourt, then tried to make an airborne touch-pass. Instead it was a Tulane steal.

“I thought we were going to have no trouble whatsoever with their press after the way we handled Georgetown’s,” Baker said. “I thought that was not going to be an issue. I’m not sure how many turnovers were caused by their press. We threw the ball all over the place.”

Lloyd Mumford, Irvine’s point guard, had eight turnovers. Von Lutzow and center Dee Boyer each had four.

“They had pretty good pressure,” said Keith Stewart, who led Irvine with 17 points. “(But) their pressure didn’t cause the turnovers. We were throwing it away ourselves.”

Shortly after Irvine’s first bad spell, Tulane took a 20-9 lead after a 10-0 run that was capped by a dunk by Matt Greene after Anthony Reed’s steal. By halftime, Tulane (8-3) led, 44-27.

Just about everywhere Baker looked, he found problems. There was Von Lutzow, who Baker alternately tried yelling at, and then, in the final minutes, talking to quietly after clearing a chair at the end of the bench.

There was the free-throw line--Irvine made only 13 of 31, but Tulane made only 19 of 38.

Starting center Boyer didn’t take a shot. Starting forward LaDay Smith took only one.

Stewart had foul trouble, playing only eight minutes in the first half because he picked up his third foul.

There was rebounding. Tulane won that battle, 46-38, and had 18 offensive rebounds.

And there was inconsistent officiating that began before the game, when official Gerry Donaghy made Smith leave the court because his T-shirt had a small brand emblem on his shirt. The game didn’t start until a one-inch hole had been cut out of Smith’s shirt to remove the logo.

Five players reached double figures for Tulane (8-3). Pointer Williams, G.J. Hunter and Matt Greene all had 13 points. Williams had five steals, and Hunter had four.

One of Irvine’s biggest concerns is Von Lutzow.

“My biggest enemy is really my own mind,” Von Lutzow said. “I start thinking too much about the game instead of just going with the flow.

“Against the smaller teams, I go out and get my points and my rebounds. Against the other teams, I think about what happens if my man scores. I start thinking too far ahead. I’ve got to quit doing that. I’ve got to just play.

Baker is trying to guide Von Lutzow out of his slump.

“We had a little talk at halftime,” Baker said. “I thought he played a little better in the second half.

“The human mind is an extremely fragile thing. No matter how adept you are at getting inside and tinkering around, nobody is really that good at it.”