UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / ROBYN NORWOOD : Swim Teams Prepare for Their Invitational

Never mind that the UC Irvine swimming teams haven’t been able to work out on campus much lately because the Crawford Hall pool has been temporarily dry for repairs.

They’ve gotten in their laps at a larger facility at Heritage Park, which is where they will play host to the UC Irvine Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

Among the competitors will be Northern Arizona’s April Diez, who previously swam for the Mission Viejo Nadadores. Irvine Coach Charlie Schober says Diez is among the top collegiate distance freestylers in the nation.

Irvine’s best performers from its women’s team include junior Liz Koch, a backstroke and butterfly specialist; Laurel Hooper, a sophomore who swims freestyle events and the 400 individual medley, and senior Danielle Pajer, a breast stroke specialist who sat out last year because of injury. Pajer is still trying to overcome the groin and hamstring muscle problems that have plagued her career.

Among the men’s standouts at Irvine are junior Pat Keenan, a butterfly and freestyle specialist, and junior Erik Walton, a freestyler and backstroker. The two were part of a standout freshman class two years ago.

“They’re still hot,” Schober said.

About 10 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams will compete.

*

Big West Conference Swimming Picks: Schober predicts Nevada Las Vegas could upset UC Santa Barbara in the men’s race, with Irvine a step behind.

He sees UNLV and Santa Barbara at the top of the women’s field, and figures Irvine will be about sixth.

*

Good News/Bad News Stat of the Week: Irvine’s 52.6% shooting percentage in the men’s basketball team’s loss to Houston on Monday was identical to its free-throw percentage.

*

The 52.6% field-goal mark was Irvine’s season-high against a Division I team (The overall high of 64.7% came against an NAIA team, Southern California College). Irvine also had a 37-32 rebounding edge over Houston, though the Anteaters were outrebounded by one in the second half.

But the numbers that helped to stop the Anteaters had to do with fouls--Irvine was whistled for 26, 12 more than Houston--and turnovers--Irvine had 25 turnovers, a number of them on charging calls late in the game, to Houston’s 13.

The Cougars went to the line 31 times to Irvine’s 19.

The officiating wasn’t particularly good, but there wasn’t anything Irvine could do about it--thought Coach Rod Baker tried, keeping up a stream of sarcasm and invective. It was probably justified, but it didn’t win him a call down the stretch.

In any case, the Anteaters could have done themselves a favor by shooting better than 52.6% at the line when they were fortunate enough to get there.

Houston did, making 23 of 31 (74.2%).

Irvine missed nine of 19 free throws, and lost by eight points.

*

Free throws also cost the women’s team Saturday against Cal State Long Beach, a team Irvine has never beaten.

The Anteaters had a chance this time. They led by 16 points, 64-48, with about 12 minutes left. But Irvine was held to 10 points the rest of the way and lost, 82-74. The Anteaters sacrificed many of their scoring opportunities when Long Beach repeatedly sent Irvine players to the line.

“Really, it boils down to our inability to connect at the free-throw line. We made 19 of 40,” Coach Colleen Matsuhara said. “It’s just a matter of concentration and confidence at the line. Most of the shots were long. I told the team, ‘I know you’ve got your adrenaline going, but you’ve got to relax.’ ”

Irvine challenged Long Beach even though the Anteaters lost Cher Scanlon, who was supposed to start at guard but didn’t play because of an ankle injury suffered during the pregame shoot-around. The other guard, Karie Yoshioka, scored a career-high 30 points, 22 in the first half. Freshman Allah-mi Basheer also did her part, getting 15 rebounds.

But the performance at the line sunk Irvine’s chances.

“If we had made half the free throws we missed, we would have won,” Matsuhara said.

*

Baker put his team through a difficult nonconference schedule--partly inherited, partly his doing--that he figured could either toughen the players or demoralize them. After Saturday’s 21-point loss to Tulane, the scale was tilting toward demoralization.

“We’re getting close to getting kicked,” Baker said.

The failed upset bid against Houston ought to give Irvine more confidence as it enters the heart of its Big West Conference season, with six of the next seven games at home.

“I think you got a chance to see a glimmer of how good this team can be,” Baker said. “I think we can win some games in the Big West, and when it’s all said and done, that’s all that matters. Guys go to the (NCAA tournament) with 13-13 records. All you’ve got to do is win your conference. So what, you get a bad seed. Miracles do happen.”