Baker Spurns Wish List After UC Irvine Defeat

The hypothetical question didn’t interest UC Irvine Coach Rod Baker after his Anteaters’ 65-56 loss to Pacific on Saturday in the Spanos Center.

What difference might it have made if Keith Stewart, Irvine’s second-leading scorer, had been with the team? What if the Tigers had been forced to contend with another three-point shooter instead of what little offense Irvine had left over? And would Stewart have bailed the Anteaters out after a 53-53 tie with 2 minutes 39 seconds left in the game fell away in a landslide of 12 consecutive points by Pacific?

“What could I do about it?” Baker said. “There’s no wishing. I couldn’t wish him here. I couldn’t wish his shots into someone else’s body.”

Stewart missed the two-game trip that began with a 67-62 Irvine victory against San Jose State on Thursday because he briefly dropped a course that left him below the 12-unit minimum for eligibility. He was able to rescind the decision and remain in the class, but Athletic Director Dan Guerrero decided he should sit out, and Baker says he agreed.

But on a night when Pacific stuck tight to Jeff Von Lutzow and Lloyd Mumford had a miserable first half, it was hard not to wonder what Stewart could have added.

“We missed Stew, but we had other people step up,” Mumford said. “It’s tough to say whether he’d have been hitting his shots or not.”

That much is true. Stewart had a career-high 29 points in a loss to Hofstra on Monday, but has scored in single digits twice in recent weeks.

Irvine (6-17, 4-10) could only play with what it had, which was Baker’s point. Against a Pacific defense that left Baker impressed, Irvine shot 37% and committed 22 turnovers.

Mumford had seven first-half turnovers and was 0 for five from the floor at halftime, but he came back with two big three-pointers and 11 points in the second half as Irvine climbed back from seven points behind.

It was a three-pointer by Mumford that tied the score, 53-53, with 2:39 left.

But Pacific’s Tony Amundsen struck back with a three-pointer only 19 seconds later, igniting a 12-0 run that put the Tigers safely ahead, 65-53, with 31 seconds left.

Amundsen scored 15 points on six-of-11 shooting and made three of eight three-pointers. It wasn’t one of his best nights, but he made the biggest shot.

“It was a great shot,” Mumford said. “They needed that shot to get the momentum back.”

After Von Lutzow missed a shot amid a tangle of players inside with no whistle, Pacific’s Robert Richardson scored and was fouled on the other end and made the free throw. Richardson finished with a game-high 19 points and Chuck Terrell added 16 for the Tigers.

Irvine turned the ball over on its next possession when Mumford’s pass meant for Von Lutzow rolled out of bounds, and Pacific was on its way.

Von Lutzow scored 15 points, making six of 12 shots, including two three-pointers.

The Tigers (15-9, 11-5), enjoying their best Big West season since they won the conference title in 1979, have won five in a row for the first time since 1981.

“I thought that (Pacific) played really hard and did things that took us away offensively,” Baker said. “We had some real difficulty doing things to get open.”

Irvine led by as many as eight points in the first half, but scored only four in the final nine minutes of the first half, allowing Pacific to take a 26-22 halftime lead. Irvine’s 22-point total marked its lowest output in a half this season. It was two points fewer than Irvine scored in the first half in a loss to Hofstra on Monday.

The Anteaters’ biggest concern in recent weeks has been trying to make the eight-team Big West Conference tournament.

They had a leg up on San Jose State after beating the Spartans Thursday. But San Jose State’s victory over Cal State Fullerton Saturday moves the Spartans back into an eighth-place tie with Irvine.

As it stands, Irvine would win the tournament berth because of its sweep of San Jose State.

But if San Jose State wins again and Irvine doesn’t, San Jose State goes to the tournament.

But the road ahead isn’t easy. Irvine plays Cal State Long Beach, Nevada Las Vegas and New Mexico State next week.

San Jose State plays UC Santa Barbara twice and Long Beach once.

Irvine’s game Saturday was just another in a familiar line.

“We played so hard and came up short again,” Mumford said. “It’s frustrating.”