Irvine Wins by 28, but Fails to Impress
New Mexico State Coach Neil McCarthy said it. UC Irvine Coach Rod Baker said it. Anteater guard Lloyd Mumford said it. The preseason consensus was that all Irvine needed to get over the hump and become a good team was to win some games early.
Well, Irvine is 1-0, but the Anteaters’ season-opening 95-67 victory over Division III Salem State Friday night in front of 1,884 at the Bren Center wasn’t pretty.
Irvine displayed predicted defensive prowess and a willingness to crash the boards, but the Anteaters shot 45% from the field and 62% from the free-throw line against a team that has only one player who isn’t from Massachusetts, only two players taller than 6 feet 4 and a starter who was listed at 250 pounds but had to be closer to 300.
At one point midway through the second half, with Irvine leading, 51-36, the Anteaters missed eight consecutive shots . . . on one possession.
“I think we missed more layups than jump shots,” Baker said. “This is one of those games where it’s hard to say what number you would be satisfied with. But if we were up by 50 at halftime, we shouldn’t have been satisfied with the way we played.”
Five Anteaters scored in double figures, paced by reserve forward Khalid Channell, who made seven of 11 shots for 17 points and had seven rebounds.
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