UC Irvine Pays Price for Letdown

UC Irvine managed to maintain the momentum from Saturday’s upset of New Mexico State for much of Thursday’s game against UC Santa Barbara. But the few minutes the Anteaters let down proved disastrous.

The Anteaters (7-18, 4-13), after taking a nine-point halftime lead by forcing 11 turnovers, reverted to their midseason propensity for going scoreless for extended periods, and were outscored, 16-0, in the first five minutes of the second half in losing, 81-77, in a Big West game before 2,259 at the Bren Center.

Chris Brown (22 points) led a furious rally from a 20-point, second-half deficit before Santa Barbara (13-15, 9-8) held on to win.