COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Keefe Powers UC Irvine to an Exhibition Victory

UC Irvine made nine of 15 first-half three-point attempts and shot 70% from the floor in the second half of a 117-103 exhibition victory over the Son’s of Blue Angels Saturday night at the Bren Center.

A crowd of 1,477 saw sophomore guard Brian Keefe, recently named team captain, lead the Anteaters with 32 points. Keefe made six of nine three-pointers and scored 17 second-half points as Irvine defeated the Washington state-based team of former college players. Last week, the Son’s of Blue Angels defeated Utah State, the Big West defending champion and preseason favorite.

Keefe made two three-pointers eight minutes into the second half to give Irvine a nine-point lead as the Anteaters broke the game open after a 58-58 halftime tie. Senior point guard Raimonds Miglinieks, who made seven of nine shots from the floor, scored 26 points and had 13 assists. Sophomore forward Kevin Simmons had 21 points and eight rebounds.

The Anteaters shot 46% from the floor in their first exhibition game, an 87-61 victory over a Brazilian club team, but they found the range Saturday night, shooting 62% from the field and 59% from three-point range.