UCI Gets Colorful Victory Over UNLV
Sophomore captain Brian Keefe thought a Midas approach might help UC Irvine get fired up for Saturday night’s game against Nevada Las Vegas, so he asked coaches if the Anteaters could wear their gold uniforms.
For a while, however, it appeared everything the Anteaters touched was going to turn to, well, turnovers and ill-advised missed shots.
Irvine, which normally wears white uniforms at home and navy on the road, had only one free throw and a six-point deficit to show for its first three minutes of work. But the Anteaters recovered their poise and rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to beat the Rebels, 66-61, in front of 3,527 in the Bren Center.
Irvine, which improved to 4-2 and vaulted into a first-place tie with Nevada in the Big West, had been playing without much enthusiasm at times recently. But the Anteaters were sky high for this game, for a number of reasons: UNLV (6-9, 3-4) is still UNLV in name; first-year Las Vegas assistant Greg Vetrone had recruited many of the Anteaters during his four years at Irvine, and there was a decent crowd in the building for a change.
“This was a huge game for us,” Keefe said. “We were all very close to Coach ‘V,’ but more important, it was a game that could turn our season. There’s a big difference between being 4-2 and 3-3.
“I don’t know if you can be too pumped up, but we were really excited and the first few minutes were pretty ugly.”
Neither team earned many style points.
The Rebels missed 10 of their first 13 free throws and shot 46% from the line for the game, just slightly better than the 44% they shot from the field. Only one Las Vegas player--Clayton Johnson, who had 15 points--scored in double figures. Irvine’s top three scorers--Kevin Simmons, Raimonds Miglinieks and Keefe--were a combined 11 of 32 from the field. And the teams combined to commit 51 fouls.
But the Anteaters, who have never been known for their defensive prowess, took control in the second half with a hustling zone and pressure man-to-man defense. Las Vegas didn’t score a second-half field goal until 12 minutes 39 seconds remained, and by then the Rebels were trailing by four.
“That was the best half of defense ever played in this building,” said an obviously impressed Irvine Coach Rod Baker, who was on the East Coast when the first four seasons of games were played in the Bren Center. “We were really guarding people.”
Baker said there was no question that it would be a physical game, given the Rebels’ style of play and Irvine’s high emotions, and he was correct beyond his own expectations. With more than 14 minutes to play, the Anteaters’ Michael Tate and three Rebels already had four fouls.
Tate stayed in the game, except for one brief rest, and played a key role down the stretch with two follow shots and two big rebounds.
With eight minutes left and Irvine clinging to a 51-49 lead, Miglinieks missed a free throw, but Tate, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, slipped in front of Tony Lane for a tip-in.
Two minutes later, he scored on another follow shot that gave Irvine a five-point advantage.
The Rebels, who scored four more field goals than Irvine, struggled at the free-throw line in the game’s waning minutes.
They made only three of eight free throws in the final 2:32 and fell behind by eight with 29 seconds left, allowing the Anteaters a half-minute to celebrate on the court.
“I think that’s the key to us, the more hyper we are, the better we play,” said Simmons. “We tried to make too much happen early, but we had some fans out and you’ve got to win at home in this conference.”
Irvine, 5-1 at home this season, has won all four Big West home games.