From a Distance, Keefe Keeps Irvine in Front

It was the kind of run that had punctured UC Irvine’s balloon so many times in the past. Seven and a half minutes clicked off while one team pumped in 21 points and the other struggled for a measly four.

“We’ve seen plenty of them, but this was one of the few times we were on the other end,” Coach Rod Baker said, managing a weary smile after the Anteaters hung on for an 84-81 victory over Long Beach State Monday night and took over first place in the Big West.

The Anteaters were trailing, 26-12, midway through the first half and the fans in the Pyramid were already in a party mood. But Irvine, which tied a school record with 15 three-pointers, found its long-range touch, cooled the celebration and ended up with a 41-33 halftime lead.

In the middle of the run, sapping the energized 49ers’ will with every 20-foot swish he dropped over their zone defense, was sophomore guard Brian Keefe. Keefe, who made seven of 10 three-pointers and tied his career-high with 29 points, had a trio of threes and a pair of free throws during the 7 1/2-minute stretch that put the Anteaters back into the game.

Keefe, who also had five rebounds, including two crucial ones down the stretch as the 49ers fought back furiously, almost went from the pinnacle to the abyss, however.

He made only two of six free throws in the final 1 minute 27 seconds. And he was the player guarding Rasul Salahuddin when the Long Beach guard tossed up a 25-footer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.

“It looked pretty good from my angle,” Keefe said, “I just said, ‘Please God, don’t let this go in.’ We had to win it right there. We didn’t want to go to overtime without Raimonds [Miglinieks, who had fouled out with two minutes to play.]”

Overtime didn’t even seem a possibility early in the game until Keefe got hot and brought the Anteaters back. And then it became a remote notion again after he erupted in the second half.

With nine minutes left in the game and the 49ers trailing by five, Keefe buried another three-pointer. In the next three minutes, he hit three more threes that gave the Anteaters a 72-56 lead.

“I have to credit my teammates, especially Rai and the post guys like Shaun [Battle] and Paul [Foster] who did a great job of kicking the ball back out to me for open shots,” Keefe said. “They just kept feeding me the ball and I had some really good looks tonight.”

Also getting a good look was Keefe’s father, Bob, who stopped in on his way home to Massachusetts after a business trip to China. Bob Keefe, who works for an aerospace firm, was pleased to witness some of the most accurate targeting this side of a laser-guided cruise missile.

“Can I talk to my dad for just a minute?” Keefe asked reporters gathered around him in the Irvine locker room. “He’s got an 11 o’clock flight back home.”

The proud father had a few more words with his son and then left for his red-eye flight.

“This was the biggest game of my career,” Keefe said. “Contributing to a victory like this is really special.”