UCI Stumbles in Double Overtime Loss to North Texas

If, as UC Irvine Coach Rod Baker said on Monday, this season is wearing on everyone--coaches and players alike--then today must be tearing them up. In other words, just when you thought it couldn’t go any lower, the Anteaters took another dip.

Victory was so close so many times Thursday night, it seemed a done deal, which is why Baker could only grimace and bear it after a 75-74 double overtime loss to North Texas in the Bren Center.

Lamarr Parker made the final gaffe, as he lost the ball under the basket with one second left. He was also involved in several others, missing five of seven free throws in the clutch.

Irvine had two chances to win in the second overtime. Paul Foster, who was taken out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, missed a reverse layup with 30 seconds left. After the Eagles turned the ball over with six seconds left, Parker dribbled straight to the basket. He never got a shot off.

“Someone knocked the ball from my hand on the last play, but they got the call,” said Parker, who had eight turnovers. “It should never have come to that point. If I would have made my free throws, the game would have been over.”

Parker wasn’t the only culprit, he just topped the list.

Irvine was 10 for 24 from the foul line. Parker was three for eight. The Anteaters made one of five in the final 22 seconds of regulation while leading, 61-60. Three were one-and-ones.

“This is as frustrating a game as we’ve had all season,” Baker said.

Some statement, considering the Anteaters lost their first 13 games, many by lopsided scores.

Still, Thursday’s game was befitting both teams’ station in life, not to mention the Big West. They were, after all, the last place teams in the conference’s two divisions. It had that kind of look from the start.

Both Irvine and North Texas turned the ball over five times in the first four minutes. The Eagles had 26 turnovers. The Anteaters had 21. North Texas (8-11, 3-6) went three minutes without a field goal. Irvine (1-17, 1-8) went 3 1/2 minutes.

Fans, apparently, saw this coming. Only 490 were in attendance. The Irvine women’s team drew 597 for its Jan. 19 game against UC Santa Barbara.

“It wasn’t pretty,” North Texas Coach Tim Jankovich. “But the object of the game is to win and we did that.”

Someone had to. What made it the Eagles was their outside shooting. They made 10 of 24 three-pointers (45.8%), which was a higher percentage than Irvine shot from the field (43.1%) and the foul line (41.7%).

Chad Elstun made five of eight three-pointers and finished with a career-high 26 points. The Anteaters made two of nine three-pointers.

It hurt, especially in overtime. Elstun ran around three screens, then hit a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in the first overtime to tie the score, 69-69. Parker followed by missing a jumper at the buzzer.

“What was amazing to me was we put ourselves in the position to not win the game three or four times,” Jankovich said. “But somebody always stepped up and made a play.”

Jankovich can believe that. But Irvine lent a big hand.

The Anteaters trailed, 37-32, early in the second half, but went on a 15-4 run behind the play of Brian Johnson (21 points).

Foster made two free throws for a 59-53 lead with 2:52 left, but Irvine couldn’t hold it.