Anteaters Look Sharp in Exhibition Victory

The season hasn’t officially started and already UC Irvine has a victory.

True, the Anteaters’ 79-68 victory over the California All-Stars Thursday at the Bren Center was only an exhibition game. The opposition, a collection of former college players, wasn’t going to wow anyone. But this was worth some recognition.

“This wasn’t the World Series,” Coach Pat Douglass said. “But we needed to get a victory early to know what it feels like.”

Adam Stetson, who scored 22 points, and Ben Jones, who had 19, certainly know, but then they weren’t at Irvine last season. The Anteaters lost their first 13 games and finished 1-25. Lamarr Parker suffered through it all.

Parker scored 12 points, including a three-point play when the outcome was still in doubt. Parker drove the baseline for a layup and was fouled. His free throw boosted the Anteaters’ lead to 71-62 with 1 minute 12 seconds left.