Anteaters Know What Jones Did Last Summer

How Ben Jones spent his summer vacation was obvious Friday night during UC Irvine’s 73-55 victory in a exhibition game against the California All-Stars at the Bren Center.

Jones, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, was shut down and wore down as the season progressed a year ago. He led the team in scoring nine times in the first 16 games, but his average tumbled to eight points per game by the end of the season.

An off-season weight program plus hours spent in the gym have made for a noticeable change. He added 10 pounds during the summer and improved his ballhandling.

Jones scored 20 points Friday, 15 in the first half when the game was still on the line. It followed a 15-point performance against Calgary in the first exhibition game.

“Ben is a lot stronger and that strength has given him more confidence,” Coach Pat Douglass said. “It shows that he’s been around a year.”

Jones scored 11 of the Anteaters’ first 18 points, including three three-pointers. It was his specialty last season when he led the team with 45 three-pointers.

But Jones appears to have honed other areas of his game. He no longer depends on hanging around the three-point line.

Jones banked in a running shot that gave the Anteaters’ a 26-21 lead, then drew an offensive foul on the other end.

He finished the half by slipping past two defenders for a layup that gave Irvine a 33-23 halftime lead.

At one point in the second half, Jones beat the press with a behind the back dribble. Moments later, he grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Brian Scoggin for a layup.

Jones had eight rebounds.

“Getting stronger helped my quickness and really helped my defense,” Jones said. “But this team is better. We have a lot guys who can score.”

Irvine, which opens the season at Pepperdine Tuesday, broke the game open with an 18-4 run to start the second half with six players scoring.

“We knew we needed to play a little better defense from the first game and we did a little better job of defending easy shot in the lane,” Douglass said. “A lot of the offense is a matter of getting some game experience.”