Anteaters Get Chance to Cruise

UC Irvine’s basketball team got by on sheer talent Tuesday night. No fooling.

The Anteaters looked ragged and shot poorly after a 10-day layoff, yet rolled to an 86-55 victory over Western Washington in front of 716 in the Bren Center.

True, Western Washington is a Division II team. But considering how the Anteaters (4-2) have labored to beat similar competition the past few seasons, this was a moment to savor.

“We were hoping to be at this point last year,” forward Marek Ondera said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Jerry Green (13 points, five assists) led a 15-7 burst at the start of the second half that turned a 34-23 halftime lead into a rout. In that stretch, he scored seven points, and made back-to-back no-look passes to get Ondera and Greg Ethington layups.

Ondera had 11 points and seven rebounds. Sean Jackson had nine points, seven rebounds and three steals.

That trio watched from the bench the last eight minutes. Has Irvine reached a point where its three best players can relax on the sideline?

“It was good to get our feet wet again,” Coach Pat Douglass said. “Maybe that’s why we scheduled this game.”

These haven’t been gimmes in the past.

A year ago, the Anteaters struggled to beat Cal State Stanislaus by 11. Two seasons ago, they scratched out a 10-point victory over Sonoma State and slipped past Chico State by eight.

“We’re making strides to be able to come out and win even though it wasn’t one of our best performances,” Douglass said.

Not only win, but come away with the largest margin of victory since beating Southern California College, 111-77, on Dec. 28, 1992, even if the Anteaters seemed a little rusty from their layoff.

While Irvine struggled on offense, its defense was oppressive. The Vikings (6-2) shot 30% and were three of 21 on three-pointers. They also had 23 turnovers.

“The way our coaches prepare us defensively, all we do is add water,” guard Zamiro Bennem said.

There were some droughts on offense.

Irvine shot 38% and made only five of 21 three-point shots. Western Washington had a 50-43 rebound advantage and had 22 offensive rebounds.

The Anteaters had only four field goals in the last 11 minutes, but only because the Vikings wouldn’t let them shoot. Irvine made 17 of 22 free throws in that stretch and was 35 of 44 from the line for the game.

Mark Gottschalk, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, had eight rebounds and scored six points, making two of three shots. The last was a dunk where his head and feet didn’t seem to communicate.

“I just wasn’t used to being up that high,” Gottschalk said.