Anteater Victory Doesn’t Come Easy

UC Irvine got the first break in the Big West Conference this season. The Anteaters got to play winless North Texas right away.

The outcome seemed inevitable from the start, even if it was a struggle. In the end, Irvine kept the Eagles winless with a 71-59 victory in front of 1,278 Thursday at the Bren Center.

“They have played some of the top teams in the country, Maryland, Arkansas,” Anteater forward Marek Ondera said. “That had to make them a better team. But they are not used to winning. I think we had the advantage in that area.”

Maybe it did give the Anteaters (5-6, 1-0) an edge. But there were more tangible assets out there. Coach Pat Douglass juggled his starting lineup, and dusted off a couple reserves.

“That’s why I get the big bucks,” Douglass said.

At times, it looked like a rebate might be in order. But, in the end, a couple of moves paid off.

Ondera, starting for the first time in four games, had 19 points and 12 rebounds. He made eight of 10 shots, including a dunk on a fast break that gave Irvine a 65-57 lead with 2 minutes 39 seconds left.

Jason Flowers, forgotten much of the season, came off the bench and scored 13 points, nine in the second half. He had five steals, all of which were turned into baskets.

“I’d be lying if I said my confidence hadn’t wavered this season,” said Flowers, who started 15 games last season. “But the team has stuck by me like Hillary has stuck by Bill.”

Their enlarged roles meshed well with Jerry Green, who again played better than his freshman status might indicate. He had 15 points, eight assists and three steals.

They provided enough offensive consistency to push the Anteaters to victory, even if its beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

“You can dissect portions of any game,” said Douglass, whose team had 20 turnovers. “There is not a team out there that can play a perfect game. You have to do enough good things in 40 minutes and that’s what I thought we did.

“I think six to eight games into conference, everyone is going to realize that North Texas is a pretty good team. They are more skilled than a lot of the teams in our conference.”

Bad news for the conference.

Maybe the Eagles (0-11, 0-1) are better than their record, but their play looked more like an audition for the Washington Generals in the first half. The Eagles went scoreless the first 4:28. But when Joe Ervin hit a three-pointer, they trailed, 5-3.

Irvine shot 64% in the first half, North Texas 29%. Still, the Anteaters managed only a 35-28 halftime lead.

The Eagles had 17-9 edge in offensive rebounds, 10-1 in the first half, which helped keep them in the game. They also had Connecticut transfer Sam Funches. He scored 19 points, making several turnaround jumpers to keep the Eagles close in the second half. He then missed his last eight shots and Green and Flowers took control.

It was not unexpected from Green, Irvine’s whiz kid. Flowers, a walk-on, was another matter. He had been a key player for the Anteaters last season, but was relegated to cameo appearances by Green, Zamiro Bennem and Gabe Cagwin, all freshmen.

“Jason played well tonight,” Douglass said. “It kind of surprised me, too.”

Not exactly a confidence boost. But Flowers dealt with it on the court. He turned two steals into layups to start early in the second half, when the Anteaters pushed their lead to 45-35.

“This is a good win,” Green said. “But we got 15 more to go.”

All against teams that have won games this season.