UCI’s Stetson Not Happy After Another Near Miss

The difference of opinion was evident.

UC Irvine Coach Pat Douglass was full of praise, calling Saturday’s 67-62 Big West Conference loss to Idaho a matter of fate. A bounce here, a basket there--an act of God, perhaps?--and the 3,795 in the Kibbie Dome might not have left so happy.

But Adam Stetson, Irvine’s 6-foot-7 forward, was unwilling to cast this game to the wind.

“We can’t wait for breaks,” said Stetson, who had 16 points and nine rebounds. “We came in and played so hard and led almost the entire game. We have to make the plays down the wire.”

They didn’t.

Stetson and Ben Jones collided on a rebound, letting the ball go out of bounds with four minutes left--it led to Cameron Banks’ dunk and a 62-58 Idaho lead.

On one possession, guard Jerry Green lost the ball driving to the basket with Irvine down by two points. On the next, guard Gabe Cagwin took his eye off a pass, having the ball go out of bounds, with Irvine down by four.

Then Stetson, the tall Texan, was unable to corral a rebound with a minute left and Irvine down two. Banks grabbed it, which led to two Gordon Scott free throws and a 64-60 Idaho lead with 1:51 left.

Little things that amounted to a lot.

The Vandals (7-7, 3-2) trailed much of the game and Avery Curry and Gordon Scott--their one-two scoring punch--were silenced. But they didn’t let the opportunities go to waste. They took their first lead, 56-54, with six minutes left, and outscored Irvine, 18-8, in the last nine minutes.

Banks filled the scoring void, finishing with 23 points. He made 11 of 12 free throws. Idaho, which had five fewer field goals than Irvine, was 30 of 37 from the foul line.

“It was matter of a few loose balls and a few missed shots,” Douglass said. “We came in here and stuck to our game plan and battled hard on the road.”

It was the second time in three games the Anteaters (5-9, 1-3) have had a game go down to the final minutes and the second time they have come up short. They lost to New Mexico State, 60-56, last Saturday.

This one, though, seemed even more in the Anteaters’ grasp, especially with the stranglehold they had on Curry and Scott.

Curry was two of 11 from the field and missed all four three-point tries. Scott was two of 10 and was one of five on three-pointers, but the one completed a 10-0 run that gave Idaho a 59-54 lead.

Still, holding Curry and Scott to 15 points usually means a victory. The two didn’t even start the second half. But Banks and Kaniel Dickens (11 points, 12 rebounds) filled the void.

“Each time we lose one like this, it feels worse,” said forward Marek Ondera, who scored 12 points.

Stetson was taking it personally. It didn’t matter that he started the game on his rear-end--after being knocked down by Idaho’s Kevin Byrne--and still got the rebound. Or that he ended the half on his back, after being knocked down by Falemao Tosi, then made two free throws for a 35-31 halftime lead.

“I take the blame for this one,” said Stetson, who had made only three of 17 shots in the three games before Saturday. “I took a lot of bad shots tonight in key situations. I let my man get too many rebounds.”

Idaho had a 16-4 edge in offensive rebounds and 39-25 overall. It was the one area the Vandals had an advantage in, but a telling one. Irvine has not won a game when it has been outrebounded.

Others were not about to saddle Stetson with the blame.

“Adam is a guy we rely on,” said guard Jerry Green, who made seven of eight shots and scored 16 points. “He doesn’t back down.”

None of the Anteaters did. They controlled the game from the start. They shot 52% in the hanger-like Kibbie Dome in the first half. Idaho missed its first eight shots and shot 33% for the game.

Irvine cooled. Jones, who missed all seven shots against Boise State, was one for six Saturday. Stetson finished three of 13.