Irvine Stuck on Road to Defeat

It was one of those games in which hardly anything went right for UC Irvine Saturday night.

The result was an 81-46 battering delivered by a Utah State team that always seems to be at its best playing at home. The victory was the 25th in the last 26 Big West Conference games at home for the Aggies (11-5, 2-0).

For Irvine, it was more trouble on the road in front of 6,383 at the Spectrum. The loss was the Anteaters’ 24th in their last 26 road games, but this one was particularly embarrassing.

It was the most one-sided victory for Utah State against a Big West opponent since beating Irvine, 87-50, in the 1996-97 season.

“We knew we were underdogs here and we just didn’t come out with any intensity,” Irvine guard Jerry Green said. “That was the key right there.”

Green, who scored 52 points in Irvine’s previous two games, was held to eight, a reflection of just how ineffective the Anteaters were. Only guard Sean Jackson, who scored 13 points, reached double figures for Irvine.

Irvine (7-6, 0-2) shot 36.4%, was outrebounded, 37-23, and was stung by 19 turnovers.

Irvine had no one approach the strong performance by Aggie forward Troy Rolle, who coasted in with 18 points after scoring 13 in the first half.

Rolle was eight of 10 from the field, leading Utah State to 55.4% shooting. He played only nine minutes in the second half.

“Rolle made some remarkable shots in the first half,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said. “He was the difference in that first half.”

Rolle had two highlight-film moves. He made one twirling drive down the lane for a layup. Later he switched from his right hand to his left in the air and dropped a 15-foot jump shot.

“In the first half, I thought we played relatively well on the half-court level, but we didn’t get back in transition,” Douglass said.

Douglass juggled his starting lineup, using freshman Greg Ethington at center and Jens Jensen at forward, but both were scoreless in the first half.

Utah State led, 37-26, at halftime, and turned it into a blowout early in the second half. The Aggies led, 55-35, eight minutes into the second half, and built a 64-37 cushion with slightly more than eight minutes remaining.

“In the first five minutes of the second half, we just didn’t respond,” Douglass said. “They went up, and basically the game was over. We had good intentions, but they took it to us.”

The Anteaters scored 20 points in the second half.

“I’m incredibly surprised that we played the way we did in this game,” Jackson said. “We’ve played well on the road this season, but we’re not doing it now. I think all of us are frustrated. I know I’m a little upset right now.”