Anteaters Win Exhibition

Team Concept, former college players touring the country, was just what the UC Irvine men’s basketball team needed Thursday night.

The Anteaters got 22 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Ben Jones, and demonstrated in the second half of their 87-62 exhibition victory at the Bren Center that they can play as a team.

Centers J.R. Christ and 7-foot-2 David Korfman chipped in 10 points each as Irvine rebounded from last week’s embarrassing 73-60 exhibition loss to Division II South Dakota.

Team Concept was playing its fifth game in nine days and it showed. It made only eight of 21 second-half shots and was outrebounded, 44-32. But Irvine will take the victory.

“I thought we got a good effort from a lot of players,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said. “We still need a lot of work between now and next Friday. But we did better tonight.”

Irvine hosts Howard a week from tonight, the first of its five consecutive home games.

Senior Malachi Edmonds, who sat out the loss to South Dakota because of a lingering groin pull, started at point guard Thursday and managed eight points and two assists in 18 minutes.

“It’s about the same,” Edmonds said of the injury. “I’m still limited in some areas.”