Green Saves Day Again for Irvine

UC Irvine’s Jerry Green didn’t have any doubt that it was his shot to take Saturday night in the final seconds of overtime.

Boise State didn’t either.

And Green scored on a three-point shot with 1.8 seconds left to give Irvine an 89-87 Big West Conference victory in front of 8,327 at the BSU Pavilion. It kept the Anteaters tied for first in the conference race with Utah State.

“Coach [Pat Douglass] told me, ‘Jerry, take over the game,’ ” Green said. “I knew if I make that last shot, we win and if I don’t we lose, and I accept that.”

The Anteaters (18-3, 10-1), whose 13-game winning streak ended in a loss at Utah State Thursday, came back with a strong performance, spurred by Green’s 31-point effort. Green scored 20 points in the second half and four in overtime.

Irvine shot 56.9% from the field to 52.8% for Boise State (13-10, 5-5). Green made eight of 15 from the floor and 13 of 14 free throws. He also had seven rebounds and five assists.

“Green is a really good player playing with a lot of confidence,” Boise State Coach Rod Jensen said. “His confidence has overflowed to everyone else on their team. What makes Green so tough is if you don’t guard him, he’ll shoot the three, but if you do, then he’ll drive on you.”

Irvine had three other players in double figures with Malachi Edmond scoring 15 on five-of-nine shooting. Forward Ben Jones had 14 points and seven rebounds. Sean Jackson scored 11 before fouling out with 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

Forward Kejuan Woods led the Broncos with 26 points in his first game back after being sidelined for two games by an NCAA suspension related to an eligibility issue. Delvin Armstrong had 24 points.

It was the second game-winning basket in the final seconds for Green in three games. His shot with four seconds left gave the Anteaters a one-point victory over Long Beach State Feb. 3.

“We had our best defensive player [Joe Skiffer] against their best offensive player,” Jensen said.

Irvine also got a key turnaround jumper by Jones for a two-point lead in the overtime before a three-point basket by Abe Jackson put the Broncos ahead, 87-86, with 13 seconds left.

Edmond had made a jump shot from outside with 10 seconds left to send the game into overtime, tied at 79-79. Boise State led by as many as eight points midway in the second half.

“Everyone made some big shots for us, but Jerry got the clincher,” Douglass said. “This was a big win for us. Boise State might be the third-best team in the conference.”

Neither team led by more than three points in the first half and Boise State led, 36-35, at halftime.

Boise State shot 66.7% in the half to Irvine’s 63.2%. Sean Jackson was three for five on three-pointers in the half.

Boise State took a seven-point lead with 11:50 left on Armstrong’s jump shot before Irvine rallied. Green gave the Anteaters their first lead of the second half at 75-73 on a driving one-hander that became a three-point play when he made the free throw with 3:08 to go.

The Anteaters lost Jackson on fouls, and Woods made two free throws for a 75-75 tie. That set the stage for a frantic final two minutes before the overtime.

With the score 77-77, Woods knocked the ball away from Green. Green was called for a foul, and Woods made both free throws for a two-point Bronco lead.

Irvine tied it on Edmond’s twisting jumper in the lane, and after a miss by Boise State’s Armstrong, the game went to overtime.

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Big West Standings

Through Saturday’s games

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Conference Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. UC Irvine 10 1 .909 18 3 .857 Utah State 10 1 .909 21 3 .875 UC Santa Barbara 7 4 .636 10 11 .476 Long Beach State 6 5 .545 13 11 .542 Boise State 5 5 .500 13 10 .565 Pacific 5 5 .500 13 8 .619 Cal Poly SLO 2 8 .200 8 13 .381 CS Fullerton 2 9 .182 3 18 .143 Idaho 1 10 .091 4 18 .182

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Saturday’s results

UC Irvine 89, Boise State 87 (OT)

Utah State 58, Cal State Fullerton 46

Long Beach State 86, Idaho 79

UC Santa Barbara 95, Cal Poly SLO 88