Green Can’t Save Irvine

The sellout crowd at the Bren Center anxiously awaited a Jerry Green moment and it finally came at the usual time.

Green had the ball in his hands with the Anteaters down by one point, and Utah State had visions of Jan. 10 flashing in its minds. The scene was set for another buzzer-beating shot, perhaps one like the floating jumper that the senior guard made back in Logan to beat the Aggies.

Green was forced to give up the ball as the seconds dwindled, but he found Mike Hood behind the three-point line. Hood missed a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded and Utah State held on Saturday night for a 62-61 Big West Conference win.

With the victory, Utah State (18-4, 10-3) pulled into a first-place tie with Irvine (17-7, 10-3).

“It was a tough game,” said Green, who had 16 points but made only two of 13 shots. “I tried to drive and penetrate and I kicked it out to Mike.”

The Aggies can thank Desmond Penigar for saving them from blowing a 16-point halftime lead.

Missed free throws allowed the Anteaters two chances to win. On the first possession, Toraisno Johnson and Brennan Ray switched off on Green and forced him to alter his shot. Penigar rotated over and swatted it away.

Eric Stephens

*

Idaho 64, Long Beach State 62--Playing for the first time since Wayne Morgan announced he intends to resign as coach at the end of the season, the 49ers blew a 35-20 halftime lead and lost their second consecutive conference game at the Pyramid.

Bethuel Fletcher hit the second of consecutive three-pointers with 4:40 left to give the Vandals (8-14, 5-8) their first lead of the second half.

Long Beach (8-16, 4-9) trailed, 60-59, with 1:50 left, but Ron Johnson missed a layup. On the 49ers’ next possession, Idaho stole Johnson’s inbounds pass and Fletcher hit two free throws for the win.

Johnson had 23 points for Long Beach.

Valerie Gutierrez

*

UC Santa Barbara 58, Cal State Northridge 51--The Gauchos clamped down defensively in the second half and won before 2,474 at the UCSB Campus Events Center.

Santa Barbara (14-8, 8-5) employed an extended zone defense and held the Matadors (8-13, 7-5) without a basket for a 9:41 span until Jermar Welch scored on a turnaround shot with 2:47 left to play.

Northridge guard Markus Carr scored 20 points, only five in the second half. Mark Hull led Santa Barbara with 18 points.

Mike Bresnahan

*

UC Riverside 70, Cal State Fullerton 58--Ted Bell scored a career-high 23 points to help the visiting Highlanders end a six-game conference losing streak.

Bell matched his previous high of 18 points with a four-point play midway through the second half that gave Riverside a 48-42 lead. Bell sank a three-pointer two minutes later that completed a 9-0 run and put the Highlanders (7-13, 4-8) ahead, 53-42. Bell made six of seven shots from beyond the three-point stripe.

Babacar Camara had eight blocked shots for Fullerton (4-17, 1-11), tying the conference record set by Fullerton’s Steve Shaw in 1978.

Dan Arritt