Controversial Call Gives Irvine a Victory

Sophomore guard Mike Efevberha was credited with the game-winning basket Thursday night, but he was just one of many who thought his desperation jumper with two seconds remaining wasn’t good for three points in UC Irvine’s 66-65 Big West Conference victory over UC Riverside in front of 2,083 at the Bren Center.

Another doubter was Riverside Coach John Masi, whose team had rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit and looked as if it had all but sewed up its first road win of the season after a steal, a basket and a free throw by guard Kevin Butler had given the Highlanders a 65-63 lead with 12 seconds remaining.

Masi asked officials to review Efevberha’s shot, but they refused.

“I didn’t think it was a three,” said Efevberha, who finished with 16 points. “My teammates told me that my feet were on the line. I didn’t know it was a three until I looked up and saw the score.”

Efevberha wasn’t the first option on the final series, according to Irvine Coach Pat Douglass, but Riverside, 5-7 overall and 2-2 in the Big West, did a superb job of shutting off center Adam Parada under the basket.

With about five seconds remaining, Anteater guard Jeff Gloger took a pass to the right of the key and sent the ball to Efevberha, who had two Highlanders on him. He pumped and got off a shot.

Referee Bob Staffen called it a three-pointer.

The controversial shot overshadowed an outstanding night for Irvine forward Stanislav Zuzak. He scored nine of his game-high 21 points in the first four minutes as Irvine (8-6, 3-2) looked as if it was going to run away with the game.

But Riverside, with forward Nate Carter scoring 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, took its first lead, 48-47, with 10 minutes remaining on a pair of free throws by Butler. The score changed hands or was tied 16 times after that until Efevberha’s disputed shot.

-- Paul McLeod

Cal State Fullerton 74, Long Beach State 66 -- Pape Sow and Yaphett King each scored 20 points as the Titans ended a four-game losing streak with the Big West victory before 1,660 at the Pyramid.

Sow also had 11 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double. But King’s career-best performance was a surprise as he made five of seven three-point shots after making only seven behind the arc all season.

“You got Pape, Hardy [Asprilla] and Babacar [Camara] going to work down there and it leaves me wide open,” King said. “It’s just a matter of where they kind of fell tonight.”

Fullerton (5-8, 1-3) built a 13-point second-half lead and held on down the stretch. In their previous four losses, the Titans were either tied or had leads in the final two minutes.

“After a while you just sit there and think this is going to be another one,” Coach Bob Burton said.

“It’s good to finally win a game. The big thing is we made some baskets and stopped them.”

Bron Groomes and Bobby Brown added 10 points each for Fullerton while Jibril Hodges led Long Beach (4-10, 2-3) with 20 points.

Eric Stephens

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Santa Clara 75, Pepperdine 68 -- Doron Perkins scored all of his game-high 17 points in the second half to help push the Broncos to a West Coast Conference victory at Santa Clara.

Perkins scored nine of Santa Clara’s last 10 points -- seven from the foul line -- as the Broncos (10-7, 2-0) held off the Waves (6-12, 1-2).

Santa Clara held a 55-52 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining, but the Broncos outscored the Waves, 8-1, to lead 63-53 with 5:15 remaining.

Guard Kyle Bailey scored six of the points for Santa Clara in that stretch.

Pepperdine closed to within 66-63 on two free throws by Glen McGowan with 1:50 remaining, but a reverse layup by Perkins off an assist from Bailey gave Santa Clara a five-point advantage. Perkins made two foul shots with 53 seconds left for a 70-63 lead.

Loyola Marymount 76, San Diego 68 -- Sherman Gay scored 25 points and Keith Kincade added 23 points to lead the Lions at San Diego.

Loyola Marymount (9-6, 1-2 West Coast Conference) shot 63% in the second half to take control after trailing, 34-31, at halftime. The Lions shot 41.4% in the first half.

Brice Vounang tied his career high with 25 points for San Diego (3-13, 0-1), which lost its fifth consecutive game.

Gay, who was one point short of his career high, scored 13 points in the second half as Loyola Marymount made 17 of 27 shots.

Kincade had 16 first-half points and a team-high seven rebounds for the game.

Idaho 74, CS Northridge 70 -- Tyrone Hayes scored all of his team-high 20 points in the second half as the Vandals rallied to win at Moscow, Idaho.

Hayes gave Idaho (4-9, 1-3 Big West) the lead for good at 70-68 with 1:20 remaining on a fadeaway 19-foot shot as the shot clock expired.

Hayes blocked a shot on Northridge’s next possession, was fouled, and made two free throws.

The Vandals shot 60% from the field in the second half.

Northridge (6-7, 2-3), winner of four of its last six before facing Idaho, was led by Ian Boylan with 18 points.