IRVINE —UC Irvine’s basketball season has not progressed the way anyone on the team expected. But the Anteaters ended 2019 with an intense 69-56 victory over Pacific that bodes well for the rest of their season.
UCI (8-7) went on an 18-3 run in the first half and started the second with a 13-2 run, to build a 21-point lead against the visitors eight minutes into the second half.
The Anteaters then went as chilly as it was outside Bren Center. Pacific’s Jahlil Tripp and Gary Chivichyan led a 17-2 run to get back in the game.
The UCI lead was down to 56-53 with less than three minutes left when Tommy Rutherford and Collin Welp stepped up with a series of plays to regain the momentum.
After Tripp missed two free throws, Rutherford backed down a defender in the lane and muscled in a basket with three seconds left on the shot clock. He then blocked a shot at the other end, leading to a Pacific foul and two free throws by Evan Leonard.
On the next possession, an inside shot by Eyassu Worku deflected back to the guard, who threw a pass to Welp standing behind the 3-point line on the baseline, the sophomore nailing a 3-pointer a tick before the shot clock expired to put UCI ahead 63-54 with less than a minute left.
“You have to give them credit, they fought back from 20, and they’re ranked No. 1 in rebounding for a reason,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “We had a period there where we were playing a little soft.
“But overall, I’m pleased. We played the kind of defense we want, and we were able to get good chances from our inside guys.”
Welp led the Anteaters with 17 points and eight rebounds, going 4 for 8 from the field in the first half. Rutherford had 10 points and four rebounds and Brad Greene had eight points and nine rebounds. Worku had nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in an end-to-end effort.
Pacific (12-4), which was riding a seven-game win streak and is having its best season under coach and former NBA star Damon Stoudamire, got 14 points and 15 rebounds from Tripp.
The Anteaters do not have the backcourt depth they did last season, when they won 31 games, including their NCAA Tournament opener. As a result, the big three inside – Greene, Rutherford and Welp – have had to pick up some of the scoring.
“We’re a balanced team most of the time and we look for guys like Eyassu and Evan to be open, but there are going to be times when we have to be prepared to go for the basket if we can’t get the ball out,” Rutherford said.
“We pride ourselves on what we do inside on defense and offense. We can be dominant and there’s a lot of trust among us.”
Welp said the 3-pointer that put the game away was a broken play when Worku had a shot deflected.
“He saw me on the baseline and I knew I had to get a shot off quick,” Welp said. “We practice that play a lot and I’m pretty confident in that situation.”The Anteaters are also getting help from their fleet of freshmen. Jerron Artest and Isaiah Lee each had big baskets in the second half. John Edgar Jr. missed Saturday’s game with a twisted ankle.
“I like our freshmen,” Turner said. “We work them every day to get better and so that they’re ready when we need them. When you get down to the end of the season, when you need to win three games in three days, they have to be ready.”
The Anteaters next play at Harvard on Jan. 4 in their final nonconference game then return home for their Big West Conference opener Jan. 11 against Hawaii.
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December 29, 2019 at 01:58PM
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UC Irvine opens big, holds on to beat Pacific men’s basketball - OCRegister
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