Lee Makes Point by Making His Shots as UC Irvine Downs Long Beach, 99-84

UC Irvine Coach Bill Mulligan, the record shows, changes point guards as often as most people change socks.

Another day, another guard, or so the theory seems.

Well, last season he finally found one he liked. His name was Jerome Lee. He started 25 games at the point as a junior, and he helped lead the Anteaters to second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.

So, naturally, Mulligan moved him to off guard this season and put a freshman at the point.

And Jerome Lee and his jump shot quickly faded away.

Until Thursday.

With UCI struggling, Mulligan moved Lee back to the point and he responded with his best game of the season, leading the Anteaters to a 99-84 PCAA win over Cal State Long Beach before a crowd of 1,566 in the Long Beach Arena.

The win improved UCI’s record to 3-5 in the PCAA and 8-11 overall. Long Beach fell to 0-7 and 2-13.

Lee played like a kid who had just found his long-lost dog.

“I’ve even got my smile back,” Lee said.

Lee, with the ball and the team back in his control, literally ran the 49ers off the floor in the opening minutes. UCI opened a 15-4 lead and never trailed again.

And Lee was the key. He finished with 19 points, hitting 8 of 9 shots from the field. He also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

“Jerome Lee was magnificent,” Mulligan said. “And that’s me saying something nice about a point guard.”

Lee’s year, up until Thursday, had been anything but magnificent. Mulligan moved Lee to the off guard position hoping to give him more opportunities to shoot.

Instead, Lee’s jumper went into cold storage. He had shot only 31% from the field in conference.

Why? Lee says it’s because he’s used to handling the ball all the time. He’s been a point guard all his life.

“I was used to having control of the ball 80% of the time,” Lee said. “It’s weird, but when I don’t have the ball, it feels like I’m out of the game mentally. I felt a little more pressure. It’s like moving a center to a forward.”

Lee doesn’t need to forward this message to Mulligan. He saw what happened.

The 49ers, who obviously saw Lee’s shooting stats, dared him to shoot. And shoot he did.

After UCI jumped out to a 15-4 lead, Long Beach rallied and cut the lead to seven at 19-12.

Then Lee hit an outside jumper to make it 21-12. He hit a three-pointer to make it 24-14 and another a little later to make it 27-19.

“He was the key,” Long Beach Coach Ron Palmer said. “He made us change our defense. On the shots he took, there wasn’t anyone within five feet of him. We were trying to stay in on (Tod) Murphy and (Johnny) Rogers. And it didn’t help that (Troy) Carmon had a good night.”

For a change, a lot of Anteaters had good nights. The team was only shooting 43% from the field coming into the game but shot 60% against the 49ers. UCI shot 68% (25 of 37) in the first half.

Carmon, who played for Palmer at nearby Long Beach Poly High School, made 9 of 12 shots from the field and finished with 22 points. Rogers (12 of 19) finished with a game-high 27 points. Murphy was 6 of 9 and finished with 17.

“We just shot well for a change,” Mulligan said.

Mulligan wouldn’t say he made a mistake in moving Lee to the off guard position at the beginning season.

Mulligan has been alternating two freshmen, Rodney Scott and Bryan Williams, at the point guard position. Both have been inconsistent.

Of course, that might have been overlooked had Lee performed well as the off guard. But he’s had a miserable season at that position, where his primary offensive responsibility is to shoot the outside shot.

“It’s obviously going to help the team,” Murphy said of Lee’s improved play. “Jerome Lee finally came out of his drought. I think he’s back to where he’s more comfortable. I think he just went through a Steve Sax-type syndrome. He just didn’t believe in his shot anymore.”

Said Lee: “I just feel more comfortable at the point. I played it all through high school, in junior college and last year. When Coach Mulligan first told me I was moving to off guard, I was excited. I thought I could score a little more. But when I got into games, I felt uncomfortable.”

Long Beach never really made a game of it. The 49ers cut the lead to 12 with 4:43 left on two free throws by Billy Walker.

But UCI’s Rick Ciaccio scored a basket inside and three more points on a basket and free throw to end any comeback ideas by Long Beach.

Jon Hansen and Stafford Hamlin led the 49ers with 16 points each.