Only the Gold Glitters, but Irvine Beats UNLV

Sophomore captain Brian Keefe believed a Midas approach might help UC Irvine get motivated for Saturday night’s game against Nevada Las Vegas, so he asked coaches if the Anteaters could wear their gold uniforms.

For a while, though, it appeared everything Irvine touched was going to turn to, well, turnovers and ill-advised missed shots.

Irvine, which usually wears white uniforms at home and navy on the road, had only one free throw and a six-point deficit to show for its first three minutes of work. But the Anteaters showed their poise and rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to beat the Rebels, 66-61, in front of 3,527 in the Bren Center.

Irvine, which shares the Big West lead with Nevada at 4-2 and is 7-6 overall, was sky high for this game for several reasons: UNLV (6-9, 3-4) is still UNLV in name; first-year Las Vegas assistant Greg Vetrone had recruited many of the Anteaters during his four years at Irvine, and there was a decent crowd.

“This was a huge game for us,” Keefe said. “We were all very close to Coach ‘V,’ but more important, it was a game that could turn our season. There’s a big difference between being 4-2 and 3-3.

“I don’t know if you can be too pumped up, but we were really excited and the first few minutes were pretty ugly.”

There was, in fact, very little that was pretty about this game.

The Rebels missed 10 of their first 13 free throws and shot 46% from the line for the game. Only one Las Vegas player--Clayton Johnson, who had 15 points--scored in double figures.

Irvine’s top three scorers--Kevin Simmons, Raimonds Miglinieks and Keefe--were a combined 11 of 32 from the field. And the teams combined to commit 51 fouls.

But the Anteaters, who have never been known for their defensive prowess, took control in the second half with a combination of a hustling zone and pressure man-to-man defense. Las Vegas didn’t score a second-half field goal until 12:39 remained in the game, and by then the Rebels were trailing by four.