Santa Barbara, Irvine Going in Opposite Directions

GOLETA —  UC Irvine is a better team than a year ago. The Anteaters swear to that. On the other hand, UC Santa Barbara is also a better team than a year ago--fact is fact.

The Gauchos made that clear with a 76-61 victory over Irvine Saturday in front of 2,003 in the Thunderdome.

It was the Gauchos’ eighth victory in 10 games, a testament to their determination after an 0-8 start. Or maybe it’s just a statement about the Big West Conference--six of those victories are in conference play.

Either way, Santa Barbara (8-10, 6-2) is in first place, a game ahead of Long Beach State. Meanwhile, the Anteaters (5-13, 1-7) lost their seventh consecutive game and now must ponder a future that likely will not include a trip to the conference tournament this season.

“We’re a lot younger team this season, but we’re more talented,” UCI forward Adam Stetson said. “We’re always trying to show the younger players what it takes to win. We’ve been trying to do that all year.”

Irvine’s youth was served Saturday . . . on a platter. The Gauchos played with a hunger Irvine couldn’t match from the start. Larry Bell, a 6-foot-2 guard, blocked Matt Willard’s shot on the Anteaters’ first possession. Willard is seven inches taller.

The Anteaters had lost the last two games in the final seconds. This one though didn’t slip through their fingers, although the basketball did far too often. Irvine finished with 26 turnovers.

Ben Jones tried to salvage the situation in the second half, hitting three three-pointers to spark a 15-3 run. Jones, who had made only four of 26 shots in the last four games, was six of eight from the field and scored 17 points. His last three-pointer made it 60-54 with 5 minutes 44 seconds left. But the Anteaters reverted to form.

With a chance to cut the deficit to four, forward Marek Ondera dribbled the ball off his leg. Moments later guard Jerry Green--while looking at Coach Pat Douglass for direction--had the ball taken away by Derrick Allen. On the next possession, Green just dropped the ball.

He was replaced by Gabe Cagwin, who then had the ball slip out of his hands and go out of bounds.

“It’s been a long season,” Ondera said. “Our confidence is down. We have to fight through this or it’s going to get worse.”

Not that it could in Green’s case. He was overwhelmed by Allen.

Green missed all three of his shots, finished with two points and had nine turnovers. He did have eight assists but that was little consolation.

“It’s been a long season and he is tired,” Douglass said. “He’s carried us in a lot of games, but he’s wearing down.”

Said Allen: “The rest of their team feeds off that point guard. Coach told us to go after him.”

Allen tied a school record with eight steals and the Gauchos had 19 as a team. Irvine did hold center B.J. Bunton to 10 points, seven below his average, but Allen made up for it, scoring a career-high 20 points. He also had seven assists and turned the ball over only once.

“That’s incredible,” Santa Barbara Coach Bob Williams said. “The eight steals are incredible, let alone everything else.”

As a result of the turnovers, Santa Barbara had as many field goals as the Anteaters had attempts in the first half.

That they trailed only 40-30 was due to Stetson, who scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half. He was three of three from the field, all three-pointers. Of course, two of them he banked in.

“There’s no doubt we’re better this year,” Stetson said. “But when it comes down to making the clutch play or a clutch anything, we just haven’t made it.”