UC Irvine gets offense in gear in victory over 49ers
UC Irvine gets offense in gear in victory over 49ers
Domingo 07 de Enero del 2018
IRVINE – There was little reason Saturday night to expect UC Irvine to burst out on offense like it did against Long Beach State. The Anteaters scored just 53 points in their Big West opener …
IRVINE – There was little reason Saturday night to expect UC Irvine to burst out on offense like it did against Long Beach State. The Anteaters scored just 53 points in their Big West opener …
UC Irvine guard Evan Leonard (14), center, drives towards the basket as Long Beach State forward Gabe Levin (0), left, and forward Barry Ogalue (13) defend him during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Tommy Rutherford (42), left, drives towards the basket as Long Beach State forward Gabe Levin (0) defends during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Tommy Rutherford (42), top left, scores and draws a foul over Long Beach State forward Gabe Levin (0), top right, during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward John Edgar Jr. (11), center, goes up for a basket as Long Beach State guard Jordan Griffin (11), left, defends and guard Deishuan Booker (15), bottom right, falls to the ground during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Tommy Rutherford (42), left, tries to escape from Long Beach State’s double team during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State forward Barry Ogalue (13), right, shoots over UC Irvine forward Elston Jones (50) during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Eyassu Worku (24) goes up for a basket during a Big West Conference game against Long Beach State at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Evan Leonard (14), center, makes a pass in the air as Long Beach State forward Quentin Shropshire (12), left ,and guard Jordan Roberts (3) defend during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State forward Gabe Levin (0) shoots a three-pointer over UC Irvine forward John Edgar Jr. (11) during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson yells instructions to his players during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State forward Gabe Levin (0), left, and UC Irvine forward Elston Jones (50) battle for a position for rebound during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Jonathan Galloway (5), top left, blocks the shot by Long Beach State forward Temidayo Yussuf (4) during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Eyassu Worku (24), right, goes up for a basket during a Big West Conference game against Long Beach State at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State forward Temidayo Yussuf (4), left, shoots under pressure as UC Irvine forward Jonathan Galloway (5), and center Brad Greene (55) defend him during a Big West Conference game at Bren Events Center in Irvine on Saturday, January 6, 2018. (Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)
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IRVINE – There was little reason Saturday night to expect UC Irvine to burst out on offense like it did against Long Beach State.
The Anteaters scored just 53 points in their Big West opener at UC Davis. They averaged a low-watt 62 points a game in their last eight and were barely shooting 30 percent on 3-pointers during that span.
They shattered that habit, making 14 3-pointers and scoring 51 points in the first half of an 86-73 win over the 49ers. Max Hazzard had four and John Edgar Jr. and Evan Leonard three each in the first-half flurry. Irvine (6-12, 1-1 Big West) led by 20 at the half and the 49ers (7-11, 1-1) never got closer than 13 in the second half.
“I wasn’t expecting us to shoot the ball the way we did, but we got some good shots and played physical and created some momentum four ourselves,” UC Irvine coach Russell Turner said. “It was a very good win because Long Beach was coming off a good win against Hawaii. We’ve always been a pretty high percentage 3-point shooting team without ever emphasizing it. There was a lot of sharing Saturday night.”
Leonard (21), Eyassu Worku (20), Edgar (15) and Hazzard (14) led the scoring and had all of the 3-pointers in the night. Jonathan Galloway and Edgar each had 10 rebounds, and Elston Jones and Brad Greene eight each. The Anteaters out rebounded Long Beach, 44-32.
“We just wanted to be aggressive and physical, get the ball in the paint and then create open shots,” said Hazzard, who had the first of the 14 3-pointers. “Shots come and go. This was good in the sense that we’re 1-1 in conference, and we showed if we keep trusting each other we can have more games like tonight.”
Long Beach shot 3 for 12 early and had several close-in shots rim or bounce out of the basket. Gabe Levin finished with 20 points and Temidayo Yussuf 14. The guard play was inconsistent, with the 49ers missing injured guard Bryan Alberts, one of the two top 3-point shooters on the team.
“I didn’t expect us to be so reactive,” Long Beach coach Dan Monson said. “They were the aggressor and we never really did anything to disrupt their rhythm. They physically dominated.
“When a team is shooting as well as Irvine was, there’s a tendency for the kids to feel pressure to make the right play. We got a little frustrated with our misses.
The Anteaters made five consecutive 3-pointers early to take a 21-8 lead. By the end of the half, UC Irvine had made 11 three-pointers, four by Hazzard, three each by Edgar and Leonard and one by Worku, to take a 20-point lead.
Long Beach pressed in the second half and forced the Anteaters to make foul shots, but UC Irvine clogged the middle and never allowed the 49ers to feel confident of a comeback.
Long Beach State hosts Cal State Northridge Wednesday. UC Irvine hosts Cal State Fullerton on Thursday.
