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Men's Basketball:
'Eaters Top San Francisco 72-59
Dec. 15, 2007 IRVINE, Calif. --- Junior forward Kevin Bland had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double to help UC Irvine get past San Francisco, 72-59, in a non-conference game Saturday night at the Bren Events Center. Bland added a game-high four steals as the Anteaters improved to 4-5 on the season. This was his second consecutive game with double-digit rebounds as he had 10 in a Dec. 8 win over Alaska-Fairbanks. Senior center Darren Fells also scored 14 points versus USF, hitting 6 of 8 from the field, while senior forward Patrick Sanders had 12 points, senior guard Marcus McIntosh a career-high 11, and junior guard Brett Lauer 10. McIntosh added three assists and two steals. Junior guard Manny Quezada led USF (4-6) with 20 points while sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn had 12 and freshman guard Myron Strong 11. The Dons went on a 22-7 run in the first half to take a 24-13 lead before UCI put together a 21-5 spree in the final 8 ½ minutes to lead 34-29 at the break. The teams traded leads in the first 10 minutes of the second half and after Quezada's jumper put USF up 46-45 with 10:21 remaining, Sanders scored four straight points, including a thunderous dunk on a follow, to key a 16-5 UCI run over the next seven minutes for a 61-51 lead and the Anteaters were never threatened again. UCI had 12 steals but committed 17 turnovers. Both teams struggled from the free-throw line as the Anteaters hit 23 of 37 for 62.2 percent and the Dons were 7 of 18 for 38.9 percent. The win marked UCI's first win over USF in seven meetings dating back to the 1980-81 season.
The Anteaters play their next five games on the road, beginning Thursday night in Huntsville, Tex., against undefeated Sam Houston State (9-0). Game time is 5:00 p.m. (PST) with live coverage on KUCI/88.9 FM as Mark Roberts calls the action. |
