UCI bested by Broncos

FULLERTON — In stature at least, the UC Irvine men’s basketball team is more identifiable with Goliath. But when it comes to competing in the upper echelon of Division I, the Anteaters appear relegated more to firing slingshots against superior weaponry.

The Anteaters failed to exploit a significant size advantage against a smaller, more efficient Boise State team on Thursday, as the Broncos earned a 71-64 victory in the quarterfinals of the Wooden Legacy tournament at Cal State Fullerton.

The Broncos (3-2) continually broke down UCI’s zone defense with penetration and passing, and made 11 of 28 three-point attempts to advance to Friday’s semifinals against Michigan State.

UCI (4-1), which had been 4-0 for the first time in 33 seasons and came in ranked No. 11 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, will meet Boston College at noon in a fifth-place semifinal.

UCI has six points, four rebounds and seven turnovers combined from starting big men, 7-foot-6 junior center Mamadou Ndiaye and 6-10 senior Mike Best. UCI had a 26-20 advantage with points in the paint, but its inability to score more with its big men made it rely largely on perimeter shooting. UCI made just five of 21 three-point attempts (23.8%), lost the rebounding battle, 36-31, and was victimized defensively by the Broncos’ 21 assists on 25 field goals.

“When you have guys with good vision, good passing and good shooters, it’s a great recipe for success against a zone,” Boise State Coach Leon Rice said. “Once we settled in against their zone, we had some good shots and we were able to attack it from the high post a little bit, drop the ball [inside] and get some good finishes. And then things opened up on the perimeter and [our guys] are good shooters and they are going to make those shots.”

UCI guards Alex Young and Luke Nelson had 15 and 13 points, respectively, but were a combined two for 11 from three-point range. No Anteater had more than one three-pointer, while Boise State had four apiece from Australian imports Anthony Drmic (four for eight from threedom) and Nick Duncan.

“[The Broncos’] style of play won out over ours today,” UCI Coach Russell Turner said. “We allowed them to make 11 threes, which was something we knew could beat us. Give them credit for doing the things they do, well enough to win,”

Young said they Broncos’ ball movement and perimeter offense made closing out on shooters problematic.

“They had five shooters at all times,” Young said. “We had [Ndiaye and 7-2 center Ioannes Dimakopoulos] in the paint, so it was basically four guys trying to guard five. We prepared for it, we just didn’t do a good enough job executing it today to pull out a win.”

Turner, who at times opted to play a smaller lineup, said he was disappointed with the play of his inside players, who were led by Dimakopoulos’ 10 points and five rebounds in 21 reserve minutes.

“I thought our big guys didn’t play well enough and they turned the ball over too much,” Turner said. “And they didn’t pass the ball very well. So, we weren’t good enough and that’s the bottom line. I thought we’d be able to do better with our big guys against them, but we weren’t, so we didn’t win.”

UCI blanked the Broncos for nearly the first six minutes of the game, but saw a 6-0 lead turn into an 11-10 deficit after the third of Boise State’s six first-half three-pointers with 11:40 left before halftime. A Drmic three-pointer at the halftime buzzer broke a 27-27 deadlock in a game that featured seven lead changes and five tie scores.

UCI rallied in the second half to pull within 48-47 with 9:56 to go, but a dunk by David Wacker on the ensuing possession and a three-pointer by Drmic with 9:03 left, pushed the lead to six and UCI never got closer than four.

Young was three for 10 from the field, but made eight of nine foul shots to pace the ‘Eaters. He also had a team-best five assists and tied for the team lead with two steals.

Nelson had a team-best six rebounds, while chipping in three assists and two steals, but had three turnovers, as did Best.

Drmic led the winners with 21 points, while Duncan added 14. Freshman Chandler Hutchison, a 6-7 sophomore out of Mission Viejo High who said UCI was his second choice when he chose to attend Boise State, had 15 points and 10 rebounds, including seven of his team’s 11 offensive boards.

“We’re disappointed to lose, but we know we have a big game [Friday],” Turner said. “We’re thankful for the team we have and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete again [Friday and Sunday to conclude the tournament].”

((

Boise State 71, UC Irvine 64

UCI – Dunning 5, Best 2, Ndiaye 4, Young 15, Nelson 13, Dimakopoulos 10, Smith 6, Martin 5, Wright 4.

3-pt. goals – Young 1, Nelson 1, Martin 1, Dunning 1, Smith 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

BSU – Duncan 14, Webb 9, Drmic 21, Hutchison 13, Thompson 2, Wacker 4, Austin 3, Jackson 3, Jorch 2.

3-pt. goals – Duncan 4, Drmic 4, Webb 1, Jackson1, Austin 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

Halftime – 30-27, BSU.