Men’s Basketball: UCI aims to fill Dance card
ANAHEIM — UC Irvine is celebrating its 50th year of existence and there are few traditions that have stood the test of five decades. But the inability of the Anteaters’ men’s basketball team to make the NCAA Division I tournament is still one of them.
But that may all change Saturday, after the No. 3-seeded Anteaters defeated No. 2-seeded UC Santa Barbara, 72-63, in overtime in a Big West Conference Tournament semifinal on Friday at Honda Center.
Coach Russell Turner’s Anteaters (20-12) will face No. 5-seeded Hawaii (22-12) in the championship game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Hawaii upset top-seeded UC Davis, 65-58, Friday. The tournament champion earns the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
UCI, which will play in its fifth Big West tournament final, its first since 2013, claimed its third straight 20-win season, which had been done only once before (2000-01 to 2002-03).
The ‘Eaters, who played in the NCAA Division II Tournament four times, the last of those coming in 1975, got past Santa Barbara in a game of surges.
UCI scored the first seven points of overtime and pulled away to halt the Gauchos’ six-game winning streak.
Will Davis, a 6-foot-7 senior, had 18 points and 15 rebounds for his second straight double-double and his sixth double-double of the season.
Davis made his first four field-goal tries and had 10 points just more than six minutes into the contest. He scored the first basket of overtime and finished seven for 11 from the field and four for four from the foul line.
Mamadou Ndiaye, a 7-foot-6 sophomore, had 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks as the two UCI starting big men helped counter UCSB senior Alan Williams, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Ndiaye made UCI’s last two field goals of regulation and sank a foul shot to knot the score at 59 with 49 seconds left to finalize the score in regulation. Ndiaye’s late heroics helped the ‘Eaters erase a 59-53 deficit with 3:09 left in regulation.
“I’m especially proud of Will and Mamadou,” Turner said. “Will had another great effort, a double-double, and I give Mamadou credit after a disappointing game yesterday. He made some pressure free throws (four for seven from the line, after netting just one of seven Thursday) and he helped us have the presence we needed on defense to get the stops we needed.”
Ndiaye said he was determined to atone for his three-point, seven-rebound performance in the quarterfinal win over UC Riverside.
“I was upset [Thursday], because I didn’t play my best,” Ndiaye said. “And I knew I had to play better going against one of the best big men in the country [Williams].”
UCI sophomore Luke Nelson netted a pair of three-pointers in overtime on his way to 14 points to help UCI improve to 5-1 all-time against UCSB in the Big West Tournament.
UCI bolted to an 11-0 lead, making its first four field-goal attempts.
The Gauchos missed their first seven shots from the field, two of which were blocked, and posted their first field goal with 5:16 elapsed.
And while Williams amassed 10 of his 14 first-half points at the foul line, Davis and Ndiaye combined to net nine of 14 field-goal tries for 23 combined points to stake the Anteaters to a 34-27 halftime lead.
UCSB took its first lead at 42-41, on a Williams tip-in with 12:54 left in regulation. The Gauchos built on the lead, but went scoreless the final 3:09 of regulation.
Williams missed a 12-foot floater at the buzzer in regulation to allow UCI to close it out in the five-minute extra session.
UCSB finished 21 for 65 from the field (32.3%), including just three for 19 from three-point range (15.8%).
UCI shot 44.6% from the field and made five of 15 from threedom to overcome a 46-41 rebound deficit. Both teams had eight turnovers.
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Big West Conference Tournament
Semifinal
UC Irvine 72, UC Santa Barbara 63 (OT)
UCI – Davis 18, Ndiaye 18, Nelson 14, Young 5, Souza 2, Best 6, Dimakopoulos 3, Martin 3, Wright 3.
3-pt. goals – Nelson 3, Martin 1, Dimakopoulos 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
UCSB – Williams 24, Green 14, Bryson 9, Vincent 6, Harmon 0, Brewe 4, Childress 2, Taylor 2, Beeler 2.
3-pt. goals – Vincent 2, Bryson 1.
Fouled out – Green, Vincent.
Technicals – None.
Halftime – 34-27, UCI.