IRVINE — UC Irvine coach Russ Turner liked what he saw from his young team down the stretch of Saturday’s overtime game. He was pleased with their competitiveness and composure in coming up with two big baskets in the final eight seconds.
He just wasn’t happy with the overall ending.
After securing a two-point lead with eight seconds left on two baskets by redshirt sophomore Derin Saran, the Anteaters gave up a three-point play with 0.6 seconds left and lost to Northern Iowa, 70-69, in a nonconference game at the Bren Events Center.
“We didn’t execute well,” Turner said. “We’ve worked on that situation in practice, and all our guys know exactly what they’re trying to do and we didn’t do it. So that’s some reflection on my preparation for that moment and some reflection on us having a young team.
“Our guys know that it’s really, really important for us to be able to execute, to win close games. I know that we’re trying to make our free throws, but some of those other things are effort- and focus-based. We didn’t look like a championship group tonight.”
Saran tried to change that perception when he grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court, scored and was fouled with eight seconds left. He had a chance to put UCI (3-3) ahead but missed the free throw, leaving the score tied at 67-all. But Saran wasn’t finished.
He rebounded his own miss and laid it in for a 69-67 lead with three seconds remaining. The game looked over. Saran thought it was.
“I just wanted to finish the game, and I wanted to get the win,” Saran said of his final two baskets. “I thought I had a good look in transition to go attack the rebound and that’s what I did, but I couldn’t convert on that free throw but got the rebound.”
Northern Iowa, though, had one last shot at winning and took it. Guard Trey Campbell made a layup while being fouled with less than one second left and made the free throw to clinch the victory. Campbell, who also hit the tying layup with 24 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime, led the Panthers (5-0) with 19 points and five rebounds.
Saran finished with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Jurian Dixon had 17 points and six rebounds. Forward Kyle Evans recorded eight blocked shots – tied for the second-most in the nation this season – to go along with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Anteaters had a chance to close out the game in regulation but Dixon’s baseline jumper at the buzzer went in and out, sending the game into overtime.
The first half was a struggle for the Anteaters, who fell behind by as many as 10 points early. Turner said he thought his team played timidly, something to be expected from a young group, but showed some fight in the second half.
Neither team had more than a two-point advantage during the final seven minutes of regulation.
“I was pleased with the spirit that we showed and coming back and taking the lead and giving ourselves a chance to win, both in regulation and then overtime, so it hurts to lose,” said Turner, whose team held Northern Iowa to 36% shooting from the field. “We’re not used to losing these types of games here very often.”
