Oregon State Beats Undersized Irvine

CORVALLIS, Ore. — That UC Irvine’s players escaped with limbs attached was enough Saturday. That their dignity was still intact was even better.

Sure, an 80-70 loss to Oregon State in front of 4,065 in Gill Coliseum wasn’t what the Anteaters wanted. But it did fall within the parameters of Coach Pat Douglass’ we’re-young-we’ll-get-better mantra.

Oregon State led by as many as 19 in the first half and seemed to be beating the Anteaters into submission. In the end, they were almost an equal, cutting a 15-point, halftime deficit to 74-70 with two minutes left.

Irvine (1-2) missed its last six shots and Oregon State was saved from the ultimate Pac-10 embarrassment--losing to a Big West team.

“We just weren’t being aggressive enough taking our shots [in the first half],” Douglass said. “In the second half, we played more aggressively and more confident.

“It could have gotten real ugly. I was pleased that we came back and we were right there to make it a game.”

There were a few chances to get a little more than a moral victory.

Ben Jones (21 points) and Gabe Cagwin (20 points) shot the Anteaters back into the game, draining one three-pointer after another. Trailing, 71-63, Jones stole a pass and was grabbed by Oregon State’s Iyan Walker, who was called for an intentional foul with four minutes left.

Jones, an 82% free-throw shooter last season, missed both free throws, which became even more glaring when Irvine’s Stan Divranos tipped in a shot moments later.

Oregon State (2-0) provided other chances by making only seven of 15 free throws in the last three minutes. But twice the Beavers were able to get rebounds off missed free throws.

“It’s early in the season and we’re learning to play,” Douglass said.

How much they absorbed will be seen Monday, when the Anteaters play at Portland. One thing is for sure, the Pilots will not have the same weight to toss around.

Oregon State’s front line, George von Backstrom (7 feet, 250 pounds), Sasa Petrovic (6-10, 235) and Walker (6-7, 215), was bigger and stronger and let the Anteaters know it. Walker scored 13 points and Von Backstrom 12.

All Irvine had was Divranos, a 6-8, 240 sophomore, to push back. Mark Gottschalk, a 6-10 freshman, missed the game after pulling a calf muscle during Friday’s practice.

“When you’re playing a Pac-10 school and you don’t have the size, you’re going to get muscled inside,’ Douglass said.

Muscled, sure, but assaulted? Seven times, Anteaters were knocked to the floor in the first half.

“I think that affected us,” Jones said. “It might of made us tentative taking our shots. It was physical, but we played through it.”

Over it, actually.

Jones, who had two points in the first half, made five of 16 three- pointers.

“Ben Jones hit some long shots, shots you don’t mind people taking,” Oregon State Coach Eddie Payne said. “He can make them.”

As can Cagwin, a 5-10 freshman guard. He was a particular problem for the Beavers, to the point where Beaver point guard Deaundra Tanner (21 points) took a couple swipes at Cagwin with an elbow.

Cagwin made seven of 13 shots from the field, including five of nine three-pointers. He was playing in front of about 30 relatives and friends, who drove five hours from Belfair, Wash., and showed them more than his shooting touch. He had two key steals in the second half, scoring on layups both times.

“I think having all those people there relaxed me,” said Cagwin, who was zero for six on three-pointers before Saturday. “I had been taking really bad shots and my stats showed that.”