UCI’s Gloger makes mark

Barry Faulkner

UC Irvine junior Jeff Gloger used a wide-tipped black marker to sign

posters along with his teammates during an autograph promotion after

Saturday’s 77-66 nonconference win over visiting UC Davis.

Thus, Gloger’s bold signature stood out, which was, it turned out,

a fitting reflection of his play against the Aggies.

The 6-foot-4 swing man matched his career high with 20 points to

lead all scorers, making 6 of 9 field-goal attempts and adding eight

rebounds.

“Any time Jeff Gloger plays well, we play well,” UCI Coach Pat

Douglass said after his team improved to 12-11, giving it one more

victory than last year’s 11-17 unit.

“We had four guys score in double figures and our leading scorer

[Ross Schraeder] wasn’t one of them,” Douglass added. “So that shows

everyone else picked it up.”

Junior point guard Aaron Fitzgerald chipped in 14 points,

including 2 of 3 from three-point range, and finished with a

game-high six assists.

Senior center Greg Ethington had 10 points and eight rebounds,

while sophomore Nic Campbell made 4 of 6 field-goal tries on the way

to 10 points.

Schraeder, whose subpar shooting week continued as he went 3 of 9

from the field and 1 of 4 from threedom, still made a major

contribution with a career-high nine rebounds to lead both teams.

Offensive balance, combined with long periods of defensive

intensity and solid contributions from the bench, combined to help

the Anteaters win for the second time in six games.

UCI (5-9 in conference), enters the final two weeks of the regular

season in seventh place, with Long Beach State and UC Riverside one

game back tied for eighth. The ‘Eaters, who visit Idaho (Thursday)

and Utah State (Saturday), before returning home to meet UC Santa

Barbara (March 3) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (March 5), are bidding

to secure one of eight berths in the conference tournament.

But conference standings were not on the line Saturday, since UC

Davis, a former Division II school, is in the first year of a

four-year process to become a full-fledged Big West member for the

2007-08 season.

Still, the Aggies (10-15) made the hosts earn their second win of

the season series.

After the hosts surged to a 17-7 edge early, Davis chipped away,

eventually taking a 27-26 lead, before UCI used a 6-0 run to regain

control en route to a 34-30 halftime lead.

UCI opened the second half with a 7-0 surge and scored 11 of the

half’s first 13 points to provide a 13-point cushion.

A Darren Fells layup made it 54-40 with 7:16 left, but the Aggies

twice rallied to cut the deficit to seven.

A three-pointer with 2:22 remaining pulled the visitors within

63-56, but Fitzgerald drained a three-pointer and Campbell got behind

the defense for a transition layin to help the home rooters among the

crowd of 1,744 exit with a smile.

Davis seniors Ryan Moore and Fowzi Abdelsamad, who came in

averaging a combined 32 points and combined for 41 in UCI’s 71-64 triumph Jan. 24 at Davis, produced just 18 points between them

Saturday.

“We knew we had to play well to win and I was pleased with our

effort,” said Douglass, who admitted his team did not sustain early

defensive excellence in both halves.

Reaching the 70-point plateau again proved rewarding for UCI,

which is now 11-2 when it scores at least 70.

The Anteaters shot 55.2% from the field after halftime (16 of 29)

to finish 52.8% for the game.

“We stressed getting back to an up-tempo style,” Gloger said.

“There was a lot more freedom and energy out there and it paid off

for us.”

Fells, 3 of 4 from the field, had six points and four rebounds in

15 minutes, while fellow reserve Adam Metelski contributed four

points and three boards for the winners.

Sophomore guard Rommel Marentez had three of Davis’ seven

three-pointers to lead the visitors with 16 points.

Moore, with 11, was the only other Davis scorer in double figures.

Several ‘Eaters shared defensive duty on Moore, who was just 4 of

10 from the field and missed his four three-point tries.

ZOTS -- UC Irvine’s Jeff Gloger had one steal Saturday to give him

161 for his career. He needs one to tie and two to overtake Jerry

Green atop the school’s career steals list ... Former Anteater

standout Khari Johnson, who recently resigned as the school’s

associate athletic director of student services, received a framed

jersey and a loud ovation from the crowd during a brief halftime

ceremony Saturday ... Daniel Fells, the older brother of UCI freshman

Darren Fells is a tight end on the UC Davis football team. Daniel

Fells, who will be a senior in the fall, caught 35 passes for 520

yards for the Aggies as a junior.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 77, UC Davis 66

UC Davis -- Moore 11, Juillerat 2, Eshan 4, Marentez 16,

Abdelsamad 7, Butts 12, Stearns 9, Rasmussen 5.

3-pt. goals -- Marentez 3, Stearns 2, Abdelsamad 1, Rasmussen 1.

Fouled out -- Stearns.

Technicals -- None.

UC Irvine -- Gloger 20, Campbell 10, Ethington 10, Fitzgerald 14,

Schraeder 7, Fells 6, Metelski 4, Armstrong 4, Sanders 2.

3-pt. goals -- Fitzgerald 2, Schraeder 1, Campbell 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- UCI, 34-30.