UCI falls, Bland hot

IRVINE — UC Irvine still has not beaten Oregon in five men’s basketball meetings between the two programs, the latest an 84-77 nonconference Ducks’ triumph before 4,206 Friday at the Bren Events Center.

But Anteater fans can no longer say they have yet to see what all the fuss was about when Kevin Bland was recruited after being named the state community college Co-Player of the Year out of Delta College in Stockton in 2006.

Bland, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 5.8 points and fouled out 10 times in 34 games as a junior last season. Through two games this season, he was scoring 6.5 points per contest, on five-of-15 shooting from the field and he had fouled out once.

Though he made all three of his field-goal attempts to score eight first-half points against Oregon (2-1), foul trouble limited him to just five minutes of action before intermission.

In the second half, however, Bland appeared to have no limits, sinking nine of 11 field-goal attempts, including his last eight, to finish with a career-high 26 points. Bland also did not commit a foul in the second half and had no turnovers in his 23 total minutes.

Whether his teammates found him in the post or he created for himself from the top of the key in virtual clear-out situations, Bland banked in shots with both hands, pivoted, dribbled, spun around and jumped over frustrated defenders, to the delight of the biggest and most spirited student rooting section in recent memory.

After the Ducks upped their 39-34 halftime lead to 60-48 with 12:12 left in the game, Bland scored 12 of his team’s next 14 points to help trim the deficit to 69-62.

Bland converted again from 10 feet with 1:41 left to pull UCI (0-3) within 72-66, but Oregon, which sank 11 of 19 three-pointers (57.9%) to finish 27 of 53 from the field (50.9%), had enough answers to come away victorious.

“It was good to be aggressive and be kind of a spark for our team,” said Bland, whose willingness to defer on the offensive end had maddened coaches, teammates and fans alike for the better part of his UCI tenure.

“After the first two games, I was like ‘Hey, my team needs me.’ Not just [against Oregon], but in general. I wasn’t helping my team very much by kind of floating around out there, so I wanted to be aggressive and just see what happened. I wanted to err on the side of being aggressive.”

UCI Coach Pat Douglass was quick to point out Bland’s contribution.

“He obviously had a helluva game,” Douglass said. “Tonight, Kevin Bland was a go-to guy.”

Though UCI fell to 0-3 for only the second time in the last 23 seasons, the first since an 0-13 start triggered a 1-25 campaign in 1996-97, both Douglass and Bland said the ’Eaters, who play their next four games on the road and seven of their next nine out of town before opening Big West Conference play, made progress Saturday.

“It was definitely better than Eastern Washington [a 74-69 home loss Wednesday],” Bland said. “Our effort was there, It just seemed like very time we got close, they knocked down a three or got an and-one.”

Douglass, who has held firm with his belief that his team is building toward a season UCI fans can be proud of, said his team played hard and got a little bit better.

Nonconference

Oregon 84, UC Irvine 77

UCI – Wise 16, DeCasas 8, Atkinson 7, Hunter 7, Moore 3, Bland 26, Rembert 5, Lauer 5.

3-pt. goals – DeCasas 2, Bland 1, Lauer 1, Hunter 1.

Fouled out – Hunter, Moore.

Halftime – UO, 39-34.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].