ANAHEIM
UC Irvine lost its opening game of the Anaheim Classic to Mississippi State, 68-53, in front of Thanksgiving Day crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The Anteaters (2-2) suffered scoring droughts several times, the final one coming late in the second half that allowed the Bulldogs (2-1) to pull away.
Irvine made a run at the Bulldogs in the first half, trimming a 13-point lead to five. But their momentum didn’t carry over to the second half and Mississippi State turned a close game into a blowout with a 10-0 run midway through the second half.
NOTES
…Mississippi State came into the game averaging 35.2 percent from the 3-point line
…Irvine forward Kevin Bland didn’t quite have a happy birthday. His 22nd birthday ended with a 68-53 loss and a 0-for-8 shooting day
…Darren Fells isn’t quite out of doghouse. The center did not start his second game back from a three-game suspension because of “personal misconduct.” He was, however, in the starting lineup for the second half.
MVPs
Just about every player who took a shot for Mississippi State. Barry Stewart led a group of four players in double figures with 18 points
Did you see that?
Talk about an over the back call …and then some. As Mississippi State’s Charles Rhodes went up for a layup, Fells rolled over his back and fell hard to the floor.
Turning point
The Anteaters went cold in the second half, enabling the Bulldogs to turn a five-point contest into a 15-point lead, 55-40, with 12:47 left in the game.
NEXT
UC Irvine vs. loser of UT-Chattanooga-So. Illinois, Anaheim Classic, Friday, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU; KUCI/88.9 FM)
–JANIS CARR, The Orange County Register
