SAN JOSE, Calif. _ 'Eater Nation's bid to go even more national has ended.
UC Irvine's historically good season reached an abrupt conclusion Sunday night at SAP Center in a 73-54 loss to Oregon in the second round of the South Regional.
The Anteaters finished 31-6, setting a school record for victories in a season. The defeat also ended their school-best 17-game winning streak.
But Irvine didn't fade away quietly. The Anteaters overcame a 12-point halftime deficit by scoring the first 14 points of the second half and had a 37-35 lead with 14:28 remaining.
Oregon missed its first 11 shots and Irvine made six of seven during the run that swung a game that appeared to be in the Ducks' control.
Ehab Amin finally scored Oregon's first points of the second half on a three-pointer after 7:32 had elapsed.
Teammate Louis King followed with another three-pointer to put the once-reeling Ducks ahead by four points, 41-37.
From there, they kept control this time, finishing the game on a 38-17 streak and ending the Anteaters' attempt to continue to make history.
On Thursday, Irvine beat Kansas State 70-64 in the opening round for the school's first NCAA tournament victory in its second appearance.
Oregon advances to the Sweet 16 to face No. 1-seeded Virginia on Thursday in Louisville, Ky. The Cavaliers moved on with a 63-51 victory Sunday over Oklahoma.
By surviving into the Sweet 16, Irvine would have received even more attention as a 13th-seed from a school not known for its basketball prowess.
But the program is trending in the right direction, the Anteaters reaching the final of the Big West tournament in each of the past three seasons and winning the regular-season conference title four times in six years.
Irvine's previous NCAA tournament appearance came in 2015 when it lost in the opening round to Louisville.
The Anteaters on Sunday were ultimately unable to overcome the height, length and athletic ability of an Oregon team that is enjoying its own surge.
The Ducks, a 12th seed, have won 10 in a row, a streak that includes claiming the Pac-12 tournament title.
Robert Cartwright led Irvine with 14 points, while Evan Leonard had 11 and Tommy Rutherford added 10.
Max Hazzard, Irvine's leading scorer for the season, struggled with his shot and finished with seven points. He missed seven of eight three-pointers. In the victory over Kansas State, Hazzard made five three-pointers.
This game began with an Irvine turnover and, just seconds later, a three-pointer by King.
After another Ducks' basket, the Anteaters would quickly respond with a six-point run to take their only lead of the first half, 6-5, on a Rutherford layup.
Irvine missed its first four three-point tries, eight consecutive shots during one stretch and 10 of its first 13 field goal attempts overall.
Oregon built its lead to nine points twice before a 7-0 Anteater push cut the difference to 17-15.
The remainder of the first half unraveled on Irvine behind a rash of turnovers and offensive rebounds yielded. Eleven of the Ducks' 21 first-half rebounds came on offense.
The Anteaters trailed 35-23 after 20 minutes and appeared to be clinging for their very survival.
But they came out in the second half and showed why they entered this tournament convinced they could advance.
Irvine fell to 2-7 all-time against Oregon and has lost the last six meetings between the schools. The Anteaters' most recent win over the Ducks came in 1982.
