SOUTHLAND ROUNDUP

Pacific 72, UC Irvine 63--With 7-foot Michael Olowokandi dominating the defensive end and having his standard offensive performance, the Tigers finally shook off the pesky Anteaters in front of 4,576 in the Spanos Center in Stockton.

It ended UC Irvine’s three-game winning streak and dropped it into a tie with Pacific for first place in the Big West Conference’s Western Division.

Olowokandi scored 21 points, including two on a base-line jump shot that gave Pacific (10-8, 3-2 in conference play) a 62-58 lead with 2:16 to play. Pacific made eight of 10 free throws--four by Corey Anders--in the last minute to pull away.

But Olowokandi’s larger contribution was on the defensive end. He blocked seven shots, five in the second half.

“He altered the game,� Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said. “Actually, he altered a lot of shots.�

He received some help from Corey Anders, who scored a game-high 25 points and was a nuisance on defense, with two steals and two blocks.

Lamarr Parker scored 22 points, including Irvine’s (6-9, 3-2) first nine points of the second half. Adam Stetson finished with 21 points, scoring 14 of Irvine’s 18 points during an eight-minute stretch in the second half.