COSTA MESA — Costa Mesa High Coach Bryan Rice used but one word to describe his boys' basketball team after it lost, 59-43, to visiting Irvine Tuesday night.
"Fragile," Rice said.
The Mustangs (6-4) were aggressive at times, but not strong enough to overcome the Vaqueros, who led, 40-34, after three periods. Sophomore Sean Comer scored on a layup early in the fourth to bring Costa Mesa within four.
However, Irvine went on an 8-0 run, which featured two three-pointers and a strong offensive rebound and putback by sophomore Jeffrey DeKlotz.
The Mustangs struggled to respond. Senior guard Jordan Walden, who had the hot hand early on, missed two three-pointers, as did senior guard Nick Hefner.
Walden led Costa Mesa with 13 points and Hefner had 12. Senior center Saaeed El Assadi added 10 points.
The Mustangs became fragile on defense, as they were only left to foul Irvine because they were running out of time in the fourth period.