UC IRVINE GAME #12
UC Irvine (2-9) vs. Hope International (7-1)
Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011 – 7:05 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Series Record: First meeting
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Mark Roberts, 18th Season, & Steve Henkle)
FINAL TUNE-UP FOR BIG WEST: UC Irvine hosts Hope International University Thursday night in the Bren Center in the final non-conference game prior to opening Big West Conference action.
The 'Eaters, 2-9 overall, are looking to snap a three-game losing streak in the final home game of the 2011 calendar year. UCI is coming off an 89-60 loss to UCLA Tuesday night at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Second-year head coach Russell Turner's Anteaters open Big West Conference play at Cal State Northridge next Thursday (Dec. 29) at 7:00 p.m.
Hope International, an NAIA member of the Golden State Athletic Conference, enters Thursday's game with a 7-1 overall mark. This game will be an exhibition for the Royals but will count on the UCI schedule.
UCI will open 2012 hosting last season's Big West regular-season champion, Long Beach State, Jan. 2 at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
Following that contest, the 'Eaters will play three of their next four games on the road, beginning with Pacific Jan. 5.
LOSS TO UCLA: In Tuesday night's loss to UCLA, sophomore guard Chris McNealy led UCI with 11 points and a career-high seven assists. Junior guard Daman Starring added 10 points.
UCLA (.548) was the first UCI opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the field this season.
UC IRVINE PLAYER NOTES
■ Freshman guard AARON WRIGHT is out indefinitely with a right-knee injury sustained midway through the second half of the Dec. 13 loss at Wyoming. He had started five straight games prior to his injury.
He has 27 assists this season, recording a career-high seven in the Dec. 3 win over San Diego.
Wright scored a career-high 14 points at San Jose State Nov. 14 and snared a career-high eight rebounds in the Dec. 10 win over Vanguard.
■ Junior guard DAMAN STARRING leads UCI in scoring at 12.0 points per game, scoring a UCI career-high 21 against Alaska-Anchorage and Weber State in November.
Starring has pulled down 37 rebounds in the last six games (6.2 ave.), including a career-high nine boards in the Dec. 10 win over Vanguard when he added 16 points.
In the past eight games, he has converted 22 of 26 (.846) free throws. Starring ranks fourth in the Big West Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.444) and 13th in scoring (12.0).
He averaged 18.7 points in three games at the Great Alaska Shootout in late November. Starring scored 27 points against Texas College as a redshirt freshman at Centenary (La.) College in the 2009-10 season before transferring to UCI.
■ Junior forward MICHAEL WILDER ranks third in the Big West Conference in three-point field goals made per game at 2.64 as he has hit 29 in the season's first 11 games. He is sixth in the league in three-point field goal percentage at .414.
Wilder has hit 22 of 46 (.478) threes in the past seven games.
He has scored a season-high 19 points three times this season, including the LSU game. Wilder also scored 19 in the 99-79 win over San Diego Dec. 3 and against Central Michigan at the Great Alaska Shootout in a game where he had 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and third of his career.
Wilder snared 10 rebounds for the second time this season at Wyoming Dec. 13.
■ Sophomore guard CHRIS McNEALY recorded a career-high seven assists in Tuesday's loss at UCLA. He is averaging 9.4 points after scoring 11 against UCLA. McNealy had eight boards in the loss at LSU last Thursday and tied his career high with 11 in the Dec. 10 win over Vanguard. He also had 11 rebounds against Southern Miss at the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 24.
McNealy ranks sixth in the Big West Conference in assists at 3.18 per game and is eighth in rebounding average at 5.9.
He equaled his career high of 16 points in the Dec. 3 victory over San Diego, hitting 7 of 8 field goals. He added a career-high six assists in that win.
McNealy recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the 78-67 loss to Southern Miss at the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 24.
■ Junior center ADAM FOLKER, who missed the entire regular season last year due to injuries, has 25 offensive rebounds in his total of 51 boards this season. He ranks ninth in the Big West Conference in offensive boards at 2.27 per game.
Folker is 9 of 15 from the field in the last three games and is shooting 51 percent for the season. He hit 5 of 6 shots and scored a season-high 11 points in the Dec. 3 win over San Diego.
■ Junior guard DERICK FLOWERS has scored a career-high nine points four times this season, including at UCLA Tuesday night.
He was 4 of 5 from the field and added three assists versus the Bruins.
■ Freshman post WILL DAVIS II leads UCI in rebounding at 6.4 per game, which ranks sixth in the Big West Conference.
He is sixth in the conference in offensive rebounds at 2.45 per game after recording four versus UCLA. Davis is eighth in the league in blocked shots at 0.82 per game.
He had career highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds in the 75-73 win over Vanguard Dec. 10.
■ Freshman guard COLLIN WOODS hit a pair of threes and scored six points in Tuesday's loss at UCLA. He tied his career high with two assists in the LSU game last Thursday and he scored four points each in the losses to Wyoming and LSU.
Woods scored a season-high nine points against Central Michigan at the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 25.
■ Freshman center MIKE BEST scored six points at LSU last Thursday on 3-of-5 shooting for his second-highest output of the season.
■ Freshman forward MARCUS BRADLEY scored a season-high six points in the 77-56 loss at Cal Nov. 11 to open the season. He has pulled down a high of two rebounds in three separate games.
■ Freshman forward TRAVIS SOUZA scored his first collegiate points when he nailed a three in the second half against UCLA Tuesday night.
ABOUT HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Coach Bill Czech's Royals are 7-1 on the season, including a 55-43 win over Simpson University last Saturday.
Senior center Steve Jurich, who previously played one season at Cal State Fullerton, leads Hope International at 14.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Jeremy Kilgore is averaging 13.0 points. Junior guard Kris Rosales tops the team with an average of 3.6 assists per contest.
This is the first meeting between UCI and Hope International.
ON THIS DATE: On this date 21 years ago, UCI defeated California, 98-88, at the Bren Center (12/22/90).
Jeff Herdman led the 'Eaters with 23 points as he hit 8 of 9 shots, including 7 of 8 threes. He added seven rebounds and four steals.
Dylan Rigdon scored 21 points and had nine assists while Ricky Butler added 18 points for UCI, which shot 53.4 percent from the floor.
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