GAME #13
UC Irvine (5-7) at USC (4-6)
Thursday, December 20, 2012 – 8:00 p.m.
Galen Center (10,258) – Los Angeles, Calif.
Series Record: USC leads 6-1
Last Meeting: USC won 62-49 (11/13/10 in Los Angeles)
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Mark Roberts, 19th Season, & Steve Henkle)
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Ted Robinson & Don MacLean)
Listen Live / Live Stats
UC IRVINE FACES TROJANS THURSDAY
● Third-year head coach Russell Turner's UC Irvine squad (5-7) plays its ninth game away from home this season when the Anteaters face USC Thursday night at the Galen Center.
● This will be the eighth game in the series with USC as the Trojans have won six of the first seven meetings. In the last meeting, USC won 62-49 at the Galen Center Nov. 13, 2010.
● UCI's lone win in the USC series was 78-66 at the Sports Arena Dec. 13, 1983. Coach Bill Mulligan's Anteaters were led by Ben McDonald with 18 points. Bob Thornton had 15 points and 13 boards while Tod Murphy also scored 15 points. Wayne Carlander led the Trojans with 20 points.
● UCI is coming off a 66-60 loss to LSU at the Bren Center Tuesday evening. Senior post Adam Folker led the 'Eaters with 13 points while senior Michael Wilder pulled down 11 rebounds.
● UCI outrebounded LSU, 50-43, Tuesday night. The Anteaters cut a 13-point deficit to three (62-59) on a trey by Daman Starring with 48 seconds left, but the Tigers hit 4 of 6 free throws in the final 41 seconds.
● UCI's 58-51 victory at Fresno State last Saturday was the first road win for the 'Eaters this season.
● The 'Eaters scored the game's final 12 points at Fresno, overcoming a 51-46 deficit in the final 3:19. Daman Starring gave UCI the lead for good at 53-51 on a driving layup with 1:15 left.
● UCI opens Big West Conference action Dec. 29 hosting UC Davis, then plays five of its next seven conference games on the road, beginning Jan. 3 at UC Santa Barbara.
UC IRVINE NOTES
● In the last four games, UCI has held the opposition to 33 percent from the field.
● No UCI opponent this season has shot over 44.2 percent versus the 'Eaters, who have held five teams under 35-percent shooting.
● UCI entered the week ranked ninth in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, 12th in assists per game, 19th in blocked shots per game, 21st in assist/turnover ratio, 29th in three-point field goal defense and 30th in rebound margin.
● Sophomore post Will Davis II grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds in last Saturday's win over Fresno State. UCI outrebounded the Bulldogs, 49-30, and the 'Eaters had 18 offensive rebounds.
● Junior guard Chris McNealy scored a game-high 13 points off the bench versus the Bulldogs and freshman point guard Alex Young added 12.
● Freshman points guard Alex Young has an assist/turnover ratio of 2.6 on 44 assists and 17 turnovers.
● Senior Daman Starring is the only UCI player averaging in double figures at 12.5 points per game.
● Three of UCI's losses this season have been by four points or less, including two in overtime.
● UCI lost at then-No. 13 UCLA, 80-79 in overtime, Nov. 13 as the Anteaters were looking to knock off a ranked opponent for the first time since winning at No. 13 Stanford, 79-63, Nov. 19, 2005.
● UCI's 69-point win over Pacifica (116-47) Nov. 15 set a school record for margin of victory, passing the previous mark of 68 (91-23) against Pomona-Pitzer Dec. 7, 2002. UCI tied the school record for single-game assists with 30, which was initially set against Drury College Jan. 6, 1982.
● Senior guard Daman Starring was named the season's first Big West Conference Player of the Week (Nov. 12) following his career-high 25 points in the Nov. 10 win over Nevada.
● Senior Michael Wilder ranks No. 4 in UCI history with 175 career threes. Michael Hunter is the school's career leader with 236.
● Senior Daman Starring ranks 14th all-time at UCI with 98 treys.
A LOOK AT USC
● Fourth-year head coach Kevin O'Neill's Trojans are 4-6 on the season, coming off a 70-26 win over UC Riverside last Saturday.
● Senior forward Eric Wise, who played his first three seasons at UCI, is averaging 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds.
● Junior guard J.T. Terrell is also averaging 10.7 points while sophomore Byron Wesley is averaging 9.6 points and senior guard Jio Fintan 9.1 points and 5.2 assists.
● The Trojans had lost five straight games before last Saturday's win over UC Riverside. USC held the Highlanders to 19 percent from the field, a new school-record low for an opponent.
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