Game Notes in PDF
GAME #9
UC Irvine (3-5) vs. San Diego Christian (3-3)
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 – 7:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) – Irvine, Calif.
Series Record: First meeting
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Mark Roberts, 19th Season, & Steve Henkle)
Live Audio / Live Video
UC IRVINE BACK HOME FOR ONE
● UC Irvine (3-5), which has played its last five games away from the Bren Center, hosts San Diego Christian Tuesday night before heading back on the road to Weber State Saturday and Fresno State Dec. 15.
● Tuesday marks the first regular-season meeting for the 'Eaters against Hawks. They met in an exhibition game last season (11/5/11) with UCI winning 84-63 behind 16 points from Collin Woods and 13 points, 10 rebounds by Will Davis II.
● Tuesday night's game is one of nine exhibition contests on the schedule for NAIA-member San Diego Christian, with five of those against current Big West teams.
● Coach Russell Turner's UCI squad hosts SEC-member LSU Dec. 18, travels to USC Dec. 20, then opens Big West Conference play against UC Davis Dec. 29 in the Bren Center.
● Following the Dec. 29 league opener versus UC Davis, the 'Eaters will play five of its next seven conference games on the road, beginning Jan. 3 at UC Santa Barbara.
● UCI is coming off an 85-57 loss at No. 24 UNLV last Wednesday night. Daman Starring led the 'Eaters with 18 points, hitting 5 of 9 shots. Adam Folker scored 12 points while Mike Best grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
IN THE BREN CENTER
● The Bren Events Center turned 25 years old last January. The center opened Jan. 8, 1987, when the 'Eaters defeated Utah State, 118-96, on the strength of 43 points by Scott Brooks. Brooks is head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder and the 2010 NBA Coach of the Year.
● UCI is 195-144 all-time at the Bren Center. The 'Eaters are 114-47 (.708) in the Bren dating back to February 2000. UCI is 2-0 at home this season.
UC IRVINE NOTES
● Freshman guard Alex Young ranks 10th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio at 4.71 (33 assists, 7 turnovers). That mark leads the Big West.
● UCI ranks seventh nationally in assists per game (18.1) and 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.46). The Anteaters are 21st in field-goal percentage defense (.363) and 23rd in blocked shots per game (5.5).
● UCI, which started the season 3-1, has lost its last four games. Three of the team's losses this season have been by four points or less.
● Sophomore Travis Souza is first in the Big West in three-point field goal percentage at .667 of 6 of 9.
● Sophomore Will Davis II ranks second in the Big West in blocked shots at 2.38 per game.
● Senior Derick Flowers is fourth in the league in free-throw percentage at .889 on 16 of 18.
● Freshman Alex Young ranks fifth in the Big West in assists at 4.13 per game.
● 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.
● He is the first UCI player to receive the conference's weekly honor since Derick Flowers earned the award last Dec. 31. Starring was also named the Mid-Major National Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
● Senior Michael Wilder ranks fifth all-time at UCI with 169 career threes, one behind No. 4 Chris Brown.
A LOOK AT SAN DIEGO CHRISTIAN
● Second-year head coach Tim Cook's Hawks are 3-3, winning their last two regular-season games, 68-63 in overtime over Point Loma Nazarene and 80-60 over West Coast Baptist. The Hawks lost at Southern Utah, 95-65, in an exhibition game this past Saturday.
● Sophomore guard Raphael Rodriguez leads San Diego Christian in scoring at 15.0 points per game.
● Junior forward Andy Saharan is averaging 14.6 points and 5.0 rebounds, while senior forward Kevin Dawson is averaging 12.0 points and 6.4 boards.
● San Diego Christian previously lost this season to UC Riverside, 83-72, and Cal State Fullerton, 106-60, in exhibition games for the Hawks, who also have games versus UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge.
LOOKING AHEAD
● Weber State, Saturday night's opponent, is 2-2 entering a Wednesday night home game against Utah Valley.
● Junior swingman Davion Berry leads the Wildcats in scoring at 14.5 points per game while senior guard Scott Bamforth is averaging 10.5 points.
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