GAME #13
UC Irvine (6-6) at Denver (5-5)
Saturday, December 21, 2013 – 2:00 p.m. MT
Magness Arena (7,200) – Denver, Colorado
Series Record: First meeting
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Mark Roberts, 20th Season)
Audio / Video / Live Stats
ANTEATERS, PIONEERS MEET FOR FIRST TIME
● UC Irvine and Denver, annual contenders for the top spot in the Division I-AAA All-Sports rankings, meet in men's basketball for the first time Saturday afternoon in Denver.
● This is the third straight road game for fourth-year head coach Russell Turner's UC Irvine squad. The 'Eaters travel to Arizona State next Saturday (Dec. 28) to end a stretch of four consecutive road contests.
● UCI, 6-6 on the season, is coming off a 91-63 loss at No. 13 Oregon Tuesday night. Junior forward Will Davis II led the 'Eaters with 20 points and six rebounds. He hit 8 of 12 shots from the field. Senior guard Chris McNealy added 14 points and freshman guard Luke Nelson 13.
● UCI is 3-3 on the road and 3-3 at home this season.
● Denver, coming off a 90-62 home win over Belmont Tuesday, has won its last three games and five of the past six, including an impressive 80-70 road victory against Colorado State Dec. 11.
● The Anteaters defeated Eastern Washington in Cheney last Sunday afternoon. Freshman guard Luke Nelson led UCI with 13 points (11 in the second half), hitting 5 of 5 shots. Nelson has hit 15 of 27 threes in the last five games.
● Junior forward Will Davis II added 12 points in the win while 7-6 freshman center Mamadou Ndiaye, the nation's tallest player, had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Senior guard Chris McNealy also scored 10 points.
UC IRVINE NOTES
● Four UCI players are averaging in double figures, led by Chris McNealy and Will Davis II at 12.3 points per game each.
● McNealy has scored 968 points in his career as he closes in on becoming the 23rd player in Anteater history to score 1,000 points.
● Luke Nelson is averaging 11.8 points and sophomore guard Alex Young 10.0. Davis leads the Anteaters in rebounding at 7.2 boards per game, Young has 52 assists and Mamadou Ndiaye 40 blocked shots.
● Freshman guard Luke Nelson has hit 18 of 35 threes in the last six games. He is shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc for the season on 23 of 58. He leads UCI with 15 steals this season.
● Mamadou Ndiaye, the nation's tallest player at 7-6, has recorded at least three blocked shots in six games this season.
● Ndiaye had a school and Big West-record 10 blocked shots in the 81-58 win over Eastern Washington Nov. 24. He had nine blocks, along with 18 points and eight rebounds, in the 86-72 victory at Washington Nov. 14.
● After playing five of six games in December on the road, five of UCI's eight games in January will be at home.
● The Anteaters are 5-0 this season when holding the opposition to a field-goal percentage of under 40 percent.
● UCI has shot at least 50 percent from the field in six games this season. The Anteaters shot a season-high 59.6 percent in the 86-72 win at Washington Nov. 14.
● UCI had a season-low six turnovers in the 81-58 win over Eastern Washington Nov. 24, but committed a season-high 19 in Tuesday's loss at Oregon.
● UCI's margin of victory in its six wins this season is 21.5 points.
● Junior guard Travis Souza is shooting 43.6 percent from three-point range on 17 of 39.
ABOUT DENVER
● Seventh-year head coach Joe Scott's Pioneers are 5-5 entering Saturday's game.
● Denver lost its first four games of the season and has won five of its last six. The Pioneers have won three straight, including 90-62 over Belmont Tuesday night.
● Junior guard Brett Olson leads Denver in scoring at 15.2 points per game. He has hit 41 of 45 free throws this season.
● Senior forward Chris Udofia is averaging 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds while junior guard Cam Griffin leads Denver in rebounding at 7.0 boards per game.
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