GAME #12
UC Irvine (5-6) at Nevada (8-2)
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Lawlor Events Center (11,536) – Reno, Nevada
Series Record: Nevada leads 13-6
Last Meeting: UCI won 78-64 (11/10/12 in Irvine)
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Michael O'Sullivan)
ROAD STRETCH CONTINUES: UC Irvine (5-6) is in the midst of five consecutive games away from home, a stretch that began with an 84-53 loss at then-No. 12/11 Saint Mary's Sunday.
Seventh-year head coach Russell Turner's UCI squad plays at New Mexico State Monday (Dec. 19) before competing in the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational at El Paso, Texas, Dec. 21-22, opening against Akron.
UCI won't play at home again until hosting Life Pacific Dec. 30 before opening Big West Conference play against Long Beach State Jan. 4 in the Bren Center.
UCI-NEVADA SERIES: Wednesday marks the 20th meeting in the series, with Nevada leading 13-6.
UCI won the last meeting, 78-64, in the Bren Events Center Nov. 10, 2012, after the Wolf Pack had won the previous seven games in the series.
It was a quicker trip to Reno this year for UCI than the last venture in February 2011 when it took the Anteaters a 15-hour bus ride from Stockton to Reno for a BracketBuster game against the Wolf Pack due to a snowstorm that closed Donner Pass. UCI's plane trip from Oakland to Reno Monday lasted about 30 minutes.
'EATERS FALL TO GAELS: Saint Mary's shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and 56 percent for the game in downing UCI, 84-53, in Moraga Sunday.
Freshmen Eyassu Worku and Tommy Rutherford led the Anteaters with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Freshman center Brad Greene had a team-high five rebounds and senior guard Jaron Martin 5 assists for UCI.
UCI STATS LEADERS: Senior guard Jaron Martin leads UCI with averages of 12.5 points and 3.3 assists per game.
Martin has hit 19 threes this season and ranks 15th in Anteater history with 129 career treys, one shy of No. 14 Alex Young.
Senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos is averaging 9.5 points while redshirt freshman guard Max Hazzard is averaging 6.8 points per game. Sophomore forward Jonathan Galloway leads the team in rebounding at 6.2 boards per game and also in total blocks (14).
Three freshmen also rank high on the stats board as Eyassu Worku is averaging 7.5 points and 3.8 rebounds, Tommy Rutherford 6.5 points and 4.5 boards, and Evan Leonard 4.5 points.
ABOUT THE WOLF PACK: Coach Eric Musselman's Nevada Wolf Pack are coming off an 87-85 win at Washington Sunday as Marcus Marshall hit the game-winner with 0.2 seconds left en route to 32 points.
He leads the team in scoring at 20.4 points per game, followed by Cameron Oliver at 16.0 points.
UC IRVINE NOTES
● UC Irvine has won 62 of its last 65 games when holding the opposition to 60 points or less.
● The Anteaters have won 61 of their last 66 games when holding the opposition to under 40 percent from the field.
● As of Tuesday, UCI is 39th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense at .387. Of the 351 Division I teams ranked, the Anteaters are 51st in total blocks (46) and 62nd in scoring defense (65.4).
● UCI has started the same five for the season's first 11 games – guards Jaron Martin and Max Hazzard, center Ioannis Dimakopoulos, and forwards Jonathan Galloway and Brandon Smith.
● Former UCI standout Will Davis II is a member of the Reno Bighorns in the NBA D-League. As a senior in 2014-15, he led the Anteaters in scoring (12.9) and rebounding (7.1) as UCI earned the program's first NCAA Division I Tournament berth.
ON THIS DATE: Thirty-one years ago, Dec. 14, 1985, the Anteaters topped Boise State, 87-74, at Crawford Hall on the strength of 35 points and 10 rebounds from Tod Murphy.
Johnny Rogers added 13 points and Scott Brooks 11 for UCI.
