GAME #16
UC Irvine (6-9) vs. Life Pacific College (5-6)
Friday, December 30, 2016 – 7:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) – Irvine, California

Series Record:  First meeting

Radio:  KUCI/88.9 FM (Michael O'Sullivan)


Audio / Video / Live Stats / Tickets


'EATERS CLOSE OUT NON-CONFERENCE SLATE:  UC Irvine (6-9) hosts Life Pacific College Friday night to close out the non-conference portion of the Anteaters' schedule.  It will be just the fifth home game in the season's first 16 for UCI and the first in three weeks.

This will be the first meeting in the series and it will be an exhibition game for Life Pacific (5-6), which is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association and the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Beginning Friday, seventh-year head coach Russell Turner's Anteaters play four of their next five games at home.  UCI opens Big West Conference play against Long Beach State Wednesday in the Bren Center at 7:00 p.m.


IN THE BREN EVENTS CENTER:  UCI, 3-1 in the Bren Events Center this season, has won 50 of its last 61 home games (.820).

The Bren Center's 30th anniversary is Jan. 8, as the facility opened Jan. 8, 1987, in the Anteaters' 118-96 win over Utah State when current Washington Wizards' head coach Scott Brooks scored 43 points.


MARTIN NAMED PLAYER OF WEEK:  Senior guard Jaron Martin was named Big West Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season after he averaged 25.0 points in the past three games.

He scored a career-high 33 points in an 85-79, overtime loss at WAC preseason favorite New Mexico State Dec. 19, a Big West single-game high this season.

Martin was named to the all-tournament team at the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso after averaging 21.0 points in two games, scoring 22 in a 62-57 win over UTEP in the consolation contest.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS

● Senior guard Jaron Martin leads UCI in scoring (14.9), assists (51), threes (36) and steals (13).  Martin has five 20-point games this season, including the last three when he has averaged 25 points per contest.

● Martin has hit 146 threes in his career to rank No. 9 in UCI history, six behind No. 8 Daman Starring (2010-13).  Martin has hit 16 of 27 triples in the past three games.

● Senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos, who has two double-doubles in the past three games, is averaging 10.4 points and 4.2 boards.  He has averaged 12.7 points over the last four games.

● Freshman guard Eyassu Worku is averaging 8.5 points and is tied with Martin for the team lead in steals with 13. Worku has averaged 12.0 points in the last six games.

● Freshman forward Tommy Rutherford is averaging 6.3 points and 5.4 boards, plus he leads the team with 17 blocked shots. He has hit 19 of 31 (.613) shots in the last six games, averaging 7.8 points, and has averaged 8.0 boards in last four contests.

● Redshirt freshman guard Max Hazzard is averaging 5.8 points, freshman guard Evan Leonard 4.4 points, and sophomore forward Jonathan Galloway leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game and has 15 blocked shots.


UC IRVINE NOTES

● As of Thursday morning, UCI is 53rd nationally in total blocks (61) and 54th in field-goal percentage defense at .394 of 351 Division I teams ranked.

● UCI ranks first in the Big West in field-goal percentage defense (.394) and rebounding margin (+4.1).

● Jonathan Galloway is third in the conference in rebounding (6.3) and Tommy Rutherford is third in blocked shots per game 1.1).  Jaron Martin is fourth in scoring (14.9), fourth in three-point field goals made per game (2.4) and fifth in assists (3.4).

● UC Irvine has won 63 of its last 66 games when holding the opposition to 60 points or less.

● The Anteaters have won 61 of their last 68 games when holding the opposition to under 40 percent from the field. 

● UCI has started the same five for the season's first 15 games (Jaron Martin, Max Hazzard, Ioannis Dimakopoulos, Jonathan Galloway and Brandon Smith).


ABOUT LIFE PACIFIC:  Coach Tim Cook's Warriors are 5-6 and have played D-I opponents such as Pepperdine, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Southern Utah.  One of Life Pacific's wins is against Chapman (74-63).


ON THIS DATE:  Nine years ago, on Dec. 30, 2007, UCI rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half to defeat Harvard, 80-77, in overtime at Boston.

Brett Lauer's three with 13 seconds left in regulation tied the game and Patrick Sanders scored eight of his 13 points in the extra session.

Darren Fells led the Anteaters with a career-high 24 points, hitting 10 of 14 from the field.  Marcus McIntosh added 13 points and Lauer 10 for UCI, which trailed 50-32 with 14 minutes left in regulation.

Jeremy Lin led Harvard with 20 points.

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Thirty-six years ago, on Dec. 30, 1980, Jason Works converted a layup just before the final buzzer in the first overtime to lead UCI over Montana, 65-63, in the championship game of the KOA Classic in Billings, Mont.

Randy Whieldon led the 'Eaters with 18 points while Kevin Magee had 15 points and 10 boards.  Magee hit two free throws with three seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Ben McDonald and Rainer Wulf added 10 points apiece for UCI.

 

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