GAME #17
UC Irvine (7-9, 0-0) vs. Long Beach State (5-11, 0-0)
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 – 7:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) – Irvine, California

Series Record:  LBSU leads 57-40 
Last Meeting:  LBSU won 77-72 (3/11/16 in Anaheim)

Radio:  KUCI/88.9 FM (Michael O'Sullivan & Steve Henkle)
TV:  ESPN3 (Trent Rush, Richie Schueler & Megan Reza)


Audio / ESPN3 / Live Stats / Tickets


BIG WEST, BLACK & BLUE SHOWDOWN OUT OF THE GATE:  The top two teams in the Big West Conference preseason media poll meet Wednesday night as UC Irvine takes on Long Beach State in a Black & Blue Rivalry game in the Bren Events Center.

The 49ers were selected first in the preseason poll and the Anteaters second.  UCI has won conference regular-season titles two of the past three years, including last season when it shared the championship with Hawai'i.

Seventh-year head coach Russell Turner's Anteaters, who played 11 of their first 15 games of the season away from home, are in the midst of four of five in the Bren Center.  UCI hosts Hawai'i Saturday night at 7:30.

IN THE BREN EVENTS CENTER:  UCI, 4-1 in the Bren Events Center this season, has won 51 of its last 62 home games (.823).

The Bren Center's 30th anniversary is Sunday, 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.


THE SERIES:  Long Beach State leads 57-40 in the series that began in 1965.  UCI won both regular-season meetings last season before the third-seeded 49ers defeated the No. 2-seeded Anteaters, 77-72, in the Big West Tournament semifinals at the Honda Center.  UCI has won seven of the past 10 meetings in the series.


'EATERS TOP LIFE PACIFIC:  UCI topped Life Pacific, 101-43, Friday night for the 'Eaters' second straight win.  Senior guard Luke Nelson scored 16 points in his season debut after missing the first 15 games with a hamstring injury.


INSIDE THE NUMBERS

● Senior guard Luke Nelson, with 16 points in his season debut against Life Pacific Friday night, leads three UCI players who are averaging in double figures.

● Senior guard Jaron Martin is averaging 14.3 points and leads the team in assists (56) and threes (37).  Martin has five 20-point games this season, including a career-high 33 in the Dec. 19 overtime loss at New Mexico State.

● Martin has hit 147 threes in his career to rank No. 9 in UCI history, five behind No. 8 Daman Starring (2010-13).

● Senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos, who has two double-doubles in the past four games, is averaging 10.4 points and 4.3 boards.  He has averaged 12.2 points over the last five games.

● Freshman guard Eyassu Worku is averaging 8.4 points and leads UCI in steals with 14. Freshman forward Tommy Rutherford is averaging 6.3 points and 5.3 boards, plus he leads the team with 18 blocked shots. He has hit 22 of 35 (.629) shots in the last six games.

● Redshirt freshman guard Max Hazzard is averaging 5.6 points, freshman guard Evan Leonard 4.7 points, and sophomore forward Jonathan Galloway leads the team in rebounding at 6.4 boards per game and has 15 blocked shots. 


UC IRVINE NOTES

● As of Tuesday morning, UCI is 34th nationally in field-goal percentage defense at .388, 38th in rebound margin (+6.3) and 53rd in total blocks (66) of 351 Division I teams ranked.

● UCI ranks first in the Big West in field-goal percentage defense (.388) and rebounding margin (+6.3).

● The Anteaters are second in the conference in scoring defense (66.8), scoring margin (+0.2), blocked shots per game (4.1) and three-point field goals made per game (7.1).

● UCI has shot 42.9 percent from three-point range in the past four games (42 of 98).

● Jonathan Galloway is third in the conference in rebounding (6.4) fifth in blocked shots per game (0.9) while Tommy Rutherford is third in blocked shots per game (1.1).  Jaron Martin is fifth in assists per game (3.5) and in three-point field goals made per game (2.3), and sixth in scoring (14.3).

● UC Irvine has won 64 of its last 67 games when holding the opposition to 60 points or less.

● The Anteaters have won 62 of their last 69 games when holding the opposition to under 40 percent from the field. 

● Senior guard Jaron Martin has been named Big West Player of the Week twice this season (Nov. 21 and Dec. 26).  He has had at least four assists in eight games this season.

● Senior guard Luke Nelson was named to the Big West preseason all-conference team.  He earned All-Big West first team honors last season when he led the Anteaters in scoring at 13.7 points per game and in threes (83). 

● Nelson ranks 17th in UCI history with 1,242 career points.  He is fourth in career threes (208), fifth in assists (363) and eighth in steals (116).

● Freshman center Brad Greene scored a career-high 12 points in last Friday's win over Life Pacific and tied his career best with nine rebounds.

● Greene is shooting 67.7 percent from the field this season.

● Redshirt freshman guard Darrian Traylor scored a career-high 11 points in the win over Life Pacific, hitting 3 of 4 threes.

● Freshman guard Evan Leonard has averaged 10.0 points in the last two games, hitting 11 of 11 free throws.


ON THIS DATE

Thirty-one years ago, Jan. 4, 1986, UCI defeated Utah State, 96-82, at Crawford Hall as Tod Murphy scored 29 points and Johnny Rogers 21.

Murphy was 13 of 16 from the field and added nine rebounds for the Anteaters, who shot 72 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes to take a 53-35 halftime lead.

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