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Gulf Coast Showcase
UC Irvine (4-0) vs. UTSA (0-3)
Monday, Nov. 19 | 10:30 a.m. PST
Hertz Arena (8,300) – Estero, Fla.
Live Stats |  KUCI Radio | Video ($)

UC Irvine (4-0) vs. Tulane (1-1) or South Dakota State (3-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 20 | 2 p.m. PST (If UCI wins on Monday) or 8 a.m. PST (If UCI loses on Monday)
Hertz Arena (8,300) – Estero, Fla.
Live Stats | KUCI Radio | Video ($)

UC Irvine vs. TBA
Wednesday, Nov. 21 | TBA
Hertz Arena (8,300) – Estero, Fla.
Live Stats | KUCI Radio | Video ($)

Game Notes

OPENING TIPS
> The Anteaters opened the season with a 4-0 record, for the first time since 2015, after wins against Idaho and Texas A&M, Life Pacific and Santa Clara
> After defeating Santa Clara, the Anteaters extended their road-winning streak to seven games which ties the third-longest active road-win streak in DI
> UCI has trailed at the half in three of its four games and came back to win on all three occasions
> UTSA is 0-3 to start the season after losses to St. Edward's (77-76), Oklahoma (87-67) and Oklahoma State (82-60)
> The Roadrunners lead the all-time series against UCI, 1-0, as the team's only meeting came on Nov. 23 2009 at the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Richmond, Ky. UTSA won 66-56
> Keaton Wallace leads UTSA with 13.0 ppg wile Byron Frohnen has 8.7 rpg. Steve Henson is in his third season at the helm

TOURNAMENT FIELD
> The eight-team field features the Anteaters, UTSA, Colorado State, FGCU, Louisiana, South Dakota State, Toledo and Tulane
> The showcase is a bracketed tournament that will have a true event champion. All eight teams play three games during the event
> UCI will advance to play the winner/loser of Tulane/South Dakota State on Tuesday and either Louisiana, Colorado State, Toledo or FGCU Wednesday

With a win Monday … UCI would open the season with five-consecutive wins for the first time since the 1981-82 season … The 'Eaters would win their first game against UTSA in the series history … UCI would play Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m.

TOUGH TEST UP NORTH
> UCI played its second road game of the season last Thursday at Santa Clara
> The Anteaters trailed 26-24 at half-time but came back to earn a 61-49 win
> UCI used a 19-3 run in the second half to come from behind and secure their seventh-straight road victory
> Collin Welp led the 'Eaters in scoring for the second-straight game with 11 points
 
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
> Through four games, UCI is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from behind the three-point line
> Junior Max Hazzard is averaging 12.0 points per game and tied a career-high five three-pointers made against Texas A&M (Nov. 9)
> Eyassu Worku is also averaging double-digit points per game with 11.5 points per game

MOVING UP THE RECORD BOOKS
> Jonathan Galloway jumped to No. 7 in all-time rebounds with 713, surpassing Wayne Engelstad (698). Galloway is 202 rebounds away from becoming the all-time leader. Dave Baker currently holds the top spot with 926 career rebounds.

NEWS AND NOTES
> Head coach Russell Turner returns for his ninth season at the helm. Turner upped his career win total to 157 becoming the third coach in UCI history to eclipse 150 wins in a career and he's done it in just eight seasons averaging nearly 20 wins a season. He trails to Anteater coaching greats Bill Mulligan (163 career wins) and Pat Douglass (197 career wins) who each reached the 150-win plateau in their 10^th season
> The Anteaters have amassed a 64-17 record at home over the last six years 
> UCI plays 14 games at the Bren including three DI non-conference opponents in December
> Seven postseason teams dot the 2018-19 schedule
> The Anteaters were picked to finish first in the Big West Preseason Poll garnering 10 of the 24 first-place votes and 192 points
> Evan Leonard and Tommy Rutherford were selected to the six-member preseason all-conference team
> UCI returns 94.30 percent of its offense in 2018-19, the eighth best mark in the nation. The Anteaters are 1 of 14 teams nationally that return 90% or more offensively
> Defensively, UCI finished the 2017-18 season fifth in the NCAA in rebounds per game with a 41.2 average. The Anteaters also ranked third in defensive rebounds per game (29.2), sixth in total rebounds (1,443) and 10^th in rebounding margin (+7.5)
> The Anteaters were fifth in the nation last year allowing opponents to shoot 38.9% from the field. UCI is 1 of 10 schools to keep opponents under 40%, and 1 of 4 to keep them under 39%
> UCI finished with the stingiest scoring defense in the conference allowing 67.1 points per game. UCI also led the conference in rebounding for the fifth time in program history and fourth in the last five years
> Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook ranked UC Irvine No. 1 in its Big West preseason poll. It also picked Tommy Rutherford and Jonathan Galloway to the preseason all-conference team

ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS 
> The Big West's two-time Defensive Player of the Year Jonathan Galloway returns for his final season, he led UCI in rebounding (7.6) and blocked shots (47) a year ago, becoming the 14^th Anteater to reach 600 career rebounds.
> Galloway has averaged 225 rebounds per season, a total that would put him near 1,000 career rebounds and well beyond the program's all-time leading rebounder, David Baker, standing 159 rebounds ahead of Galloway with 926
> Along with Galloway, three All-Big West selections return this season, headed by forward Tommy Rutherford on the first team, guard Evan Leonard on the second team, and guard Eyassu Worku honorable mention
> Leonard is the team's returning leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, topping the team in scoring in 15 games with 27 double-digit scoring games and nine times scoring 20 or more.
> Leonard finished among the Big West's leaders in scoring, 10^th at 13.6 ppg, as well as ninth in FT percentage (.793), eighth in 3-point percentage (.396), fourth in threes made (67), and third in overall steals (48)

NEW FACES
> UCI added four to the roster this season including grad transfer Robert Cartwright
> Cartwright graduated from Stanford last spring, playing three season for the Cardinal. He led Stanford in assist to turnover ratio at 2.14 last season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.3 assists
> The Anteaters also welcome freshmen JC Butler, Devin Cole and Aiden Krause
> Head coach Russell Turner announced the addition of Alex Young to his staff in 2018-19. Young returns to his alma mater as video coordinator. He was a four-year member of the UCI men's basketball team and graduated in 2016 as the only player in school history to record over 1000 points, 500 assists, and 500 rebound. Young was also a part of UCI's 2015 NCAA Tournament Team

UP NEXT
UCI will face a tough test at Saint Mary's Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.