Tuesday, November 12
Irvine, Calif.
7:00 PM
UC Irvine
vs
Life Pacific
‘Eaters Host Life Pacific, Travel to Boise State
November 11, 2019 | Men's Basketball
FOLLOW THE ANTEATERS
Life Pacific (2-1) at UC Irvine (1-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 12 |7:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000)| Irvine, Calif.
KUCI Radio | Live Stats | Watch | Tickets
UC Irvine (1-1) at Boise State(1-1)
Friday, Nov. 15 |6:00 p.m.
Extramile Arena (12,380)| Boise, Idaho
Radio (KUCI & AM830) | Live Stats | Watch
Game Notes
UC Irvine continues its non-conference schedule with two games this week. The Anteaters host Life Pacific Tuesday, Nov. 12 (7 p.m.) before making the trip to Boise, Idaho to play Boise State Friday, Nov. 15 (6 p.m.).
OPENING TIPS
> The Anteaters opened the season 1-1 after meeting a pair of West Coast Conference teams on the road. UCI erased an 18-point deficit to beat San Diego, 76-73, before dropping a 77-73 decision to Pepperdine
> UCI snapped its nine-game win streak with the loss to Pepperdine. Nine wins was tied for second most in the country. The 'Eaters had not lost on the road since Dec. 29, 2018 at Pacific
> Life Pacific, members of the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC), opened the season with a 2-1 record. The Warriors played Boise State and fell 126-49 as well as UC Riverside losing 73-45 in exhibtion matches
> This will be the third meeting between LPU and UCI, the two teams met last November where the 'Eaters won an 87-53 decision. In that meeting, Collin Welp had 15 points while Eyassu Worku tallied eight
> Head Coach Tim Cook is in his fifth season at the helm of the Warriors
> Boise State started the season 1-1 with a win over Life Pacific and a 106-75 loss to No. 15 Oregon. The Broncos finished with a 13-20 overall record last season and went 7-11 in the Mountain West
> Justinian Jessup led the Broncos in scoring last year averaging 14 points per game. He was a third team All-Mountain West selection. Boise State also returns Mountain West Honorable Mention Alex Hobbs (14.0 ppg) and Preseason All-Mountain West selection Derrick Alston (13.4 ppg)
> This will mark the 13th meeting between UCI and Boise State with the all-time series tied, 6-6. The teams last met in 2015 at the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim where UCI lost 64-71
> The last time UCI played at Boise State was in 2000 when the Broncos were members of the Big West Conference. The Anteaters won in overtime by a score of 89-87
With a win Tuesday … UCI would improve to 3-0 against LPC … Head coach Russell Turner would reach his 190th career win
WCC vs. BIG WEST CLASH
> UCI played two West Coast Conference opponents on the road to open the season, finishing 1-1
> The Anteaters erased an 18 point deficit, outscoring USD 42-25 to secure a 76-73 comeback win to open the season
> Evan Leonard had a team-best 19 points on 10-10 shooting from the free throw line
> UCI led by nine points with 2:00 minutes to play against Pepperdine but the Waves made three-straight three's down the stretch to pull out the 77-73 victory
> Eyassu Worku finished with a career-high 26 points, tying a career-best three three-pointers made
> Brad Greene and Tommy Rutherford each finished with 10 points
SENIOR LEADERS
> Through two games, seniors Evan Leonard, Eyassu Worku and Tommy Rutherford are all averaging double-digit points with 19, 16.5 and 13.0 ppg, respectively
> Rutherford is shooting a team-best 76.9% (10-13) from the floor while Worku is 50% from three-point range
> As a team, UCI is shooting 46.8% overall and holding opponents to 40.9%
RECORD SUCCESS
> The Anteaters are coming off their best season in program history, earning a school record 31 wins. 2018-19 marked UCI's seventh-straight winning season after finishing with a 31-6 (.837) overall record and a 15-1 mark in Big West play. 31 wins is the first time UCI broke the 30-win mark and the first for a Big West school since national runner-up UNLV tallied 34 in
> UCI won 17 straight games, also a school record, before its loss in the NCAA Tournament round of 32 against Oregon. UCI earned its second NCAA Tournament berth after winning its second-ever Big West Tournament Championship
> At the NCAA Tournament, the 13th-seeded Anteaters won the programs first-ever tournament game upsetting fourth-seeded Kansas State, 70-64. With the win, UCI also knocked off its first ranked opponent since beating No. 15 Stanford in 2003
> 2018-19 also marked the first time UCI won both the Big West regular season and tournament and the 'Eaters have the opportunity to repeat as Big West Tournament Champions for the first-time in program history
THE TURNER FILE
Head coach Russell Turner returns for his 10th season at the helm. Turner upped his career win total to 188 becoming the third coach in UCI history to eclipse 150 wins in a career, averaging over 20 wins a season. He trails to Anteater coaching great Pat Douglass (197 career wins) who reached the 150-win plateau in his 10th season. Turner is on pace to become UCI's all-time winningest coach this season. He is a three-time Big West Coach of the Year (2014, 2017, 2019). Turner has led the 'Eaters to six post-season appearances including two NCAA Tournament outings (2015, 2019), four Big West regular season titles and two Big West Tournament titles.
NEWS AND NOTES
> UCI plays 14 games at the Bren including three DI non-conference opponents
> Six postseason teams dot the 2019-20 schedule including four 20+ win teams
> The Anteaters were picked to finish first in the Big West Preseason Poll with 258 points. UCI tied UCSB with 15 first-place votes
> Evan Leonard was selected to the six-member preseason all-conference team
> UCI returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's championship team including seniors Evan Leonard, Eyassu Worku, Tommy Rutherford and John Edgar Jr.
> The Anteaters have amassed a 76-19 record at home over the last seven years
> The 'Eaters finished fourth in the nation allowing opponents to shoot just 38.2% from the field, ranked sixth in the nation in total rebounds (1,478), 13th in rebound average (39.95) and ninth in rebound margin (7.0).
> in 2018-19 UCI held teams under 50% in field goal percentage in 29 games, had the nation's best two-point defense (opponents shot 40.7%) and were 21st in points allowed (63.1)
> UCI went 14-0 when holding an opponent to 60 points or less and have won 25 straight games dating back to last season when hitting that mark. Since 2012-13, UCI is 93-5 when doing so
> UCI finished with the stingiest scoring defense in the conference allowing 63.6 points per game. UCI also led the conference in rebounding (39.95 rpg) for the sixth time in program history and five in the last six years years
> The Anteaters return three all-conference selections in seniors Evan Leonard, Tommy Rutherford and Eyassu Worku
> Leonard returns as the team's leading scorer averaging 11.3 ppg last season. He is a two time all-conference selection and was named to the Big West All-Tournament Team in 2018-19. Leonard holds the school record with 44 consecutive free throws made and led the team in steals (48) and three-point field goal percentage (41.4) a year ago
> Worku led the team in assists last year (87) averaging 2.9 assists per game. He started 26 games and averaged 7.0 points per game
> Rutherford, a two time all-conference selection, started 32 games last season averaging 6.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg. He led the team in field goal percentage (53.5) and totaled 26 blocks, averaging 16.1 minutes per game
> Sophomore Collin Welp was named to the Big West All-Tournament Team after scoring a career-high 23 points in the championship game. Last season, he came off the bench to finish third on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg) and shot 51.2% from the field. Welp averaged 15.9 minutes per game and 4.3 rebounds per game
> Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook ranked UC Irvine No. 2 in its Big West preseason poll. It also picked Evan Leonard to the preseason all-conference team
> UCI will see redshirts Brad Greene, Devin Cole and Aiden Krause back in action
> Greene returns to the court after using his red shirt year last season. In 2017-18, he averaged 4.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
> The Anteaters add seven newcomers including freshman Jeron Artest, Justin Hohn, Ofure Ujadughele, Isaiah Lee, Emmanuel Tshimanga, Austin Johnson and Dean Keeler
UP NEXT
UCI continues its road tilt at Colorado Monday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
Life Pacific (2-1) at UC Irvine (1-1)
Tuesday, Nov. 12 |7:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000)| Irvine, Calif.
KUCI Radio | Live Stats | Watch | Tickets
UC Irvine (1-1) at Boise State(1-1)
Friday, Nov. 15 |6:00 p.m.
Extramile Arena (12,380)| Boise, Idaho
Radio (KUCI & AM830) | Live Stats | Watch
Game Notes
UC Irvine continues its non-conference schedule with two games this week. The Anteaters host Life Pacific Tuesday, Nov. 12 (7 p.m.) before making the trip to Boise, Idaho to play Boise State Friday, Nov. 15 (6 p.m.).
OPENING TIPS
> The Anteaters opened the season 1-1 after meeting a pair of West Coast Conference teams on the road. UCI erased an 18-point deficit to beat San Diego, 76-73, before dropping a 77-73 decision to Pepperdine
> UCI snapped its nine-game win streak with the loss to Pepperdine. Nine wins was tied for second most in the country. The 'Eaters had not lost on the road since Dec. 29, 2018 at Pacific
> Life Pacific, members of the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC), opened the season with a 2-1 record. The Warriors played Boise State and fell 126-49 as well as UC Riverside losing 73-45 in exhibtion matches
> This will be the third meeting between LPU and UCI, the two teams met last November where the 'Eaters won an 87-53 decision. In that meeting, Collin Welp had 15 points while Eyassu Worku tallied eight
> Head Coach Tim Cook is in his fifth season at the helm of the Warriors
> Boise State started the season 1-1 with a win over Life Pacific and a 106-75 loss to No. 15 Oregon. The Broncos finished with a 13-20 overall record last season and went 7-11 in the Mountain West
> Justinian Jessup led the Broncos in scoring last year averaging 14 points per game. He was a third team All-Mountain West selection. Boise State also returns Mountain West Honorable Mention Alex Hobbs (14.0 ppg) and Preseason All-Mountain West selection Derrick Alston (13.4 ppg)
> This will mark the 13th meeting between UCI and Boise State with the all-time series tied, 6-6. The teams last met in 2015 at the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim where UCI lost 64-71
> The last time UCI played at Boise State was in 2000 when the Broncos were members of the Big West Conference. The Anteaters won in overtime by a score of 89-87
With a win Tuesday … UCI would improve to 3-0 against LPC … Head coach Russell Turner would reach his 190th career win
WCC vs. BIG WEST CLASH
> UCI played two West Coast Conference opponents on the road to open the season, finishing 1-1
> The Anteaters erased an 18 point deficit, outscoring USD 42-25 to secure a 76-73 comeback win to open the season
> Evan Leonard had a team-best 19 points on 10-10 shooting from the free throw line
> UCI led by nine points with 2:00 minutes to play against Pepperdine but the Waves made three-straight three's down the stretch to pull out the 77-73 victory
> Eyassu Worku finished with a career-high 26 points, tying a career-best three three-pointers made
> Brad Greene and Tommy Rutherford each finished with 10 points
SENIOR LEADERS
> Through two games, seniors Evan Leonard, Eyassu Worku and Tommy Rutherford are all averaging double-digit points with 19, 16.5 and 13.0 ppg, respectively
> Rutherford is shooting a team-best 76.9% (10-13) from the floor while Worku is 50% from three-point range
> As a team, UCI is shooting 46.8% overall and holding opponents to 40.9%
RECORD SUCCESS
> The Anteaters are coming off their best season in program history, earning a school record 31 wins. 2018-19 marked UCI's seventh-straight winning season after finishing with a 31-6 (.837) overall record and a 15-1 mark in Big West play. 31 wins is the first time UCI broke the 30-win mark and the first for a Big West school since national runner-up UNLV tallied 34 in
> UCI won 17 straight games, also a school record, before its loss in the NCAA Tournament round of 32 against Oregon. UCI earned its second NCAA Tournament berth after winning its second-ever Big West Tournament Championship
> At the NCAA Tournament, the 13th-seeded Anteaters won the programs first-ever tournament game upsetting fourth-seeded Kansas State, 70-64. With the win, UCI also knocked off its first ranked opponent since beating No. 15 Stanford in 2003
> 2018-19 also marked the first time UCI won both the Big West regular season and tournament and the 'Eaters have the opportunity to repeat as Big West Tournament Champions for the first-time in program history
THE TURNER FILE
Head coach Russell Turner returns for his 10th season at the helm. Turner upped his career win total to 188 becoming the third coach in UCI history to eclipse 150 wins in a career, averaging over 20 wins a season. He trails to Anteater coaching great Pat Douglass (197 career wins) who reached the 150-win plateau in his 10th season. Turner is on pace to become UCI's all-time winningest coach this season. He is a three-time Big West Coach of the Year (2014, 2017, 2019). Turner has led the 'Eaters to six post-season appearances including two NCAA Tournament outings (2015, 2019), four Big West regular season titles and two Big West Tournament titles.
NEWS AND NOTES
> UCI plays 14 games at the Bren including three DI non-conference opponents
> Six postseason teams dot the 2019-20 schedule including four 20+ win teams
> The Anteaters were picked to finish first in the Big West Preseason Poll with 258 points. UCI tied UCSB with 15 first-place votes
> Evan Leonard was selected to the six-member preseason all-conference team
> UCI returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's championship team including seniors Evan Leonard, Eyassu Worku, Tommy Rutherford and John Edgar Jr.
> The Anteaters have amassed a 76-19 record at home over the last seven years
> The 'Eaters finished fourth in the nation allowing opponents to shoot just 38.2% from the field, ranked sixth in the nation in total rebounds (1,478), 13th in rebound average (39.95) and ninth in rebound margin (7.0).
> in 2018-19 UCI held teams under 50% in field goal percentage in 29 games, had the nation's best two-point defense (opponents shot 40.7%) and were 21st in points allowed (63.1)
> UCI went 14-0 when holding an opponent to 60 points or less and have won 25 straight games dating back to last season when hitting that mark. Since 2012-13, UCI is 93-5 when doing so
> UCI finished with the stingiest scoring defense in the conference allowing 63.6 points per game. UCI also led the conference in rebounding (39.95 rpg) for the sixth time in program history and five in the last six years years
> The Anteaters return three all-conference selections in seniors Evan Leonard, Tommy Rutherford and Eyassu Worku
> Leonard returns as the team's leading scorer averaging 11.3 ppg last season. He is a two time all-conference selection and was named to the Big West All-Tournament Team in 2018-19. Leonard holds the school record with 44 consecutive free throws made and led the team in steals (48) and three-point field goal percentage (41.4) a year ago
> Worku led the team in assists last year (87) averaging 2.9 assists per game. He started 26 games and averaged 7.0 points per game
> Rutherford, a two time all-conference selection, started 32 games last season averaging 6.7 ppg and 4.3 rpg. He led the team in field goal percentage (53.5) and totaled 26 blocks, averaging 16.1 minutes per game
> Sophomore Collin Welp was named to the Big West All-Tournament Team after scoring a career-high 23 points in the championship game. Last season, he came off the bench to finish third on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg) and shot 51.2% from the field. Welp averaged 15.9 minutes per game and 4.3 rebounds per game
> Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook ranked UC Irvine No. 2 in its Big West preseason poll. It also picked Evan Leonard to the preseason all-conference team
> UCI will see redshirts Brad Greene, Devin Cole and Aiden Krause back in action
> Greene returns to the court after using his red shirt year last season. In 2017-18, he averaged 4.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
> The Anteaters add seven newcomers including freshman Jeron Artest, Justin Hohn, Ofure Ujadughele, Isaiah Lee, Emmanuel Tshimanga, Austin Johnson and Dean Keeler
UP NEXT
UCI continues its road tilt at Colorado Monday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
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