IRVINE, Calif. -- UC Irvine heads up the road to Los Angeles for a ranked match-up against No. 16/20 USC (Nov. 14) before hosting Occidental on Friday (Nov. 17) evening.

UC Irvine vs. Occidental
Friday, Nov. 17 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Notes

ABOUT OCCIDENTAL
> Occidental hold a 3-0 record entering the contest, picking up wins against Cal Tech, Stanton University, and Southern California Leadership University
> Oxy will also face a Big West opponent in UC San Diego on Dec. 5
> The Tigers went 12-13 overall last season and 6-10 in the SCIAC
> Sophomore Henry Wilson has started and played in all three games for Oxy
> Wilson leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 43 total on the season
> Sophomore Jacob Kortez signficantly adds to the scoring effort for the Tigers in his three games played and started
> Kortez is averaging 12.0 points per game with 36 total on the season and had a season best 18 against Cal Tech
> Wilson and Kortez both lead the assists catergory as well with ten and nine respectively
> Junior Jacob Hamermesh averages a team best 6.3 grabs off the glass (19 total rebounds)
> Both junior Bernard Cassidy and Wilson are bringing down 5.3 rebounds per game
> Cassidy is also the team leader in blocks, registering three so far on the season

LONG TIME NO SEE
UC Irvine and Occidental will meet for the first time in a little over 43 years on Friday. The two teams last met in the 1971-72 season where the Anteaters hosted the Tigers inside the Bren Events Center.

UC IRVINE SHOCKS NO. 16/20 USC
Redshirt senior Justin Hohn wreaked havoc on the nationally ranked Trojans defense in his career night to lead UC Irvine to victory over No. 16/20 USC, 70-60. Hohn poured in 25 points on 10-16 shooting from the floor and 3-6 from three-point distance. The Anteaters earned their first ranked win over USC in program history and first overall win against the Trojans since the 61-54 effort on Dec. 20, 2012 in Los Angeles. Center Bent Leuchten posted 19 points in the victory while forward Devin Tillis recorded his second consecutive double figure rebounding game with 10 grabs off the glass.

SLAYING GIANTS IN NOVEMBER
In back-to-back seasons, UC Irvine has knocked off two Pac-12 opponents on the road by double figures in the month of November. Last year, the Anteaters traveled up to then No. 21/21 Oregon and defeated the Ducks inside Matthew Knight Arena, 69-56. UCI battled against the odds to pull off a similar upset in Los Angeles this season with their 10-point victory over No. 16/20 USC.

UCI VS. RANKED OPPONENTS IN THE 2020'S
Just three years into the 2020's decade, UC Irvine has already recorded their best record against ranked opponents (2-2, 0.500). Their next best was in the 1980's where they were 7-15 (0.467). The Anteaters have earned their two ranked wins by double figures and their two losses were only by single digits (at USC in 2021, 66-61 and at SDSU in 2022, 72-69).

GAINING NATIONAL ATTENTION
After their win on Tuesday night (Nov. 14) at No. 16/20 USC, UC Irvine saw themselves trending in the United States on X (formerly Twitter) and received recognition from prominent accounts in Dick Vitale, Jon Rothstein, John Fanta, Field of 68, NCAA March Madness, SportsCenter, College Insider, College Basketball Report, Mid Major Madness, and CBS Sports College Basketball.

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in the last three contests in assists with 19. The fifth year guard is averaging 6.3 assists per game and earned his 500th career dime in the win over New Mexico State on Nov. 11. Crockrell II nationally ranks 25th in both assists per game and total assists while leading the Big West in both categories. The Anteaters are 2-1 when Crockrell II dishes out five or more dimes in a game and were 15-3 in 2022-23 when he hit the same mark.

THIS JUST-IN!
Justin Hohn currently leads the UC Irvine squad with 47 total points and 15.7 points per game after his first career 20-point game at No. 16/20 USC with his 25 point outing. The redshirt senior has 20 double figure scoring games in his career, the most of any player on the 2023-24 Anteater squad. Additionally, Hohn holds a streak of five consecutive games with a three-pointer.

SEEING DOUBLE
Devin Tillis notched the Anteaters first double-double of the season on Saturday night with an 18 point and 10 rebound showing. In the effort, the redshirt junior set a career best in points scored. Tillis recorded three double-double efforts last season and earned the program's first since Mar. 15, 2023 which was the one he set in the NIT First Round match-up with Oregon. The forward has recorded double-figure scoring in two games and double figure rebounding in two games played this season to lead UCI with 38 points and 25 rebounds, 15 and 8.3 per game. 

MR. POSTMAN
Bent Leuchten dominates at the post whether it is scoring baskets or grabbing the all off the glass. The center is one of the teams leaders off the glass, averaging 5.3 rebounds a game in three contests played. Leucthen has posted two double-figure scoring games since this year, the latest against No. 16/20 USC where he put up 19 points in 28 minutes of action.

MR. 1,000
Dylan Thoerner recorded a career milestone of 1,000-points scored during their career during the win over No. 16/20 USC. Thoerner notched the milestone on his first triple of the night.
 

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ABOUT NO. 16/20 USC
> USC hold a 2-0 record entering the contest, picking up wins against Kansas State and Cal State Bakersfield
> The Trojans moved up in the national rankings, earning a 16 ranking in the AP Poll and the 20th spot in the USA Today Coaches Poll
>USC has recorded a program best four straight 20-win seasons this past year
> The Trojans advanced to the postseason in 2022-23 where they were pitted against the No. 7 seed in Michigan State in the NCAA March Madness tournament
> UCI is the second of three Big West teams to take on USC in the non-conference slate
> Freshman Isaiah Collier leads USC in scoring with 37 points, 18.5 points per game, and 65.0 field goal percentage
> Collier was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Nov. 13
> Fifth year Boogie Ellis also leads the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game (35 total)
> Ellis was named to the Sporting News Preseason All-America First Team on Monday afternoon
> Collier and Ellis were named to the Pac-12 Preseason First Team
> In one game played, Kobe Johnson grabbed eight rebounds
> Johnson was named to the Pac-12 Preseason Second Team
> USC added transfer DJ Rodman and freshmen Bronny James and Brandon Gardner to round out the 2023-24 roster
> The Trojans were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 Preseason poll behind Arizona

HISTORY VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
All time, UC Irvine is 4-44 against ranked opponents on the road. In the last thirteen years, Head Coach Russell Turner is 2-16 all time versus ranked opponents. The 2023-24 Anteaters look to earn their first ranked win against USC and third under Turner. UCI last defeated a ranked team on Nov. 11, 2022 when the Anteaters took down then No. 21/21 Oregon, 69-56, in Eugene.

LAST TIME OUT VS. THE TROJANS
UC Irvine dropped a 66-61 decision to 10th ranked USC. Collin Welp led the Anteater squad in the loss with his then season high 24 points where he shot 10-25 from the field and scored nine of UCI's final 11 points. As a freshman, Bent Leuchten came into the contest posting five points and two blocks. UCI led 36-28 going into the half, but suffered a scoring drought that lasted over three minutes in the beginning of the second half that allowed the Trojans to clinch the advantage.

HENRY'S CAREER NIGHT PUSHES UCI PAST NM STATE
UC Irvine downed New Mexico State, 91-74, in their home opening contest inside the Bren Events Center on Saturday night. Senior Andre Henry had a career night with his 19 point showing while going 4-7 from three point range. The guard shot a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe against the Aggies, the best mark for any player on the night. Henry capped off the night with five rebounds, an assist, and a swat at the basket in his 29 minutes on the floor. The win on Saturday night marks the first time in all-time series history where the Anteaters have won two consecutive games against the Aggies.

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in the last two contests in assists with 13. The fifth year guard is averaging 6.5 assists per game and earned his 500th career dime in the win over New Mexico State on Nov. 11. Crockrell II nationally ranks 29th in assists per game and 41st in total assists while leading the Big West in both categories. The Anteaters are 1-1 when Crockrell II dishes out five or more dimes in a game and were 15-3 in 2022-23 when he hit the same mark.

SEEING DOUBLE
Devin Tillis notched the Anteaters first double-double of the season on Saturday night with an 18 point and 10 rebound showing. In the effort, the redshirt junior set a career best in points scored. Tillis recorded three double-double efforts last season and earned the program's first since Mar. 15, 2023 which was the one he set in the NIT First Round match-up with Oregon. The forward has recorded double-figure scoring in both games played this season to lead UCI with 30 points, 15 per game. 

ON THE WAY TO JOINING THE 1K CLUB
Only two points away, Dylan Thoerner is on the way to record a career milestone of 1,000-points scored during their career. The graduate student tallied 992 while at Tufts and recorded six on Saturday night versus the Aggies. 

CAREER HIGH COINCIDENCES
In three consecutive years of playing New Mexico State, redshirt senior Justin Hohn has posted a new career best number in a different statistical category in each contest against the Aggies. In 2021, Hohn grabbed a best of seven rebounds and made three-pointers in the 2022 neutral site meeting. In this year's meeting, Hohn tied his career high three steals. In addition, Bent Leuchten tied his career best in steals (3) exactly one year apart from when he first set it (Nov. 11, 2022 and Nov. 11, 2023).