No. 4 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 1 UC Irvine
Friday, Mar. 10 | 6:00 p.m. PT
Dollar Loan Center | Henderson, Nev.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Big West Tournament Central | Notes

ABOUT THE TITANS
> Cal St. Fullerton holds a 19-12 record on the season and finished conference play 12-6
> Two of the Titans last three games of Big West play were canceled due to woes in their opponents programs
> Cal State Fullerton defeated Hawai'i, 62-60 in overtime, in their quarterfinals contest
> The Titans have played in six overtime contests this season with three of them happening in conference play
> CSUF won the Big West Conference Championship last season to advance to the NCAA March Madness tournament
> Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is Cal St. Fullerton's leading scorer, averaging 16.2 points per game on 159-377 shooting (0.422)
> Wrightsell Jr. ranks fifth in the Big West in scoring, eighth in field goal percentage, and sits third in the league in three-point field goals per game (2.4)
> Jalen Harris is one of three Titans to have competed in all 31 games and is averaging 12.5 points a game
> Max Jones is another Titan offensive threat, scoring 12.3 points in 30 contests
> Vincent Lee leads the Titans in boards, recording 4.7 rebounds a game
> Cal St. Fullerton was picked to finish seventh in the Big West preseason media poll
> Latrell Wrightsell Jr. was named the Big West Player of the Week on Nov. 21st and Jan. 30
> Tory San Antonio was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 4.5 board, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks a game
> Wrightsell Jr. was named to the All-Big West First Team while Max Jones earned a spot on the Second Team
 
BIG WEST REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
With their 52-44 win over CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 4, UC Irvine was able to clinch a share of the Big West regular season title, sharing the other piece with UC Santa Barbara. The victory resulted in UCI's sixth regular season title under Head Coach Russell Turner and the first since the 2019-20 season.
 
UC IRVINE POSTSEASON HISTORY IN THE BIG WEST
UC Irvine is dominant in the leagues postseason, holding a 10-2 record in the opening round under head coach Russell Turner and 21-9 since 1988-89. The Anteaters hold an overall record of 34-26 through multiple rounds of league tournament and are 10-9 in the semifinal contests.
 
'EATERS VS. TITANS IN THE POSTSEASON
In the all-time series between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, the Anteaters are 4-7 against the Titans. In Big West postseason play, the squads are knotted 3-3 with UCI's last victory against CSUF coming in the 2019 title game where the Anteaters prevailed 92-64, the largest margin of victory in a Big West championship game.
 
KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM
After the 75-51 win against CSU Bakersfield in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Championships on Thursday, UC Irvine improved to 11-0 on the season when holding their opponent to under 60 points, six of them coming from conference contests (CSUN 1/14 and 1/28, Cal Poly 2/9 and 2/20, UCSB 2/15, and CSUB 3/4).
 
'EATER DEFENSE BEHIND THE ARC
The Anteater defense was outstanding against the Roadrunners on Mar. 4 as they did not score a single point from long range in the contest (0-10) and stretched that three-point defense over 68 minutes (8:02 in the second half on 3/9). UCI has held four different opponents to zero three-pointers in a half six different times this season (Oregon on Nov. 11, Nicholls on Nov. 25, Long Beach State on Jan. 7 and Feb. 4, and CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 4 and Mar. 9) and only allowed The Beach to shoot at a 0.125 clip (2-16) from long range on Jan. 7, the third lowest three-point percentage for an opponent this season.
 
OWNING THE SHOT FROM BEHIND THE ARC
Friday's game between UCI and Cal State Fullerton will pit together the top two three-point shooting teams in the Big West. The Anteaters lead the league at a 0.381 clip (234-614) while the Titans have knocked down 241 shots (241-655, 0.368) from range.
 
FALLING IN THE FINAL SECONDS IN FULLERTON
In the series finale between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 26, the Anteaters battled down to the wire where the Titans prevailed, 62-61, after knocking down a trey with three seconds remaining in the contest. Dawson Baker once again took over control of the game in the conference series with CSUF during the second stanza where he scored 14 of his 16 points. The guard shot 7-11 from the field and a perfect 2-2 from the free throw line. DJ Davis was the first 'Eater to reach double figures with 13 points, cashing in on two three-pointers.

HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE!
In his best game of the season, redshirt senior JC Butler put up a season best 13 points in the 24-point margin victory over the Roadrunners on Mar. 9. Butler shot 5-6 (0.833) from the floor and a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. When he wasn't scoring, the forward was scene diving on the floor or flying across the court to save the ball from going out of bounce. Butler grabbed four rebounds and had three steals in 15 minutes of action.
 
ON THE WAY TO JOINING THE 1K CLUB
Only 19 points away, Dawson Baker is on the way to become the 32nd Anteater to score 1,000-points during their career at UC Irvine.
 
IN THE BOOK! CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 141 made three-pointers in his career, junior DJ Davis sits 12th all-time for made triples in a career. Davis is now one make from catching Scott Brooks (1985-87) and Travis Souza (2011-15) for 11th with 142 threes.
 
ALL ABOUT THE ROTATION
The 'Eaters, who are a strong scoring team receive a lot of momentum from the second and third rotations. UCI is ranked 37th nationally in bench points per game (25.06).
 
HIGHLY EFFICIENT SHOOTING
UCI has shot over a 0.500 clip in 10 contests this season with seven of them being conference games (CSU Bakersfield—0.550, UC Davis—0.561, Long Beach St.—0.507, CSUN—0.528 and 0.500, and UC Riverside—0.567 and 0.558). The Anteaters rank 75th nationally in effective field goal percentage.
 
PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 366 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 1,160, Opp. 794). The Anteaters average 35.15 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in the paint in six conference contests (CSUN– 40, UC Santa Barbara– 40, Hawai'i– 44, UC San Diego—44, Long Beach St.—42, and UC San Diego—40).
 
'EATER DEFENSE BEHIND THE ARC
The Anteater defense was outstanding against the Roadrunners on Mar. 4 as they did not score a single point from long range in the contest (0-10) and stretched that three-point defense over 68 minutes (8:02 in the second half on 3/9). UCI has held four different opponents to zero three-pointers in a half six different times this season (Oregon on Nov. 11, Nicholls on Nov. 25, Long Beach State on Jan. 7 and Feb. 4, and CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 4 and Mar. 9) and only allowed The Beach to shoot at a 0.125 clip (2-16) from long range on Jan. 7, the third lowest three-point percentage for an opponent this season.
 
MR. CONSISTENT
After his performance against CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 4, Dawson Baker saw his consecutive games scoring in double figures streak snapped after only posting seven points in  30 minutes. Baker has recorded 30 double digit scoring games this season and has posted 52 in his career thus far. After reaching the 600-career point mark against Fresno State on Dec. 3, 700-mark against Cal St. Fullerton on Jan. 11, and 800-mark at UC San Diego on Feb. 2, the guard passed the 900-mark at Cal Poly on Feb. 20. The junior surpassed 400 tallies on the season against the Aggies on Feb. 18 and is 19 away from reaching the 1000-career milestone. Baker is averaging 15.1 points a game, 16.6 in league play.
 
3J DAVIS
A consistent force behind the arc, DJ Davis leads the team and league in three-point shooting making 80 of his 204 attempts from deep. Davis is a prolific shooter at the free throw line as well, ranking first in the Big West and 24th nationally for his 97-110 shooting at the stripe (0.882). With 481 tallies on the season, Davis surpassed the 900-career point mark with his 26-point performance at UC Riverside on Mar. 2 after eclipsing the 800-mark just two weeks prior at UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 15.
 
DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II tied his career high 11 assists in the loss to UC San Diego on Feb. 23 for the 'Eaters fourth double-digit assist game of the season. Crockrell II put up his first double-double of the season (10 points, 10 assists) at Long Beach State. The senior is averaging 5.0 assists per game after hitting his 100th assist on the season at UC San Diego on Feb. 2 and earned his 400th career dime in the win over the Rainbow Warriors on Jan. 19. The guard nationally ranks 25th in total assists, 38th in assist-turnover ratio at a 2.5 mark, and 43rd in assists per game. The Anteaters are 15-2 when Crockrell II dishes out five or more dimes in a game.
 
SEEING DOUBLE
Almost a full calendar year after the Anteaters last double-double, Devin Tillis notched two consecutive and the first and second of his career. Tillis posted the first in the 70-65 win over Cal St. Fullerton (10 pts, 12 reb.) on Jan. 11 and the second at CSUN (10 pts., 11 reb.) on Jan. 14. The redshirt sophomore has 188 boards on the season to average 6.1 a game. Tillis has tallied 10 double-digit scoring and three double-figure rebounding efforts in 31 games.
 
MR. POSTMAN
Bent Leuchten, who had missed eight games due to injury, made his return to the lineup against Cal Poly on Feb. 9. Leuchten hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1:37 remaining to lift the Anteaters to the 55-54 victory. The center is one of the teams leaders off the glass, averaging 5.9 rebounds a game in 23 contests played. Leucthen has posted three double-figure scoring games since his return, with the latest double-digit effort coming at UC Riverside.
 
NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 5. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked Big West team and only one within the top-100 sitting at 93. UC Santa Barbara sits at 103.
 
KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2237 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 17th in assist rate and DJ Davis is 34th in free throw percentage. Out of 363 teams, UC Irvine ranks eighth in both bench minutes and two-point percentage defense, 11th in effective field goal defense, 20th in three-point percentage offense, and 47th in three-point percentage defense.
 
LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings. DJ Davis leads the league in free throw percentage (0.882) and three-point field goals per game (2.5) while sitting eighth in scoring (15.0). Pierre Crockrell II tops the Big West in assist/turnover ratio (2.5) and is second in assists (5.0).  Dawson Baker is fifth in field goal percentage (0.467), sixth in free throw percentage (0.802), and seventh in scoring (15.1). Devin Tillis ranks ninth in the league in boards, averaging 6.1 while Bent Leuchten lands ninth in blocks (0.8).
 
NATIONAL STATISTICS 03.09.23
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in the following categories: scoring margin (47th, 8.9), field goal percentage (46th, 0.471), field goal percentage defense (10th, 0.393), three-point field goal percentage (17th, 0.381), and three-point field goal percentage defense (0.311).
 

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No. 8 CSU Bakersfield vs. No. 1 UC Irvine
Thursday, Mar. 9 | 12:00 p.m. PT
Dollar Loan Center | Henderson, Nev.
KUCI | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Big West Tournament Central | Notes

UC Irvine opens the Big West Championships with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 seeded CSU Bakersfield for the second meeting between the two squads in the span of five days.

ABOUT THE ROADRUNNERS
 > CSU Bakersfield holds a 11-21 record on the season and 6-14 in conference
> The Roadrunners fell to the Anteaters in the final regular season contest, allowing UC Irvine to clinch a share of the regular season title
> CSU Bakersfield opened up the Big West Championships with a 51-47 victory over CSUN on Tuesday evening
> The Roadrunners have moved onto the quarterfinal round for the second consecutive season, defeating the Matadors both times
> CSUB picked up conference wins over Cal Poly, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, and CSUN
> Antavion Collum is CSU Bakersfield's leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points per game on 151-348 shooting (0.434)
> Collum was named the Big West Player of the Week on Feb. 6 after a career high week after he led the 'Runners to victory in two overtime contests
> Cameron Smith leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.6 boards a game so far this season
> Marvin McGhee III is the only Roadrunner to have started and played in all 32 games
> CSU Bakersfield was picked to finish eighth in the Big West preseason media poll
 
BIG WEST REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONS
With their 52-44 win over CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 4, UC Irvine was able to clinch a share of the Big West regular season title, sharing the other piece with UC Santa Barbara. The victory resulted in UCI's sixth regular season title under Head Coach Russell Turner and the first since the 2019-20 season.
 
ALL BIG WEST SELECTIONS
DJ Davis, Dawson Baker, and Pierre Crockrell II each received All-Big West honors, the conference announced on Monday. Davis was named to the six man All-Big West First Team, the first postseason honor of the guard's career. Baker was given All-Big West Second Team nods after being named the conference Freshman of the Year (2021) and to the honorable mention squad (2022). Newcomer Crockrell II earned recognition as he found himself on the honorable mention team.
 
UC IRVINE POSTSEASON HISTORY IN THE BIG WEST
UC Irvine is dominant in the leagues postseason, holding a 9-2 record in the opening round under head coach Russell Turner and 20-9 since 1988-89. The Anteaters hold an overall record of 34-26 through multiple rounds of league tournament.
 
'EATER DEFENSE BEHIND THE ARC
The Anteater defense was outstanding against the Roadrunners on Mar. 4 as they did not score a single point from long range in the contest (0-10). UCI has held four different opponents to zero three-pointers in a half five different times this season (Oregon on Nov. 11, Nicholls on Nov. 25, Long Beach State on Jan. 7 and Feb. 4, and CSU Bakersfield on Mar. 4) and only allowed The Beach to shoot at a 0.125 clip (2-16) from long range on Jan. 7, the third lowest three-point percentage for an opponent this season.
 
FRIENDLY FACE, NEW ENVIRONMENT
In the short time series history between UC Irvine and CSU Bakersfield, the two teams have not met at a neutral site. Additionally, this is the first meeting between the Anteaters and Roadrunners in the Big West Championships.
 
FIVE
In the 12 game history between the Anteaters and the Roadrunners, the last four of the last five games played have been decided by five points or less (UCI 3-1). Six total games between the two squads have ended with a five point or fewer differential.
 
KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM
After the 52-44 win against CSU Bakersfield, UC Irvine improved to 10-0 on the season when holding their opponent to under 60 points, six of them coming from conference contests (CSUN 1/14 and 1/28, Cal Poly 2/9 and 2/20, UCSB 2/15, and CSUB 3/4). 44 points is the lowest amount an opponent has put up against UCI this season.

ON THE WAY TO JOINING THE 1K CLUB
Only 28 points away, Dawson Baker is on the way to become the 32nd Anteater to score 1,000-points during their career at UC Irvine.
 
IN THE BOOK! CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 138 made three-pointers in his career, junior DJ Davis sits 12th all-time for made triples in a career. Davis is now four makes from catching Scott Brooks (1985-87) and Travis Souza (2011-15) for 11th with 142 threes.
 
IN STATE BEASTS
According to College Basketball Reference on Feb. 15, UCI sits in the top seven schools who have the most points per game scored by in-state players (49.3). The other teams are UNI (68.7), Youngstown State (60.0), Eastern Michigan (55.2), Northern Colorado (54.6), Georgia State (50.7), and Kennesaw State (49.7).
 
ALL ABOUT THE ROTATION
The 'Eaters, who are a strong scoring team receive a lot of momentum from the second and third rotations. UCI is ranked 42nd nationally in bench points per game (24.72).
 
PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 356 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 1,130, Opp. 774). The Anteaters average 35.31 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in the paint in six conference contests (CSUN– 40, UC Santa Barbara– 40, Hawai'i– 44, UC San Diego—44, Long Beach St.—42, and UC San Diego—40).
 
MR. CONSISTENT
After his performance against CSU Bakersfield, Dawson Baker saw his consecutive games scoring in double figures streak snapped after oly posting seven points in  30 minutes. Baker has recorded 30 double digit scoring games this season and has posted 52 in his career thus far. After reaching the 600-career point mark against Fresno State on Dec. 3, 700-mark against Cal St. Fullerton on Jan. 11, and 800-mark at UC San Diego on Feb. 2, the guard passed the 900-mark at Cal Poly on Feb. 20. The junior surpassed 400 tallies on the season against the Aggies on Feb. 18 and is 28 away from reaching the 1000-career milestone. Baker is averaging 15.4 points a game, 16.6 in league play.
 
3J DAVIS
A consistent force behind the arc, DJ Davis leads the team and league in three-point shooting making 77 of his 198 attempts from deep. Davis is a prolific shooter at the free throw line as well, ranking first in the Big West and 25th nationally for his 97-110 shooting at the stripe (0.882). With 472 tallies on the season, Davis surpassed the 900-career point mark with his 26-point performance at UC Riverside on Mar. 2 after eclipsing the 800-mark just two weeks prior at UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 15.
 
DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II tied his career high 11 assists in the loss to UC San Diego on Feb. 23 for the 'Eaters fourth double-digit assist game of the season. Crockrell II put up his first double-double of the season (10 points, 10 assists) at Long Beach State. The senior is averaging 5.1 assists per game after hitting his 100th assist on the season at UC San Diego on Feb. 2 and earned his 400th career dime in the win over the Rainbow Warriors on Jan. 19. The guard nationally ranks 25th in total assists, 38th in assists per game, and 40th in assist-turnover ratio at a 2.5 mark. The Anteaters are 15-2 when Crockrell II dishes out five or more dimes in a game.
 
SEEING DOUBLE
Almost a full calendar year after the Anteaters last double-double, Devin Tillis notched two consecutive and the first and second of his career. Tillis posted the first in the 70-65 win over Cal St. Fullerton (10 pts, 12 reb.) on Jan. 11 and the second at CSUN (10 pts., 11 reb.) on Jan. 14. The redshirt sophomore has 166 boards on the season to average 6.1 a game. Tillis has tallied nine double-digit scoring and three double-figure rebounding efforts in 30 games.
 
MR. POSTMAN
Bent Leuchten, who had missed eight games due to injury, made his return to the lineup against Cal Poly on Feb. 9. Leuchten hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1:37 remaining to lift the Anteaters to the 55-54 victory. The center is one of the teams leaders off the glass, averaging 5.9 rebounds a game in 23 contests played. Leucthen has posted three double-figure scoring games since his return, with the latest double-digit effort coming at UC Riverside.
 
NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 5. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked Big West team and only one within the top-100 sitting at 95. UC Santa Barbara sits at 101.
 
KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2237 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 16th in assist rate and DJ Davis is 31st in free throw percentage. Out of 363 teams, UC Irvine ranks eighth in two-point percentage defense, ninth in bench minutes, 12th in effective field goal defense, and 34th in three-point percentage offense.
 
LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings. DJ Davis leads the league in free throw percentage (0.882) and three-point field goals per game (2.5) while sitting eighth in scoring (15.2). Pierre Crockrell II tops the Big West in assist/turnover ratio (2.5) and assists (5.1).  Dawson Baker is fifth in field goal percentage (0.470), seventh in free throw percentage (0.802), and seventh in scoring (15.4). Devin Tillis ranks 10th in the league in boards, averaging 6.0 while Bent Leuchten lands ninth in blocks (0.8).
 
NATIONAL STATISTICS 03.08.23
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in the following categories: scoring margin (40th, 8.4), field goal percentage (46th, 0.471), field goal percentage defense (11th, 0.394) and three-point field goal percentage (30th, 0.375).