IRVINE, Calif. -- The Anteaters are set to tackle a rested Long Beach State (Jan. 25) on the road as part of the Black and Blue rivalry series before hosting CSUN (Jan. 27) in a fight at the top of the standings.

CSUN at UC Irvine
Saturday, Jan. 27 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Game Program | UC Irvine Game Notes | CSUN Game Notes

ABOUT CSUN
> CSUN holds a 13-7 overall record entering the contest, picking up non-conference wins against Idaho, Chicago State, LIFE Pacific, Mississippi Valley, Pacific, Bethesda, Utah Tech, UCLA, and Montana State
> CSUN has earned their Big West victories over Cal Poly in the season opener, Long Beach State, Hawai'i, and Cal State Fullerton
> The Matadors are coming off their third straight conference loss on Thursday night as they were defeated 64-56 by Cal State Bakersfield in Northridge
> In the Big West, CSUN ranks 10th overall in scoring defense (72.6) but boasts the league's best rebounds (41.7) and rebounding margin (8.6)
> The Matadors entered the week, 13-6, their best 19-game start to a season since 2007-08
> De'Sean Allen-Eikens leads CSUN with his 336 total points on the season, 17.7 per game and has the best three-point percentage on the team (20-52, 0.385)
> Allen-Eikens was one of 40 student-athletes who were named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch list
> Dionte Bostic is second on the team with 14.4 points per game, 288 total
> Bostic has taken the most field goal attempts out of any Matador with 251
> Additionally, the guard is the only CSUN player to have started in all 20 games this season
> Keonte Jones is third on the Matadors squad with his 256 points, 12.8 per game
> Jones leads CSUN in the rebounding effort with 6.9 per game, 138 total and steals (40)
> Jasman Sangha is the final player to score over triple digits for the season with 143 total points
> Jared Barnett has dished out a team best 60 assists in 18 games played
> CSUN was picked to finish tenth in the Big West Preseason Poll with two first place votes

THE RACE TO THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS
After defeating Black and Blue rival Long Beach State on Thursday evening, UC Irvine holds the top spot in a three-way tie for first place with a 7-1 Big West record. The Anteaters share a piece of first place with UC San Diego and UC Davis. 

TAKING THE FLOOR FOR THE 100TH TIME
Last night at Long Beach State redshirt senior Justin Hohn made his 100th appearance for UC Irvine. Additionally, transfer Dylan Thoerner played in his 100th collegiate game. Redshirt senior Ofure Ujadughele registered this feat back on Dec. 31 at Cal State Bakersfield. Fellow teammates Dean Keeler and Andre Henry will hit this mark before the completion of the season.

BATTLE OFF THE BOARDS
Saturday's game will be a battle between a couple of the Big West's best defensive teams. UC Irvine boasts the best defense in the league, holding opponents to 65.5 points a game and hold the lead in scoring margin at 9.9. CSUN, is the league's best rebounding team, averaging 41.7 per game (834 total) and outrebound their opponents by 8.6. The Anteaters rank third in both of these catergories. 

DEVIN TILLIS SHINES IN VICTORY OVER CSUN (JAN. 28)
A standout performance from forward Devin Tillis helped UC Irvine (14-7, 7-2 BW) rout CSUN (4-18, 1-10) 81-56 in the Bren Events Center on Saturday night. The redshirt sophomore poured in 18 points, going 7-8 from the floor including a career-best 4-4 from three-point range. Tillis also had two rebounds and a steal. Guard Andre Henry was also impressive, scoring 11 points, along with five boards, three steals, and two blocks. Henry set new career bests in steals and blocks. Dean Keeler was the fourth Anteater to reach double figures with 11 points on perfect 4-4 shooting from the field. UCI shot at an efficient 0.593 clip (16-27) from the floor and 0.625 (5-8) from three-point range in the second half.

CLIMBING THE NCAA ACTIVE CAREER RANKS
Pierre Crockrell II currently sits 9th in the all-time active career assist leaderboard with his 613 assist on 136 games played. The fifth year senior is three assists behind eighth place and has amassed this amount in the third fewest games out of the top-10 active players. Additionally, Crockrell II is fifth with his 2.55 assist-turnover ratio. 

CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 107 made three-pointers in his career, redshirt senior Justin Hohn is just four makes away from catching Brett Lauer (2007-09) to enter into the career made three-pointers leader board. Additionally, Pierre Crockrell II is officially top-10 in program history for career assists and is 19 away from tying Kevin Davis (1973-77) for ninth and 20 from tying Lloyd Mumford (1992-94) for eighth.

BIG FIRST HALF PROPELS UC IRVINE PAST LONG BEACH STATE
UC Irvine exploded out of the gate and went on to a 72-61 victory over Long Beach State in a Black & Blue Rivalry game at the Walter Pyramid on Thursday evening. The Anteaters led 41-24 at the half behind five three-pointers and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. The defense locked down LBSU, recording three blocks and six steals, while holding The Beach without a field goal for just under nine minutes of action. Forward Dylan Thoerner had his best performance in a Big West game, posting 13 points on 4-9 shooting from the floor, including three three-pointers. Guard Pierre Crockell II had his third double-double of the season, dishing a game-high 11 assists to go with 12 points. He logged his name in the UCI career record book at 10th in career assists with 302 passing Patrick Rembert (2007-11) in just 55 games at UCI. Guard Andre Henry matched Crockrell II with 12 points, knocking down four from long distance. The senior was tied for team-best with six rebounds. 

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 31st nationally in bench points per game (27.85) and have out performed their opponent eight times this season with non-starters.

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in 17 contests this season in assists with 124 total. The fifth year guard is averaging 6.2 assists per game and earned his 600th career dime at UC Davis on Jan. 20. Crockrell II nationally ranks 11th in total assists and 15th in assists per game while he sits atop the Big West in both categories. He also has 25 more assists on the season than the next best person in the conference. The guard recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 assists at Long Beach State (Jan. 25). The Anteaters are 9-5 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 is a UC Irvine squad leader with 266 total points and 13.3 points per game after his first career 20-point game at No. 16/20 USC with his 25 point outing and was followed by his second at Utah State with 21 points. The redshirt senior has 33 double figure scoring games in his career, the most of any player on the Anteater squad, and went on a 13 game double figure scoring stretch (Nov. 22-Jan.18). Hohn reached 700 career points in his double digit scoring performance on January 4th.

SEEING DOUBLE
Devin Tillis notched the Anteaters first double-double of the season on Saturday night (Nov. 11) with an 18 point and 10 rebound showing. In the victory over UC Riverside on Dec. 28, Tillis posted his second double double of the season behind 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tillis recorded three double-double efforts last season and earned the program's first since Mar. 15, 2023. The forward has recorded double-figure scoring in five games and double figure rebounding in four games played this season to lead UCI with 120 rebounds, 6.3 per game. 

THE ANDRE SPECIAL
Andre Henry has helped the Anteaters get it done on both ends of the court this season. From three-point range, Henry is shooting the team's best percentages 27-62 (0.435) and is a top shooter at the free throw line with his 38 makes (38-48, 0.792). The senior has stolen the ball from opponents 20 times and is one of three players with 80+ rebounds on the season.

MR. POSTMAN
Bent Leuchten dominates at the post whether it is scoring baskets or grabbing the ball off the glass. The center returned to action for the Anteaters on Dec. 16 and is one of the teams leaders off the glass, averaging 4.8 rebounds a game in 14 contests played. Leucthen has posted five double-figure scoring games since this year, the latest against UC Davis (Jan. 6) where he put up 14 points. 

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Freshman Carter Welling made his Anteater debut versus Pepperdine on Nov. 21 and has started in nine contests. Averaging 14.6 minutes a game, the center has grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game, blocked 20 shots, and is putting up 6.3 points a game after posting a career high 14-point performance versus the Highlanders on Dec. 28. In the win at Hawai'i on Jan. 11, Welling was efficient in his 10 minutes on the floor going a perfect 5-5 from the floor and drew the and-1 call on his first career made three-pointer.

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2258 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 1st in assist rate (45.4). Out of 362 teams, UC Irvine ranks 7th in two-point percentage defense (0.429), 8th in effective field goal percentage defense (0.445), 15th in adjusted defensive efficiency (96.0), and 18th in bench minutes (41.1).

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: rebounds per game (6th, 6.3--Tillis), field goal percentage (6th, 0.531--Saran and 10th,0.466--Hohn), free throw percentage (9th, 0.765--Leuchten), three-point field goals per game (6th, 1.9--Hohn), assists per game (1st, 6.2--Crockrell II), assist-turnover ratio (2nd, 2.7--Crockrell II), and blocks per game (5th, 1.3--C. Welling, 7th,  1.1--Keeler, and 8th, 1.1--Leuchten).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 1.25.24
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in field goal percentage defense (16th, 0.392), assists per game (32nd, 16.5), and scoring defense (39th, 0.655).
 

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UC Irvine at Long Beach State
Thursday, Jan. 25 | 7:00 p.m. PT
The Walter Pyramid | Long Beach, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Game Notes

ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
> Long Beach State holds a 12-7 overall record entering the contest, picking up non-conference wins against DePaul, Michigan, Iona, Montana State, Sacramento State, LIFE Pacific, USC, and Cal State Dominguez Hills
> LBSU has earned their Big West victories over Cal State Fullerton in the season opener, Cal Poly, UC Riverside, and Hawai'i
> The Beach have had a week off the rest after their defeat of the Rainbow Warriors, 79-71, on Jan. 18
> In the Big West, Long Beach State ranks last overall in scoring defense (79.4) but boasts the league's best scoring offense (78.6)
> In 19 games played, the Beach have used 10 different starting lineups with their most used one of Silva, Tsohonis, Jones, A. Traore, and L. Traore going 3-4 on the year
> Marcus Tsohonis leads Long Beach State with his 302 total points on the season, 17.8 per game
> Tsohonis has made more trips to the free throw line than any other Beach player with his 70 makes on 92 attempts (0.761)
> Aboubacar Traore is second on the team with 13.0 points per game, 247 total
> A. Traore is the top distributor for LBSU with 81 assists (4.3 apg) and is second on the team in rebounds (7.9 rpg)
> Additionally, the guard is the Beach's top shooter going 96-153 (0.627) from the floor
> Both Lassina Traore and Jadon Jones round out the double figure scoring with 12.1 points per game each
> L. Traore nearly averages a double double on the year with the team's best 9.9 rebounds per game (179 total)
> Jones likes to shoot the three-pointer as he has taken and made the most out of any LBSU with his 0.359 clip (37-103)
> Long Beach State was picked to finish second in the Big West Preseason Poll with two first place votes

THE RACE TO THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS
After falling at UC Davis on Saturday afternoon, UC Irvine dropped to second in the Big West standings with their 6-1 league record. The Aggies now hold the top spot with their eight conference games played (7-1). UCI locks in their second position with their head-to-head record against third place team, UC San Diego (6-1). With UC Davis enjoying the bye on Thursday, the Anteaters look to reclaim a share of first place with their contest against LBSU. 

BLACK AND BLUE RIVALRY
Just 25 minutes and the 405 separate UC Irvine and Long Beach State. The series was first started in the 1965-66 season with league play picking up over 20 years later in the 1977-78 season. Three of the last five contests have taken place in Long Beach. The two teams have split the series the last two seasons and the last sweep came when UCI defeated LBSU in back-to-back games in 2021. 

BEST OF THE BIG WEST: COACHING DUEL
UC Irvine's Russell Tuner and Long Beach State's Dan Monson are among some of the best coaches in the league. Turner is fourth (278) and Monson is fifth (266) in Big West victory leaders, fifth (151) and fourth (159) in Big West conference game wins, and fourth (26) and third (28) in Big West tournament game wins.

UCI FALLS IN OVERTIME BATTLE AT LONG BEACH STATE (FEB. 4)
In a battle of the two top offensive teams in the Big West, UC Irvine (15-8, 8-3 BW) dropped 93-88 in overtime to Long Beach State (14-10, 8-4 BW) at the Walter Pyramid. Pierre Crockrell II notched his first double-double in a UCI uniform with 10 points and 10 assists, both then season and career highs, respectively. Forward Devin Tillis poured in 12 points where he shot 5-8 from the floor and 2-3 behind the arc and grabbed nine rebounds. Long Beach State was led by Marcus Tsohonis, recording 26 points on 10-23 shooting from the field, five boards, and five assists.

CLIMBING THE NCAA ACTIVE CAREER RANKS
Pierre Crockrell II currently sits 9th in the all-time NCAA active career assist leader board with his 602 assists in 135 games played. The fifth year senior is ten assists behind eighth place and has amassed this amount in the third fewest games out of the top-10 active players. Additionally, Crockrell II is fifth with his 2.54 assist-turnover ratio.

CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 107 made three-pointers in his career, redshirt senior Justin Hohn is just four makes away from catching Brett Lauer (2007-09) to enter into the career made three-pointers leader board. Additionally, Pierre Crockrell II is nine assists from catching Patrick Rembert (2007-11) to become top-10 in program history for career assists.

UC DAVIS HITS LATE THREE TO DEFEAT UC IRVINE, 54-52
Ty Johnson knocked down a three-pointer with 6.8 seconds remaining to lift UC Davis over UC Irvine, 54-52, at the University Credit Union Center. Guard Andre Henry led the Anteaters once again with 12 points, hitting 4-11 from the floor and 4-5 from the stripe. Post player Dean Keeler recorded 11 points on 3-6 from the field and 5-6 from the line with a team-best eight rebounds and two blocks. He had a big second half, scoring seven points, four rebounds and a block in 13 minutes. In a battle of the top of the Big West standings, the closely contested game saw 12 lead changes and was tied five times. 

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 31st nationally in bench points per game (28.11) and have out performed their opponent eight times this season with non-starters.

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in 16 contests this season in assists with 113 total. The fifth year guard is averaging 5.9 assists per game and earned his 600th career dime at UC Davis on Jan. 20. Crockrell II nationally ranks 18th in total assists and 22nd in assists per game while he sits atop the Big West in both categories. He also has 20 more assist on the season than the next best person in the conference. The guard recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and career best 16 assists at Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 30). The Anteaters are 8-5 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 is a UC Irvine squad leader with 258 total points and 13.6 points per game after his first career 20-point game at No. 16/20 USC with his 25 point outing and was followed by his second at Utah State with 21 points. The redshirt senior has 33 double figure scoring games in his career, the most of any player on the Anteater squad, and went on a 13 game double figure scoring stretch (Nov. 22-Jan.18). Hohn reached 700 career points in his double digit scoring performance on January 4th.

SEEING DOUBLE
Devin Tillis notched the Anteaters first double-double of the season on Saturday night (Nov. 11) with an 18 point and 10 rebound showing. In the victory over UC Riverside on Dec. 28, Tillis posted his second double double of the season behind 10 points and 10 rebounds. Tillis recorded three double-double efforts last season and earned the program's first since Mar. 15, 2023. The forward has recorded double-figure scoring in five games and double figure rebounding in four games played this season to lead UCI with 114 rebounds, 6.3 per game. 

THE ANDRE SPECIAL
Andre Henry has helped the Anteaters get it done on both ends of the court this season. From three-point range, Henry is shooting the team's best percentages 23-52 (0.442) and is a top shooter at the free throw line with his 38 makes (38-48, 0.792). The senior has stolen the ball from opponents a team best 20 times and is one of three players with 70+ rebounds on the season.

MR. POSTMAN
Bent Leuchten dominates at the post whether it is scoring baskets or grabbing the ball off the glass. The center returned to action for the Anteaters on Dec. 16 and is one of the teams leaders off the glass, averaging 4.8 rebounds a game in 13 contests played. Leucthen has posted five double-figure scoring games since this year, the latest against UC Davis (Jan. 6) where he put up 14 points. 

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Freshman Carter Welling made his Anteater debut versus Pepperdine on Nov. 21 and has started in nine contests. Averaging 14.2 minutes a game, the center has grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game, blocked 15 shots, and is putting up 6.1 points a game after posting a career high 14-point performance versus the Highlanders on Dec. 28. In the win at Hawai'i on Jan. 11, Welling was efficient in his 10 minutes on the floor going a perfect 5-5 from the floor and drew the and-1 call on his first career made three-pointer.

TURKISH DELIGHT
Derin Saran is second on the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game over 18 games played and has one of the best shooting percentages on the Anteater squad (0.531, 77-145). Saran notched his 100th career point at Utah State and went on an eight game double figure scoring streak ranging from Nov. 17-Dec. 16. The young guard also has 57 rebounds, 30 assists, and 14 steals on the year.

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2258 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 1st in assist rate (43.9). Out of 362 teams, UC Irvine ranks 11th in effective field goal percentage defense (0.450), 12th in two-point percentage defense (0.435), 18th in bench minutes (40.9), and 25th in adjusted defensive efficiency (96.9).

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: rebounds per game (6th, 6.3--Tillis), field goal percentage (6th, 0.531--Saran), free throw percentage (10th, 0.755--Leuchten), three-point field goal percentage (2nd, 0.404--Hohn), three-point field goals per game (7th, 2.0--Hohn), assists per game (1st, 5.9--Crockrell II), assist-turnover ratio (2nd, 2.6--Crockrell II), and blocks per game (6th, 1.2--Keeler, 7th,  1.1--Leuchten, and 10th, 1.0--C. Welling).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 1.23.24
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in field goal percentage defense (21st, 0.396), assists per game (34th, 16.5), and scoring defense (47th, 0.657).

NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 4. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked and only Big West team within the top-100 sitting at 71 with UC San Diego locking in the second position at 118.