IRVINE, Calif. -- RV UC Irvine is back on the road to continue non-conference play where they will make their first stop in Corvallis to face Oregon State at 2 p.m. on Dec. 14.

RV UC Irvine at Oregon State
Saturday, Dec. 14 | 2:00 p.m. PT
Gill Colesium | Corvallis, Oregon
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ABOUT OREGON STATE
> Oregon State enters the contest with a 6-2 overall record
> The Beavers dropped back-to-back contests on Nov. 21 and 25 to snap a four-game winning streak
> OSU has played all but one game at home this season where they are 6-1 with their lone loss fell at the hands of former Pac-12 foe Oregon (L, 78-75)
> The Anteaters are the third Big West school Oregon State will face in the non-conference as they defeated both Cal State Fullerton (W, 70-51) and UC Davis (W, 90- 57) and have the potential to face a fourth in Hawai'i at the Diamond Head Classic
> Oregon State finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 13-19 overall record, 5-15 in the Pac-12
> Due to conference realignment, OSU remains one of two schools in the reforming Pac-12 and are currently competing in the WCC for sports (except for football) until the end of this season
> The Beavers lost All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention Jordan Pope during the offseason
> Oregon State three players scoring in double figures so far into the 2024-25 season
> Michael Rataj paces the offense with his 16.4 points per game, 131 total
> Rataj averages a near double-double on the season with 9.3 rebounds per game (74 total) and converts at a high rate from the free throw line (31-34, 0.912)
> Parsa Fallah scores 12.6 points per game with a team best 66.1 field goal percentage (41-62)
> Fallah is second on the squad with his 34 total rebounds (4.3 per game)
> Nate Kingz rounds out the double figure scoring at 12.1 points per game
> Kingz is a scoring threat all over the floor as he has made the most three-pointers of any Beaver (18) at a 56.3 rate and is shooting at a 0.576 clip from the field (34-59)
> Damarco Minor does it all on offense as he leads the team in total assists (48) and steals (20) while pouring 8.8 points per contest

GAINING NATIONAL ATTENTION
After defeating Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West's Bold Week and moving to 9-0 on the season, UC Irvine received votes in the USA Today Coaches Polls. The Anteaters earned five votes in USA Today's ballot.

POLL POSITION
The Anteaters remain atop the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll with 16 first place votes, 753 total, as they moved to 9-0 on the season with an 82-66 win over Cal State Bakersfield. Gonzaga remains second with 12 first place votes (750) total and Saint Mary's takes third 718 points and three first place tallies.

PARTY LIKE IT'S 1981-82
UC Irvine moves to 9-0 on the year with the win over Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 5 which matches the program's best start since the 1981-82 season where they won nine straight to open their campaign. It is now the Anteaters best start to a season under the helm of Coach Turner who went 6-0 to kick off the program's NCAA Tournament season in 2018-19. Nine wins are good for the nation's longest win streak and UCI is one of six teams who hold the streak.

ROAD WARRIORS
Started on Nov. 22, UC Irvine will play nine of their next ten games away from their home floor. The Anteaters will play at least four games on either side of the home contest on Dec. 5 where they will face Weber State, Kennesaw State, Kent State, and Towson (Nov. 22, Nov 28-30) on the front end and Oregon State, Belmont, Duquesne, California Baptist, and Cal Poly (Dec. 14, Dec. 19, Dec. 21, Dec. 30, Jan. 2) in the back half. It could be extended out to 11 of their next 13 games with two more road contests after a Jan. 4 meeting with UC Riverside.  

LONG TIME NO SEE
UC Irvine and Oregon State will meet for the first time in a little over 26 years on Saturday. The two teams last met in the 1998-99 season where the Beavers hosted the Anteaters at the Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon. UCI is looking to collect their second win in the series history in Saturday's meeting and their first in the Beaver State.

STOUT DEFENSE
The game between Oregon State and UC Irvine pits together two strong defensive teams. The Anteaters defense holds a 59.6-point scoring defense, 12th nationally, and has held six opponents under 60 points a game with the last versus Towson (Nov. 30). The Beavers defense ranks eighth in the NCAA at 58.6 points per game. Similarly, OSU has also held six opponents to under 60 points per contest.

DEFEND THE THREE
Oregon State enters the game on Saturday with the nation's 28th best three-point percentage standing at 38.9. However, UC Irvine holds opponents to a 0.286 clip from long-range, good for 39th in the NCAA.

SHARP SHOOTERS
Devin Tillis has sharp vision when he puts the ball up for a shot at any distance on the floor. The forward connects at a hot 70.6 (48-68) percent from the field which stands as the fourth best clip in the NCAA after the completion of Wednesday Dec. 12 games. Tillis also leads the three-point shooting for the Anteaters at a 61.1 rate (11-18). In Saturday's meeting, Tillis will be pitted against OSU's most accurate player in Parsa Fallah who is ranked 10th in the NCAA with his 66.1 field goal percentage.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
The Anteaters have been sharp at the free throw line this season with 155 makes in 188 attempts and leads the Big West in free throw percentage (0.824) which is also the nation's third best shooting clip at the line. UC Irvine went a perfect 14-14 at the charity stripe on Nov. 16, their first game where they did not miss a shot at the line since their 11-11 performance at Duquesne (Nov. 29, 2023). UCI shot a season high 33-40 from the charity stripe on Dec. 5 in the win over Cal State Bakersfield.

CHASING 500
Redshirt senior Devin Tillis enters Saturday's meeting with Oregon State sitting at 477 career rebounds, just 23 away from the 500-career rebounds milestone. Tillis would become the 28th Anteater to accomplish this feat in a UC Irvine uniform, the first since Collin Welp (2018-22) graduated at the completion of the 2021-22 season. 

CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 145 made three-pointers in his career, graduate student Justin Hohn ranks 13th in the career made three-pointers leader board and is seven three-pointers away from catching DJ Davis (2020-23) for 12th with 152. Hohn is also eight steals away from becoming top 10 in the program for steals.

LATE GAME OFFENSE PUSHES UC IRVINE PAST CSUB, 82-66
A late offensive surge helped UC Irvine pull away in the last five minutes of the game to defeat Cal State Bakersfield, 82-66, to open Big West play on Thursday night at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters won on the strength of 33 points from the free throw line where they went 33-40 (0.825) on the evening. All of UCI's points were scored by six players, five in double figures, led by guard Justin Hohn. Hohn finished with 19 points, including four three-pointers, a career-high eight assists, and four rebounds. Guard Jurian Dixon scored a career-best 17 points behind his career-high nine free throw makes. Forward Kyle Evans registered a career-high 12 points and seven rebounds, a team high. Guard Myles Che recorded a career-high 11 free throws in 12 attempts (0.917). Center Bent Leutchen finished with 15 points, 13 of them coming in the second half.

THIS JUST-IN!
Justin Hohn is a UC Irvine squad leader with 105 total points and 11.7 points per game scoring. The graduate student has 46 double figure scoring games in his career, the most of any player on the Anteater squad, Hohn reached 1,000 career points in his nine-point outing versus Towson. The guard leads the Anteaters in both assists (39) and steals (12).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Devin Tillis is a threat both on offense and defense for the Anteaters. The forward coverts at a high rate from the floor (48-68, 0.706) and has six double digit scoring games on the season. Additionally, Tillis is second on the squad in rebounds with 70 total (7.8 rpg). Tillis also leads all Anteaters with eight career double-doubles posting back-to-back double figure efforts against Pepperdine (25 pts., 11 rebs.) and at Weber State (15 pts., 11 rebs.).

THE ANDRE SPECIAL
Andre Henry has helped the Anteaters get it done on both ends of the court this season. From the field, Henry is shooting at a high percentage, 26-67 (0.388) and is a top shooter at the free throw line with his 11 makes (11-12, 0.917). The graduate student has stolen the ball from opponents 12 times.

THE GERMAN PAINTER
Bent Leuchten dominates at the post or in the paint whether it is scoring baskets or grabbing the ball off the glass. The center is the team's leader off the glass, averaging 8.8 rebounds a game in nine contests played, and helps pace the scoring at 15.3 points per game. Leuchten has posted double-figure scoring games in eight games this year, the latest against Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 5) where he put up 15 points. 

CHE-SANITY
At the top of the formation for the Anteaters, Myles Che helps lead the distribution effort with his 18 total assists. Che adds to the scoring effort with his 8.2 points per game and recorded his first double digit scoring game in an Anteater uniform at Northern Iowa on Nov. 10 with his ten points. The guard is coming off his third double figure scoring effort with 13 points against Cal State Bakersfield behind a career best 11-12 (0.917) from the charity stripe. Che dons the number 77, an ode to Jeremy Lin's number 7.

SWAT TEAM
Junior transfer Kyle Evans has registered multiple blocks in three straight contests, totaling 17 over nine contests. His 19 swats at the rim rank second in the Big West. The forward continues to post career performances as the season progresses with his latest on Dec. 5 versus the Roadrunners where he dropped 12 points on 5-7 (0.714) shooting from the floor and grabbed seven boards. 

PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 76 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 324, Opp. 248). The Anteaters average 36 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in four games so far (Chapman--42, Northern Iowa--48, Weber State--44, Kennesaw State--44).

TEN'S ALL AROUND
Through nine games in the season, Bent Leuchten has scored at least 10 or more points or pulled down at least 10 or more rebounds in a game to average a near double-double at 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Additionally, Leuchten's career best 15 grabs off the glass against Pepperdine are an Anteater first in the 15-19 rebounds in a game category since Collin Welp pulled down 19 on the road at LMU on Dec. 17, 2020.

OLD RELIABLE
With a veteran team that has won multiple championships in the last few seasons, three UC Irvine veteran starters are averaging double figures. Bent Leuchten leads the way with 15.3, Devin Tillis right behind at 14.0, and Justin Hohn next at 11.7. Myles Che is fourth in the scoring department with his 8.2 points per game.

1,000-POINT CLUB
Graduate student Justin Hohn etched his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 33rd Anteater to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The guard reached this milestone in the victory over Towson (Nov. 30) and has 1,022 career tallies. Hohn begins his ascent in the ranks and is 41 points away from surpassing Jaron Martin (2013-17).

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2308 eligible players, Devin Tillis is first in true shooting percentage (80.1), second in effective field goal percentage (77.4), fourth in three-point percentage (0.588), 21st in free throw percentage (0944), and 40th in two-point percentage (0.733). Bent Leuchten is 38th in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.1). Myles Che joins the duo with his 35th rank in free throw percentage (0.929). Out of 364 teams, UC Irvine ranks first in free throw percentage offense (84.5), fifth in offensive rebound percentage defense (22.1), sixth in adjusted efficiency defense (93.6), sixth in effective field goal percentage defense (42.2), ninth in two-point percentage defense (41.9), 12th in free throw attempt/field goal attempt defense (22.1), 30th in three-point percentage defense (28.5) and 34th in minutes continuity (56.4).

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: scoring (9th, 15.3--Leuchten), rebounding (1st, 8.8--Leuchten and 3rd, 7.8--Tillis), field goal percentage (1st, 0.706--Tillis and 8th, 0.537--Leuchten), assists per game (1st, 4.3--Hohn), and blocks per game (2nd, 1.9--Evans and 5th, 1.3--Leuchten).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 12.13.24
UC Irvine is ranked top 50 nationally in free throw percentage (3rd--82,4), defensive rebounds per game (8th--30.44), field goal percentage defense (9th--36.9), scoring defense (12th--59.6), rebound margin (30th--8.3), scoring margin (39th--15.7), three-point percentage defense (39th--28.6), and free throws made per game (50th--17.2).

NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 2. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked and only Big West team within the top 50 sitting at 24. UC Irvine opened the NET rankings with a program-best mark of 24 which is the second-best rank in California behind UCLA (15). Two other Big West teams land within the top 100: UC San Diego (70) and CSUN (79).