IRVINE, Calif. -- After a week off of action, UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center to take on Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. this Saturday (Feb. 17).

Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine
Saturday, Feb. 17 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Game Program | UC Irvine Game Notes | Cal State Bakersfield Game Notes

ABOUT CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
> Cal State Bakersfield has gone 5-6 since the meeting with UC Irvine in their Big West home opener on Dec. 31 and enters the week of action with a 10-14 overall record, 5-8 in the Big West and three of the results were decided in overtime (1-2)
> The Roadrunners won their Saturday matchup with Cal State Fullerton, 73-71, on their home court
> Cal State Bakersfield is 1-5 on the road this season against league opponent with their lone win coming at CSUN on Jan. 25
> CSUB has the Big West's second best turnover margin at 1.96
> The Roadrunners have been outscored by their opponents 791-743 in the first half over 24 games played
> Kaleb Higgins is the only Roadrunner averaging double figures, pouring in 17.0 points per game (407 total)
> Higgins has taken and made the most field goals (148-362, 0.409) and free throws (86-100, 0.860) while dishing out a team best 88 assists
> Marvin McGhee III is next up in the scoring for the Roadrunners with his 8.6 points per game (206 total)
> McGhee III is the most dangerous from long range as he leads CSUB in three-pointers (46-128, 0.359)
> Modestas Kancleris is averaging 6.3 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game
> Kancleris has grabbed 147 boards this season with the next most by a teammate being 92
> In the last meeting between the two teams, Fidelis Okereke recorded a 10 point, 10 rebound double double
> Cal State Bakersfield was picked to finish eighth in the Big West Preseason Poll

AT THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS
Despite dropping to UC Riverside on Saturday, UC Irvine is the sole team in the top spot for first place with a 11-2 Big West record. The Anteaters hold the advantage over UC Davis and UC San Diego who hold 10-3 and 9-3 league records, respectively. 

WELL RESTED
The Anteaters enter Saturday's game with a weeks worth of rest as they received the Thursday bye before finishing out their remaining seven games left in the conference slate. On the other hand, Cal State Bakersfield will be making the trek from Bakersfield for their 12th straight game.

POTENT DEFENSE
UC Irvine heads into Thursday's contest at home against Cal State Bakersfield as the Big West's top scoring defense team limiting their opponents to 66.3 points per game. The Anteaters have held seven league foes to 65 points or fewer. UCI also holds the second mark in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (0.402).

FEATS VS. THE ROADRUNNERS IN 2022-23
UC Irvine accomplished several feats when facing off against Cal State Bakersfield in the 2022-23 campaign. In the Anteaters conference opener in Bakersfield, UCI broke the school record in free throw attempts (49) set on Jan. 27, 1994 and set the new standard at 51. The 79-75 victory earned head coach Russell Turner his 250th career win. In the regular season finale, the Anteaters held the Roadrunners to 44 points, a season low scored by an opponent, to help clinch the Big West regular season title for UCI. Lastly, in the Big West quarterfinal match up, CSUB did not score a three-pointer in the first half marking the third consecutive half that the 'Eaters held the Roadrunners to zero three-pointers. 

SECOND HALF OFFENSIVE EFFORT LIFTS UCI PAST CSUB (DEC. 30, 2023)
UC Irvine used a 51-point second half to defeat Cal State Bakersfield on the road, 75-56, to close out an exciting 2023. The Anteaters shot at a shocking 0.760 clip (19-25) from the floor in the second half, 0.833 (5-6) from three-point range to finish the game 29-49 (0.592). Pierre Crockrell II recorded his second double double of the season with an impressive 10 points and career best 16 assists. The fifth-year guard also brought down two rebounds to go with two steals.

CLIMBING THE NCAA ACTIVE CAREER RANKS
Pierre Crockrell II currently sits 8th in the all-time active career assist leade rboard with his 642 assists in 142 games played. The fifth year senior is 22 assists behind seventh place and has amassed this amount in the third fewest games out of the top-10 active players. Additionally, Crockrell II is sixth with his 2.55 assist-turnover ratio. 

CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 115 made three-pointers in his career, redshirt senior Justin Hohn is now 22nd in  the career made three-pointers leader board and needs one more to tie Jerry Green (1998-02) and Mike Hood (2001-03) for 20th. Additionally, Pierre Crockrell II is officially top-10 in program history for career assists, ranking eighth with 331 total. Crockrell II is 11 assists away from tying Aaron Fitzgerald (2004-06) for seventh.

UC IRVINE FALLS TO HOT THREE-POINT SHOOTING UCR, 88-78
UC Irvine dropped a 88-78 road contest at UC Riverside as the Highlanders knocked down 13 three-pointers on Saturday evening inside SRC Arena. The Highlanders went 13-27 (.481) from three-point range in the contest, including a stretch late in the first half where they made eight of nine from long distance. UCI was able to chip away at the start of the second half to cut the deficit to one point before four more three-pointers by the Highlanders pushed the margin back to 15. Pierre Crockrell II and Carter Welling paced the Anteater offense with 14 points each. Crockrell II went 7-8 from the floor and dished out a team best five assists. C. Welling knocked down a career-best two three-pointers while going a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.

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 25th nationally in bench points per game (28.64) and have out performed their opponent 17 times this season with non-starters. 

IMPROVEMENT FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
UC Irvine has become laser focused at the free throw line and will enter Saturday's game with a 0.757 free throw percentage (343-453) and 0.810 (183-226) in Big West games. The Anteaters rose 158 spots in the national rankings for free throw percentage since the start of league play (was 195 prior to Dec. 28) and are currently 37th, the highest ranked Big West team in this category and the highest UCI has ranked thus far in the season. 

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in 21 contests this season in assists with 153 total. The fifth year guard is averaging 6.1 assists per game and earned his 600th career dime at UC Davis on Jan. 20. Crockrell II nationally ranks 16th in total assists, 13th in assists per game, and 48th in assist turnover ratio. He also has 46 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 11-6 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 319 total points and 12.8 points per game after his first career 20-point game at No. 16/20 USC with his 25 point outing, his second at Utah State with 21 points, and recently had his third against CSUN on Jan. 27 with 22 points. The redshirt senior has 34 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 800 career points in his seven-point performance on February 8th at UCSB.

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 eight games and double figure rebounding in four games played this season to lead UCI with 143 rebounds, 6.0 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 35-80 (0.438) and is a top shooter at the free throw line with his 45 makes (45-55, 0.818). The senior has stolen the ball from opponents 21 times and is one of three players with 90+ 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 4.3 rebounds a game in 19 contests played. Leucthen has posted six double-figure scoring games since this year, the latest against Hawai'i (Feb. 3) where he put up 15 points. 

LEAN MEAN DEAN MACHINE
Fifth year senior Dean Keeler as an impact off the bench for UCI. On the defensive side, Keeler is second on the team with 126 total rebounds on the year (5.0 per game) and is the squad's leader in blocks (28). Playing offense, the forward has posted five double figure scoring efforts on the season including a career high 22 points on 9-11 shooting against South Dakota. Keeler notched his first double double of the season and his career against CSUN (Jan. 27) with 12 points and a career best 14 rebounds.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
Freshman Carter Welling made his Anteater debut versus Pepperdine on Nov. 21 and has started in nine contests. Averaging 14.4 minutes a game, the center has grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game, blocked 25 shots, and is putting up 7.2 points a game after posting a career high 14-point performance versus the Rainbow Warriors on Feb. 3. 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. Additionally, at Long Beach State on Jan. 25, the freshman had a career night in steals (2), blocks (5), free throws made (6), and free throws attempted (7).

TURKISH DELIGHT
Derin Saran is second on the team in scoring with 10.6 points per game in 22 games played and has one of the best shooting percentages on the Anteater squad (0.527, 96-182). Saran went on an eight game double figure scoring streak ranging from Nov. 17-Dec. 16 an notched his 200th career point at Cal Poly (Feb. 1) on a career high tying 17 point performance. The young guard also has 67 rebounds, 36 assists, and 20 steals on the year.

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2265 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 1st in assist rate (43.1). Out of 362 teams, UC Irvine ranks 7th in two-point percentage defense (0.434), 11th in effective field goal percentage defense (0.455), 23rd in bench minutes (40.6), 25th in adjusted defensive efficiency (96.8), and 42nd in free throw percentage offense (0.757).

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: rebounds per game (8th, 6.0--Tillis), field goal percentage (7th, 0.527--Saran), free throw percentage (8th, 0.809--C. Welling), three-point field goals per game (10th, 1.8--Hohn), assists per game (1st, 6.1--Crockrell II), assist-turnover ratio (2nd, 2.6--Crockrell II), and blocks per game (5th, C. Welling--1.2, 7th--Keeler and 8th--Leuchten, 1.1).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 2.14.24
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in field goal percentage defense (24th, 0.402), free throw percentage (39th, 75.7), scoring defense (40th, 66.3), assists per game (42nd, 15.8), scoring margin (45th, 9.9), and field goal percentage (47th, 0.475).

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 74 with UC San Diego locking in the second position at 112.