IRVINE, Calif. -- The Anteaters are set to close out two Big West series, first on the road at CSUN (Feb. 29) before returning home to host Black and Blue rival Long Beach State (Mar. 2) for UCI's Homecoming.

Long Beach State at UC Irvine
Saturday, Mar. 2 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN2) | Tickets | Game Program | UC Irvine Game Notes | Long Beach State Game Notes

ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
> Long Beach State has gone 6-4 since the meeting with UC Irvine enters the contest with a 18-11 overall record, 10-7 in the Big West
> The Beach dropped their home contest on Thursday night to Cal State Fullerton, 76-71
> LBSU holds a slight 5-4 advantage in road games  against league opponents and last won away from Long Beach on Feb. 17 at CSUN
> In the Big West, Long Beach State ranks last overall in scoring defense (75.4) but boasts the league's best scoring offense (78.1)
> In 29 games played, the Beach have used 13 different starting lineups with their most used one of Silva, Tsohonis, Jones, A. Traore, and L. Traore going 3-4 on the year, but have gone 4-0 when using Thompson, Tsohonis, Jones, A. Traore, and L. Traore together
> Marcus Tsohonis leads Long Beach State with his 411 total points on the season, 17.1 per game
> Tsohonis is one of the team's leaders in trips made to the free throw line with his 105 makes on 132 attempts (0.795)
> Jaden Jones is next up in the scoring effort for The Beach with 12.4 points per game, 335 total
> Jones likes to shoot the three-pointer as he has taken and made the most out of any LBSU with his 0.382 clip (63-165)
> Aboubacar Traore ranks third on the team with 12.3 points per game, 356 total
> A. Traore is the top distributor for LBSU with 116 assists (4.0 apg), has blocked 44 shots, and is second on the team in rebounds (7.9 rpg)
> Additionally, the guard is the Beach's top shooter going 130-232 (0.560) from the floor
> Lassina Traore nearly is a walking double double with 11.8 points per game (329 total) and an even 10.0 rebounds per game (280 total)
> AJ George rounds out the double figure scoring with his 10.2 average (296 total) in 29 games
> Long Beach State was picked to finish second in the Big West Preseason Poll with two first place votes

AT THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS
After defeating CSUN on Thursday evening, UC Irvine holds onto the first place spot with a 14-3 Big West record. The Anteaters currently have the advantage over UC San Diego and UC Davis who hold 13-4 and 12-6 league records, respectively. Additionally, the win at CSUN (Feb. 29) combined with other results clinched a berth to the Big West semifinals on Mar. 15.

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 (286) and Monson is fifth (272) in Big West victory leaders, fifth (159) and fourth (154) in Big West conference game wins, and fourth (26) and third (28) in Big West tournament game wins.

LEAGUE'S BEST OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
Thursday's game will be a battle between the Big West's best scoring offense and defense. UC Irvine boasts the best defense in the league, holding opponents to 67.4 points a game which happens to be 10.7 points under the Long Beach State's Big West leading scoring offense of 78.1 points per game. The Anteaters also hold the league lead in scoring margin on 9.9 as well as the second mark in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (0.406). UCI has held eight league foes to 65 points or fewer. UCI.

BIG FIRST HALF PROPELS UC IRVINE PAST LONG BEACH STATE (JAN. 25)
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. 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. 

CLIMBING THE NCAA ACTIVE CAREER RANKS
Pierre Crockrell II currently sits 8th in the all-time active career assist leader board with his 667 assists in 145 games played. The fifth year senior is six 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 2.57 assist-turnover ratio. 

CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 121 made three-pointers in his career, redshirt senior Justin Hohn is now 20th in the career made three-pointers leader board and is one three-pointers away from tying Eyassu Worku (2016-20) for 19th. Additionally, Pierre Crockrell II is officially top-10 in program history for career assists, ranking seventh with 356 total. Crockrell II is now 56 assists away from catching Jerry Green (1998-02) for sixth. 

UC IRVINE LEAPS OUT TO BIG LEAD IN 89-64 WIN OVER CSUN
UC Irvine held a 13-point lead four minutes into the game and never looked back in an 89-64 victory over CSUN at the Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Anteaters, who had 12 players score, jumped out to the 17-4 lead at 15:58 and would hold the 47-26 lead at the half, the largest at the break over a Big West opponent this season.UCI dominated down low, scoring 43 points by post players led by Bent Leuchten's 16. The center went 6-9 (0.667) from the floor and 3-4 (0.750) from the line with one three-pointer. Defensively, he had six rebounds, two steals and a block. Forward Devin Tillis posted 11 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Carter Welling added 10 points and six rebounds. Forward Dean Keeler grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go with six points and a block.

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in 24 contests this season in assists with 178 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 15th in total assists, 17th in assists per game, and 42nd in assist-turnover ratio. He also has 51 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 14-6 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 370 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 37 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 10 games and double figure rebounding in four games played this season to lead UCI with 175 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 41-95 (0.432) and is a top shooter at the free throw line with his 54 makes (54-69, 0.783). The senior has stolen the ball from opponents 24 times and is one of three players with 110+ rebounds on the year.

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 4.2 rebounds a game in 23 contests played. Leucthen has posted nine double-figure scoring games since this year, the latest at CSUN (Feb. 29) where he put up 16 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 146 total rebounds on the year (5.0 per game) and is the squad's leader in blocks (31). 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 ten contests. Averaging 14.4 minutes a game, the center has grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game, blocked 29 shots, and is putting up 7.4 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. The center has posted seven double figure scoring performances of the season and has made 90 trips to the charity stripe, a team high (71-90, 0.789).

TURKISH DELIGHT
Derin Saran is third on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per game over 26 games played and has one of the best shooting percentages on the Anteater squad (0.507, 105-207). 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 80 rebounds, 46 assists, and 22 steals on the year.

THREE-HEADED BEAST IN THE CENTER
The big men down low of Bent Leuchten, Dean Keeler, and Carter Welling pose a threat both in the defensive and offensive paint. The three headed monster combined to average 21.8 points, 12.9 boards and 3.4 blocks per game.

ALL HANDS ON DECK!
During the win at CSUN (Feb. 29), all of the players that checked into the game for UC Irvine scored at least one point. This was the first time since Nov. 24 that the Anteaters have completed this feat and just the fourth time this season it has been done (vs. Occidental, vs. Pepperdine, vs. Rice, and at CSUN).

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 20th nationally in bench points per game (28.76) and have out performed their opponent 20 times this season with non-starters. 

SINGLE SEASON ASSISTS LEADER BOARD
Pierre Crockrell II has tied his fourth place finish in the all-time season assists leaderboard with his 178 assists in 2022-23. The fifth year senior  is 12 dimes away from tying Aaron Fitzgerald (2005-06) for third (190).

THE TALE OF TWO HALVES
UC  Irvine has taken the lead into the haltime break 17 times this year, 11 times in Big West contests, and have prevailed in 16 of those contests. The Anteaters reset their largest halftime lead against a Big West opponent in Thursday nights win over CSUN with a 21-point margin. Previously, UCI's highest halftime lead over a league opponent was 17 points which was tied three times and the latest was against UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 22).

LEAP YEAR
For just the fifth time in program history, UC Irvine played a game on Feb. 29, leap day. The last time UCI played on the extra day of the year was in 2020, taking down UC Santa Barbara in Irvine, 69-58. The Anteaters improved to 2-3 in games played on leap day and all five contests have been decided by double figures.

CONTINUING TO WRITE HISTORY: 20-WIN SEASON
Holding a 21-8 record, UC Irvine has earned its 14th 20-win season in program history and ninth under head coach Russell Turner. This marks the second consecutive season with 20 or more wins as the 2022-23 squad finished the year 23-12. The Anteaters were the first Big West team to reach this milestone in the 2023-24 season.

IMPROVEMENT FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
UC Irvine has become laser focused at the free throw line and will enter Thursday's game with a 0.762 free throw percentage (442-580) and 0.799 (282-353) 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. 

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2257 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 4th in assist rate (42.0). Out of 362 teams, UC Irvine ranks 9th in two-point percentage defense (0.441), 11th in effective field goal percentage defense (0.458), 23rd in bench minutes (40.2), 33rd in adjusted defensive efficiency (98.2), and 37th in free throw percentage offense (0.762).

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: rebounds per game (5th, 6.3--Tillis), field goal percentage (7th, 0.507--Saran), free throw percentage (8th, 0.789--C. Welling and 9th, 0.788--Leuchten), assists per game (1st, 6.1--Crockrell II), assist-turnover ratio (2nd, 2.7--Crockrell II), and blocks per game (5th, 1.2--C. Welling, 7th, Leuchten and 8th, Keeler--1.1).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 2.29.24
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in field goal percentage defense (30th, 0.406), free throw percentage (33rd, 0.762), scoring margin (40th, 9.9), field goal percentage (41st, 0.475), assists per game (44th, 15.7), and rebound margin (46th, 4.8).

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 79 with UC San Diego locking in the second position at 117.
 

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UC Irvine at CSUN
Thursday, Feb. 29 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Premier America Credit Union Arena | Northridge, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Game Notes

ABOUT CSUN
> CSUN has gone 5-3 since the meeting with UC Irvine and enters the week of action with a 18-11 overall record, 9-8 in the Big West
> The Matadors won their Saturday road trip match-up with Cal State Fullerton, 65-60
> CSUN is an even 4-4 at home against league opponents and last won in Northridge on Feb. 8 against Cal Poly
> In the Big West, CSUN ranks first in opponent field goal percentage (0.402) and boasts the league's best rebound average (40.4) and rebounding margin (6.5)
> De'Sean Allen-Eikens leads CSUN with his 517 total points on the season, 18.5 per game and has the best three-point percentage on the team (27-75, 0.360) while also converting almost half of his shots from the field (173-351, 0.493)
> 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 15.4 points per game, 446 total
> Bostic has taken the most field goal attempts out of any Matador with 369 (161-369, 0.436)
> Additionally, the guard is the only CSUN player to have started in all 29 games this season
> Both Allen-Eikens and Bostic rank top-10 in the Big West in scoring, third and tenth, respectively
> Keonte Jones is third on the Matadors squad with his 323 points, 11.1 per game
> Jones leads CSUN in the rebounding effort with 7.0 per game, 202 total and steals (50)
> Gianni Hunt rounds out the double figure scoring for the Matadors with 180 total points, 10.0 per game
> Jasman Sangha is effective down low with a 0.568 shooting clip (75-132) for 6.6 points per game
> Jared Barnett has dished out a team best 72 assists in 27 games played
> CSUN was picked to finish tenth in the Big West Preseason Poll

RACE FOR THE TOP OF THE BIG WEST
After falling in overtime to UC San Diego on Saturday afternoon, UC Irvine is tied for first place with the Tritons as both squads hold a 13-3 Big West record. UCI and UCSD hold the advantage over UC Davis who has an 11-6 league record. Additionally, Saturday's (Feb. 17) win over Cal State Bakersfield clinched a spot in the Big West Championship for UCI.

CONTINUING TO WRITE HISTORY: 20-WIN SEASON
Holding a 20-8 record, UC Irvine has earned its 14th 20-win season in program history and ninth under head coach Russell Turner. This marks the second consecutive season with 20 or more wins as the 2022-23 squad finished the year 23-12. The Anteaters were the first Big West team to reach this milestone in the 2023-24 season.

LEAP YEAR
For just the fifth time in program history, UC Irvine will play a game on Feb. 29, leap day. The last time UCI played on the extra day of the year was in 2020, taking down UC Santa Barbara in Irvine, 69-58. The Anteaters hold a 1-3 record in games played on leap day and all four contests have been decided by double figures.

POTENT DEFENSE
UC Irvine heads into Thursday's contest on the road at CSUN as the Big West's top scoring defense team limiting their opponents to 67.5 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 (0.408).

BATTLE OFF THE BOARDS
CSUN is the league's best rebounding team, averaging 40.4 per game (1173 total) and out-rebound their opponents by 6.5. The Anteaters rank third and second in both of these categories, respectively.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES FROM HOHN AND KEELER HELP UCI TOP CSUN (JAN. 27)
Guard Justin Hohn had a game-high 22 points in UC Irvine's 77-72 victory over CSUN in front of 3,441 fans at the Bren Events Center. Hohn shot 9-18 from the floor, including three-pointers, for his third 20-point outing of the season and his career. Forward Dean Keeler recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to go with three blocks. The fifth-year senior was clutch down the stretch, ending the night 8-11 from the free throw line. UCI improves to 8-1 in the Big West and 15-6 overall and remains to be the only team in the conference undefeated on their home floor (8-0).

CLIMBING THE NCAA ACTIVE CAREER RANKS
Pierre Crockrell II currently sits 9th in the all-time active career assist leader board with his 656 assists in 144 games played. The fifth year senior is seven 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 seventh with his 2.54 assist-turnover ratio. 

CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 120 made three-pointers in his career, redshirt senior Justin Hohn is now 20th in the career made three-pointers leader board and is two three-pointers away from tying Eyassu Worku (2016-20) for 19th. Additionally, Pierre Crockrell II is officially top-10 in program history for career assists, ranking seventh with 345 total. Crockrell II is now 67 assists away from catching Jerry Green (1998-02) for sixth. 

ANTEATERS FALL AT UC SAN DIEGO IN OVERTIME, 92-88
The battle of the top two teams in the Big West went into overtime as the hosts UC San Diego defeated UC Irvine, 92-88, Saturday afternoon at LionTree Arena. UCI held a 41-40 lead at the half only to see UCSD go up by as much as 11 points in the second half. The Anteaters roared back to take a lead with 35 seconds to go, but the Tritons nailed a three-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime, 81-81. Guard Andre Henry led the Anteaters with 18 points on 7-9 from the floor, including 3-4 from three-point range. Bent Leuchten went 5-10 from the floor and 4-6 from the line for 14 points in 19 minutes of action. Justin Hohn posted 13 points on 5-9 shooting from the floor with two three-pointers. Carter Welling shot 8-10 from the line  and 2-4 from the floor for 12 points. Pierre Crockrell II added 10 points, going 5-11 from the floor. 

SINGLE SEASON ASSISTS LEADER BOARD
Crockrell II sits sixth in the career leader board for assists in a season with 167 and is just four away from tying Lloyd Mumford (1993-94 season) for fifth. The fifth year senior is also 11 away from tying his fourth place finish for his 178 assists in 2022-23.

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 23rd nationally in bench points per game (28.39) and have out performed their opponent 19 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 Thursday's game with a 0.761 free throw percentage (420-552) and 0.800 (260-325) in Big West games. The Anteaters rose 160 spots in the national rankings for free throw percentage since the start of league play (was 195 prior to Dec. 28) and are currently 35th, the highest ranked Big West team in this category. 

PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 306 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 1066, Opp. 760). The Anteaters average 38.1 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in nine games so far (Occidental--68, Pepperdine--48, Rice--44, South Dakota--72,  UC Riverside--40, Cal State Bakersfield--40, Cal Poly--40, Hawai'i--62, and UC Santa Barbara--44).

HIGHLY EFFICIENT SHOOTING
UCI has shot over a 0.500 clip in eleven contests this season (New Mexico State--0.526, Occidental--0.615, Pepperdine--0.517, Toledo--0.500, Rice--0.517, South Dakota--0.576, Cal State Bakersfield--0.592, Cal State Fullerton--0.510, Hawai'i--0.614, UC Santa Barbara--0.532, and UC San Diego--0.508). 

DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II has led the Anteaters in 23 contests this season in assists with 167 total. The fifth year guard is averaging 6.0 assists per game and earned his 600th career dime at UC Davis on Jan. 20. Crockrell II nationally ranks 18th in total assists and 19th in assists per game. He also has 40 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 13-6 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 362 total points and 12.9 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 37 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 nine games and double figure rebounding in four games played this season to lead UCI with 168 rebounds, 6.2 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 40-93 (0.430) and is a top shooter at the free throw line with his 54 makes (54-68, 0.794). The senior has stolen the ball from opponents 23 times and is one of three players with 100+ 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 4.1 rebounds a game in 22 contests played. Leucthen has posted eight double-figure scoring games since this year, the latest at UC San Diego (Feb. 24) where he put up 14 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 137 total rebounds on the year (4.9 per game) and is the squad's leader in blocks (30). 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 ten contests. Averaging 14.5 minutes a game, the center has grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game, blocked 29 shots, and is putting up 7.3 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), and free throws made (6).

TURKISH DELIGHT
Derin Saran is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game in 25 games played and has one of the best shooting percentages on the Anteater squad (0.515, 104-202). 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 74 rebounds, 44 assists, and 21 steals on the year.

THREE-HEADED BEAST IN THE CENTER
The big men down low of Bent Leuchten, Dean Keeler, and Carter Welling pose a threat both in the defensive and offensive paint. The three headed monster combined to average 21.4 points, 12.6 boards and 3.4 blocks per game.

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2250 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 5th in assist rate (40.7). Out of 362 teams, UC Irvine ranks 9th in two-point percentage defense (0.442), 17th in effective field goal percentage defense (0.461), 25th in bench minutes (39.8), 36th in free throw percentage offense (0.761), and 38th in adjusted defensive efficiency (98.6).

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: rebounds per game (5th, 6.2--Tillis), field goal percentage (8th, 0.515--Saran), free throw percentage (8th, 0.789--Leuchten and 9th, 0.788--C. Welling), assists per game (1st, 6.0--Crockrell II), assist-turnover ratio (2nd, 2.6--Crockrell II), and blocks per game (5th, 1.2--C. Welling, 6th, Leuchten and 8th, Keeler--1.1).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 2.26.24
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in free throw percentage (35th, 0.761), field goal percentage defense (37th, 0.408), field goal percentage (38th, 0.475), assists per game (46th, 15.5), and scoring margin (47th, 9.3).

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 80 with UC San Diego locking in the second position at 110.