Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Men's Hoops Travels To UC Irvine Saturday For 5 pm Tilt On PrimeTicket
1/27/2012 1:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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Riverside—The UC Riverside Men’s Basketball Team is coming off of a gut-wrenching 77-70 overtime loss to Long Beach State Thursday evening, but must regroup quickly as the team travels to UC Irvine Saturday for a 5 pm PT tilt which is being televised on PrimeTicket.
Phil Martin scored 31 points for the Highlanders in the loss increasing his overall scoring average to 17.9 points per game, and his average in conference contests to a Big West-best 23.0 points per game. It is the second 30-plus point performance of the season for the Staten Island, NY native, who also leads the team in rebounding (5.4).
The Anteaters enter Saturday’s game on a three-game conference losing skid, although they did beat Seattle at home on Tuesday, 78-67. Offensively, UC Irvine brings a balanced attack to the hardwood as they have five players averaging at least seven points per game, but nobody over 12 as Daman Starring paces the squad at 11.9 points per game.
UCI utilizes the three-pointer more than any school in the conference launching 21.9 per contest while connecting at a 36.3 percent clip. By contrast, the Highlanders average just 13.7 three per game, making 32.6 percent of their attempts.
Defensively, the ‘Eaters are prone to giving up the three as the opposition’s 413 attempts on the year paces the Big West, and they are successful on 37.8 percent of their attempts.
The Highlanders are 21-28 all-time against the Anteaters, but have won four straight in the series. That is the second longest conference winning streak UC Riverside has ever had against a Big West opponent (5 in a row vs. Long Beach State from January 9, 2003 through January 15, 2005).
Thursday, May 21
Monday, May 04
Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
