Riverside—Fresh off a conference-opening, overtime win against Cal State Fullerton, the UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team travels to UC Irvine Saturday looking to improve to 2-0 in Big West play for just the second time since joining the conference in 2001-02.
Taylor Johns scored 29 points in the 84-78 win over the Titans and now ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He is also average 8.9 rebounds which is the second best figure in the Big West. Teammate Jaylen Bland is ninth in scoring at 14.4 points per game, and first in made three-pointers with 46. The duo is chasing the program's Division I era record for scoring average by a pair of teammates.
As a team, this year's version of the Highlanders is also chasing single-season, Division I-era marks for scoring average (69.2), field goal percentage (.432) and three-point field goal percentage (.363).
UC Irvine has hovered around the .500 mark for most of the season, and is 7-8 overall and 0-1 in the Big West following an 88-82 loss at home Thursday to Long Beach State.
The Anteaters have been without the services of Mamadou Ndiaye (11.2 ppg, 71.8 FG%) for 11 games, and Luke Nelson for five (11.1 ppg, 3.6 apg).
Despite their losing record, the 'Eaters are outscoring opponents by 5.3 points per game on the season while making 48.2 percent of their field goals and 38.1 percent of their three pointers. Defensively, they are holding the opposition to 40.9 percent shooting from the field.
The Highlanders are 23-33 all-time against the Anteaters, and one six of seven meetings between the clubs during the 2009-2013 seasons. But UC Irvine has won each of the last four games including a 63-43 victory in the First Round of the Big West Conference Tournament a year ago.
