Saturday, March 7th, 8:05 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Titan Gym (4,000) -- Fullerton, California. Television: FSN-W. Home Record: UCI 6-7, Fullerton 6-5. Away Record: UCI 4-10, Fullerton 7-7. Neutral Record: UCI 1-1, Fullerton 1-3. Conference Record: UCI 7-8, Fullerton 7-8. Series Record: CS Fullerton leads, 47-40.

GAME NOTES: The regular season will come to a close for two schools in the Big West Conference, as bitter rivals Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine collide on the hardwood at Titan Gym this evening. This will be the 88th matchup between the two teams, and although the Anteaters grabbed a 78-74 victory earlier this season, the Titans hold a 47-40 edge over UCI in the all-time series. The Anteaters are coming off a thrilling 78-72 overtime victory over UC Riverside. It was the third win in four games for UCI, which is now just 7-8 in conference play, tied for fourth place with UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and Fullerton. As for the Titans, they are coming off a 78-73 win over CS Bakersfield. It was an out of conference victory for Fullerton, but it snapped a three-game slide for the Titans.

The Anteaters needed overtime the last time they took the floor, but the extra play was enough for UCI to slip past Riverside by a six-point margin. Surprisingly the Anteaters poured in 78 points, thanks to a 50.0 percent shooting effort, and a 19-of-24 showing from the foul line. it was such a shocking display by UCI because the team enters this contest averaging just 65.3 ppg on the season. Throughout the year, Wise has been the top option for the Anteaters, as the forward is netting 14.0 ppg, to go along with 5.9 rpg. Michael Hunter is contributing 11.6 ppg, while Kevin Bland is posting 10.2 ppg, to go along with a team-best 7.0 rpg. In the victory over the Highlanders, the Anteaters used a 20-point showing from Wise, followed by a 16-point performance by Chad DeCasas. Bland added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Patrick Rembert tallied 11 points.

Unlike their counterpart, the Titans have found plenty of success at the offensive end of the court, as the team is averaging 74.5 ppg, while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor. The majority of the damage has been done by Josh Akognon, who is pouring in 23.8 ppg. Running the show on the floor has been Jacques Streeter, who is distributing 4.4 apg, while also chipping in 10.3 ppg. In the team's recent win over CSU Bakersfield, the Titans erupted for 78 points, behind a 50.0 percent shooting effort and a 9-of-20 clip from long range. Akognon poured in 32 points in the win, while Gerard Anderson and Marcio Lassiter tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. As for Streeter, he only posted seven points, but dished out 10 assists.

The Anteaters got the better of Fullerton earlier this season, but look for the Titans to avenge that setback with a strong victory in front of their home crowd.

Predicted Outcome

CS Fullerton 77, UC Irvine 68