Sunday, November 22nd, 5:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Student Recreation Center (3,200) -- Riverside, CA. Television: None. Home Record: SJSU 1-0, UCR 1-0. Away Record: SJSU 0-1, UCR 0-2. Neutral Record: SJSU 0-0, UCR 0-0. Conference Record: SJSU 0-0, UCR 0-0. Series Record: San Jose State leads, 3-0.

GAME NOTES: Fresh off their first win on the season the UC Riverside Highlanders will host the San Jose State Spartans this evening in a non-league affair at the Student Recreation Center.

The Spartans opened their new season with a convincing, 89-63 decision over William Jessup, but the team had a much tougher time in their recent matchup against Washington, as the Huskies defeated SJSU, 80-70. The Spartans are coming off a lackluster 2008-09 campaign in which the team finished just 13-17 overall, and that included a 5-10 mark on the road.

The Highlanders began their season with back-to-back road setbacks to New Mexico (67-51) and USC (77-67). However, the team broke into the win column in its recent matchup, defeating La Verne, 87-71, at home. After this contest the Highlanders will hit the road to take on Sacramento State.

With respect to the all-time series between the two schools, the Spartans have won all three of the previous matchups.

The Spartans did not put forth a very strong effort in their recent matchup against Washington, as the team shot a pedestrian 40.0 percent from the floor. The only reason SJSU remained close throughout the contest was because the team connected on 25-of-37 attempts from the foul line. Adrian Oliver however, did post a career-high 32 points in the loss and also grabbed eight rebounds. It was the second solid outing for the guard, who tallied a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds in the team's opener. Justin Graham added 12 points and seven boards in the loss to the Huskies, while Chris Oakes grabbed a team- best 12 caroms. Oakes has been a rebounding machine thus far for SJSU, pulling down 27 boards in two games.

After struggling to find offense in their first two games, the Highlanders exploded against La Verne, scoring 87 points behind a respectable 46.3 percent shooting effort. The team only made 3-of-16 shots from long range, but did connect on 34-of-45 attempts from the foul line. Kyle Austin was a man on a mission in the victory, as the forward posted a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Gurganious added 21 points and nine boards for UCR, while Konner Veteto and Sean Cunningham tallied 14 points apiece. After three games Austin seems to be the main scoring threat for the Highlanders, as the forward is netting 13.7 ppg. Gurganious has also been a solid contributor, posting 12.3 ppg, while Veteto, who is leading the team with 9.7 rpg, is chipping in 11.7 ppg.

The Highlanders possess a dominant duo in the frontcourt, and while the team has been inconsistent offensively, look for UC Riverside to grab a victory at home this evening.

Predicted Outcome

UC Riverside 81, San Jose State 78