UC Irvine plays in Big West Tournament against the UCSB

UCSB Gauchos (16-10, 8-5 Big West) vs. UC Irvine Anteaters (15-9, 9-5 Big West)

Henderson, Nevada; Thursday, 5:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The UC Irvine Anteaters take on the UCSB Gauchos in the Big West Tournament.

The Anteaters have gone 9-1 at home. UC Irvine scores 66.1 points while outscoring opponents by 6.6 points per game.

The Gauchos are 8-5 against Big West opponents. UCSB is 0-3 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The teams meet for the second time this season. UC Irvine won 53-52 in the last matchup on Feb. 4. Collin Welp led UC Irvine with 17 points, and Amadou Sow led UCSB with 17 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Welp is scoring 13.7 points per game with 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Anteaters. Dawson Baker is averaging 11.8 points over the last 10 games for UC Irvine.

Miles Norris is shooting 35.2% from beyond the arc with 1.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Gauchos, while averaging 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds. Ajay Mitchell is averaging 18.8 points over the past 10 games for UCSB.

LAST 10 GAMES: Anteaters: 8-2, averaging 66.0 points, 32.5 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 4.8 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.2 points per game.

Gauchos: 8-2, averaging 73.1 points, 28.9 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 7.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 52.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.5 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by