Men’s basketball: UCI takes on Toreros

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team (5-2) returns to action tonight

at 7 with a nonconference game at the University of San Diego.

“(San Diego) is on a roll right now,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said.

“They are playing really well. We had 10 days off for finals, so it’s

good to get started again, but we are a little rusty. The kids will be

eager to play, but it will be difficult.”

The Toreros (4-3) are coming off victories over Boise State, 85-59,

and San Diego State, 72-67.

The Anteaters will try to tame the Toreros’ win streak with help from

senior guard Jerry Green, who leads UCI in scoring. He is averaging 24.9

points and 3.9 assists per game. Green scored 60 points in the Anteaters’

last two games to bring his career total to 1,516 points. He moved ahead

of fifth-place Ben McDonald (1,512) and sixth-place Kevin Magee (1,475)

to occupy fourth on UCI’s career scoring list. Todd Murphy holds the

record with 1,778 points.

Also chipping in for the Anteaters this season are sophomore center

Adam Parada (12 points and 6.7 rebounds per game) and junior forward

Jordan Harris (10.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg).

Junior guard Mike Hood has contributed eight points per game while

sophomore forward Stanislav Zuzak has pitched in with 7.3 points per game

and 4.1 rebounds.

Green, Parada, Harris, Hood and Zuzak are tonight’s tentative starters

for UCI.

USD, coached by Brad Holland, will try and counter with its leading

player, senior guard Andre Laws. He leads the Toreros in scoring (23.4

ppg). Junior forward Jason Blair (11.6 ppg and 5.0 rpg) has also

contributed.

In addition to Laws and Blair, projected starters for San Diego are

senior forward Tom Lippold (10.6 ppg), out of Mater Dei High, senior

forward Sam Adamo (8.4 ppg) and freshman guard Mike McGrain (3.4 ppg).

San Diego has won the last five meetings with UCI and leads the

series, 12-9. The Toreros handed UCI its only home loss last season,

63-60, on Nov. 29 at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters went 25-5 last

year and won the Big West Conference championship.

-- by Amara Aguilar