A record night
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FULLERTON - UC Irvine senior guard Jerry Green will most likely
become the school’s all-time leading scorer tonight as the Anteaters
(15-6, 8-2), the team with the best record in the Big West Conference,
challenges host Cal State Fullerton (4-15, 1-9), the squad with the worst
record.
Tip-off for the men’s basketball game is at 7:05.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Green said. “It’s something I’m always going
to remember. Hopefully nobody else will break it. It’s really a great
honor. Not too many people can say they broke their school record of
anything.”
Green scored 20 points in the Anteaters’ 72-64 win over UC Riverside
Thursday to tie current Highlanders’ assistant coach Tod Murphy’s mark
for most UCI career points (1,778).
“I respect Tod a lot,” Green said. “After Thursday’s game he
congratulated me and pretty much told me I was going to break it. He told
me good luck for the rest of the season and in the future.”
Green’s family will be in attendance for UCI’s game against the
Titans.
“I’m glad I didn’t break the record Thursday because my family wasn’t
there,” Green said. “They were working. Being able to celebrate with them
is going to be a good feeling.”
Green, last year’s Big West Player of the Year, leads the conference
with a 20.8 points per game average.
He will start against the Titans along with sophomore center Adam
Parada (12.0 ppg), junior forward Jordan Harris (11.6 ppg), sophomore
forward Stanislav Zuzak (10.0 ppg) and junior guard Mike Hood (8.5 ppg).
Zuzak leads the Big West in three-point field goal percentage (.508)
while the Anteaters are first in field goal percentage (.495) and
three-point field goal percentage (.406).
The Titans have their own sharp shooter in Pape Sow, who is fifth in
the conference scoring with a 16.2 points per game average. He is also
the conference’s top rebounder with an 8.6 average per game.
“He has demonstrated he can score a lot of points and a player of his
ability, we hope will have a bad night,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said.
“His own ability will dictate a lot of the results.”
Also looking to contribute for the Titans are Brandon Campbell (11.9
ppg) and Kevin Richardson (10.4 ppg).
Although the Titans sit at the bottom of the conference standings,
Douglass isn’t taking them lightly.
“Riverside wasn’t much higher (in the standings) than Fullerton,”
Douglass said. “Every game we might win or we might lose. We have eight
ball games left and we have to focus and prepare for the next eight
games.”
Riverside (6-12, 3-7) had a nine-point advantage at halftime and was
ahead, 59-58 with six minutes left until UCI went on a 14-5 run to put
the game away.
Against Fullerton earlier this season, UCI overcame a seven-point
deficit in the second half to earn a 68-58 victory at the Bren Events
Center Jan. 3.
The Anteaters enter the game against the Titans one game ahead of
second-place Cal State Northridge (11-8, 7-3) and Utah State (15-4, 7-3).
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