BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

UC IRVINE AT SAM HOUSTON STATE

WHEN: Today, 5 p.m.

WHERE: Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum

RADIO: KUCI/88.9 FM

BREAKDOWN: The Anteaters (4-5) won last year’s meeting, 70-62, in overtime at UCI, but the Bearkats enter with a 9-0 record and they received one vote in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week ... It’s UCI’s first time in Texas since it met former Big West Conference member North Texas, Jan. 8, 1998 ... Sam Houston State has defeated Texas Tech, Fresno State and St. Louis this season ... The Bearkats’ 42-game home winning streak is second best in the nation and their 9-0 start is the best since the school joined the Division I ranks 21 seasons ago ... Coach Bob Marlin’s Bearkats are led by senior forward Ryan Bright (11.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game) and senior guard Shamir McDaniel (11.2 points per game) ... UCI is led by senior Patrick Sanders (12.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg), senior Darren Fells (11.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and junior Kevin Bland (9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) ... Fells, a 6-foot-7 center, leads the Big West Conference in field-goal shooting (62.7%) and is 18 of 26 from the field (69.2%) the last three games ... UCI junior guard Brett Lauer leads the Big West in three-point shooting (56%) and has made eight of 13 the last three games (61.5%) ... UCI is second in the Big West in scoring defense, allowing 65.8 points per contest.

— Barry Faulkner