Anteaters to try to take advantage of home games

LONG BEACH STATE AT UC IRVINE

WHEN: Tonight, 7:35

WHERE: Bren Events Center

RADIO: KUCI/88.9 FM

TV: Cox3 Sports

BREAKDOWN: The Anteaters (12-14, 6-6 in the Big West Conference), who are 9-0 in games played on campus this season, play their last four regular-season conference games at home, beginning with the 49ers (6-20, 3-9). But even three wins may not be enough to push UCI into the top four, which would result in a first-round bye in the postseason conference tournament ... UCI enters tonight’s action 1 1/2 games behind fourth-place Pacific and 2 1/2 behind third-place UC Santa Barbara. Pacific has three games left (tonight at home against UC Davis, Saturday at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Wednesday at UC Riverside. UCSB meets visiting UC Riverside Saturday, then visits Cal State Northridge March 6 and Long Beach State March 8 ... UCI, meanwhile wants to hold off Cal Poly (one game behind) for fifth, which would mean a first-round tournament date against the No. 8 seed ... UCI won the first meeting, 70-48, on Feb. 2 at the Walter Pyramid and Long Beach enters on a three-game losing streak ... The 49ers are led by junior guard Donovan Morris, a Fresno State transfer who leads the conference in scoring at 20.8 points per game ... UCI is paced by seniors Patrick Sanders (15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game) and Darren Fells (14.5 ppg and 6.8 rpg).

— Barry Faulkner