Black and Blue rivalry to heat up tonight at UCI

Long Beach State at UC Irvine

When: Tonight, 7

Where: Bren Events Center

Breakdown: The Anteaters (7-13, 4-3 in the Big West Conference) enter the Big West showdown, also part of the two schools’ Black and Blue Rivalry series, in a three-way tie for third place, one game behind the first-place 49ers ... Long Beach State (10-9, 5-2) has lost its last two Big West games, both at home ... UCI defeated UC Riverside, 71-66, on the road Thursday in what Coach Pat Douglass said may have been its most complete game of the season ... The ’Eaters are paced by 6-foot-5 freshman center Eric Wise (13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game), senior forward Kevin Bland (10.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and junior guard Michael Hunter (11.2 ppg, and a team-high 45 three-pointers) ... Long Beach State is paced by senior Fresno State transfer Donovan Morris (16.1 ppg) and 6-7 junior Colorado State transfer Stephan Gilling (10.5 ppg) ... The 49ers, coached by former Gonzaga and Minnesota head man Dan Monson, in his first year at the helm, have won both of their two conference road games ... UCI freshman guard Derrick Strings started against Riverside in place of freshman Adam Folker. It was the first starting lineup change in 11 games for UCI.

— Barry Faulkner