No. 6 seed Hawaii (11-9, 9-9) vs. No. 3 seed UC Riverside (13-7, 10-5)
Big West Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas; Thursday, 11 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the Big West semifinals is on the line as Hawaii and UC Riverside prepare to meet. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last met on Jan. 9, when the Highlanders shot 50 percent from the field while limiting Hawaii to just 46.4 percent en route to a two-point victory.
TEAM LEADERS: The dynamic Zyon Pullin is averaging 12.6 points, five rebounds and 4.4 assists to lead the way for the Highlanders. Jock Perry is also a key contributor, maintaining an average of 11.1 points and five rebounds per game. The Rainbow Warriors have been led by James Jean-Marie, who is averaging 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds.
FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: Pullin has had his hand in 47 percent of all UC Riverside field goals over the last three games. Pullin has 16 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Highlanders have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Rainbow Warriors. UC Riverside has 40 assists on 70 field goals (57.1 percent) over its past three matchups while Hawaii has assists on 35 of 75 field goals (46.7 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: UC Riverside has made 9.3 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among Big West teams.
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