UC Riverside (12-7, 9-5) vs. Cal State Northridge (9-11, 5-8)
Matadome, Northridge, California; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Cal State Northridge seeks revenge on UC Riverside after dropping the first matchup in Northridge. The teams last played each other on March 5, when the Highlanders outshot Cal State Northridge from the field 45.5 percent to 41.3 percent and made six more 3-pointers en route to the four-point victory.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: Cal State Northridge’s TJ Starks has averaged 21.4 points while Darius Brown II has put up 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists. For the Highlanders, Zyon Pullin has averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists while Jock Perry has put up 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Starks has either made or assisted on 51 percent of all Cal State Northridge field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has accounted for 28 field goals and 11 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: Cal State Northridge is 0-5 this year when it scores 63 points or fewer and 9-6 when it scores at least 64.
PASSING FOR POINTS: The Matadors have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Highlanders. Cal State Northridge has an assist on 41 of 77 field goals (53.2 percent) across its previous three matchups while UC Riverside has assists on 37 of 76 field goals (48.7 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The sturdy UC Riverside defense has held opponents to just 63.4 points per game, the 29th-lowest in Division I. Cal State Northridge has given up an average of 77.9 points through 20 games (ranked 308th, nationally).
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