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Men’s basketball
Who: UC Santa Barbara (8-10, 2-3)
When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Walter Pyramid
TV: Fox Sports Prime Ticket
Need to know: Long Beach State (9-12, 3-3) and UCSB will face each other for the second time in just a week. The 49ers came out on top, 77-67, behind sophomore guard Justin Bibbins’ career-high 25 points in their first matchup of the season last Thursday.
The Gauchos avoided a three-game losing streak on Saturday by picking up a 74-61 win against Cal State Northridge at home. The Gauchos’ leading scorer, senior guard Michael Bryson, led the way with 19 points and junior guard Eric Childress collected a career-high nine assists in the win.
Who: Hawai’i (16-2, 5-0)
When: Saturday at 10 p.m.
Where: Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, Hawai’i
Need to know: The Rainbow Warriors are undefeated so far in league play and have only lost twice. One of those losses came by only three points against the current No. 1 team in the nation, Oklahoma, on Dec. 13, 2015. The other loss came on the road against Texas Tech on Nov. 28, 2015.
Long Beach State leads the all-time series 10-8, but the last time both teams met Hawai’i eliminated the 49ers in the first round of the conference tournament on March 12, 2015.
The 49ers are likely looking for some payback, but they’ll have to slow down the No. 1 ranked offence in the conference on the road. Four players on Hawai’i’s roster, juniors Stefan Jankovic, Aaron Valdes, senior Roderick Bobbitt and sophomore Isaac Fleming, are all averaging over 10 points per game.
Women’s basketball
Who: UC Davis (11-7, 4-1)
Ben Hammerton | Daily 49er
Junior guard Raven Benton is leading LBSU with 12.8 points per game and ranks second with 5.3 rebounds per game.
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
Where: The Pavilion, Davis
Need to know: The Aggies are one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning five of their last six games to jump to second place in the Big West.
Long Beach State (14-5, 3-2) barely leads the all-time series against the Aggies 14-13. However, the last time both teams met on the court UC Davis eliminated the 49ers in the first round of the conference tournament.
This season, a dynamic duo consisting of redshirt freshman Morgan Bertsch and senior Alyson Doherty lead the Aggies. Bertsch leads the Big West with a 58.1 field goal percentage and leads UC Davis with 13.1 points per game while Doherty ranks fifth with a 49.7 field goal percentage and second on the Aggies with 12.9 ppg.
Who: Cal Poly (10-8, 3-2)
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.
Where: Walter Pyramid
Need to know: The 49ers own a dominant lead over the Mustangs in the all-time series, 41-19. LBSU has won five of its last seven against Cal Poly, with both defeats against the Mustangs coming in overtime on Jan. 18, 2014 and Feb. 14, 2015.
The Mustangs’ biggest weapon is junior Hannah Gilbert. The 6-foot-3-inch forward ranks first in the conference with 9.5 rebounds per game and fifth with 13.3 points per game. Gilbert is also fresh off a season-best, 24-point performance last Thursday against CSUN.
The 49ers must also be weary of senior guard Beth Balbierz, who ranks second on the team with 11.9 ppg, and senior point guard Lisa Marie Sanchez, who leads Cal Poly with 3.9 assists per game.
Men’s volleyball
Who: No. 11 UC Santa Barbara (7-2, 3-1)
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Where: Rob Gym, Santa Barbara
Need to know: The Gauchos’ 7-2 start to the season is their best since 2007. Long Beach State (6-1, 3-1) leads the all-time series 47-40, but UCSB has won four of the last six. The last time the 49ers and Gauchos met, LBSU snapped a three-game skid against UCSB by taking a 3-1 win on the road on March 4, 2015.
Junior opposite Matt Marsh leads the Gauchos with 3.64 kills per set and hitter Jacob Delson is second with 3.24. Both players owe their efficiency to two-time All-American, senior setter Jonah Seif, who has racked up 370 assists so far and ranks fourth in the conference with 10.57 assists per set.
