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* UC IRVINE (17-2, 9-0) at UTAH STATE (17-2, 8-1), 6 PST, KUCI-FM (88.9)--The hottest team in the Big West finally made a blip in the Associated Press poll this week with 21 votes. The Anteaters, who have won a school-record 13 in a row, defeated the Aggies, 56-51, eight days ago. Defending champion Utah State was considered a heavy favorite to repeat until that game. Utah State jumped out to an 11-3 lead and Irvine was so shaky that it was having trouble getting off a quality shot. But foul trouble and Irvine’s typically rugged defense ultimately did in Utah State. “I had no post players,” Coach Stew Morrill said. That allowed Irvine to use a smaller, faster lineup. Guard Jerry Green had 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Despite foul trouble, forward Shawn Daniels, who ranks sixth in the country in field-goal percentage, led Utah State with 15 points. Irvine allows an average of only 59.6 points per game, 10th-best in the nation. “Open looks were few and far between,” Morrill said of last week’s game, in which his team shot 34.7% against the Anteaters. Irvine’s winning streak is the second-longest in the nation, behind North Carolina’s 16-game streak. Utah State’s 26-game conference winning streak, second-longest in NCAA history behind Las Vegas’ 40-game streak from 1990-93--also in the Big West--was ended by Irvine. The Aggies have won 19 consecutive home games, however.
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