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BIG WEST CONFERENCE

UC Riverside (3-14, 0-4) at Cal State Fullerton (12-3, 3-1), 6 -- The Titans have a 12-game home win streak on the line as they try to improve to 4-1 in conference play for the first time since 1983-84. That was also the last time they started a season 12-3. Guard Bobby Brown is among the top five in the conference in scoring, assists and steals. The Highlanders have dropped 12 consecutive games but won in their last visit to Fullerton last Feb. 4.

Long Beach State (11-4, 2-0) at Cal State Northridge (8-7, 2-2), 7 -- The 49ers are on a nine-game winning streak, the longest since the 1989-90 season. Guard Aaron Nixon was named the Big West player of the week after averaging 23.5 points, including a career-high 35 against UC Santa Barbara. The Matadors are coming off a 67-61 victory over UC Irvine on Thursday that put their home record at 5-1. Jonathan Heard leads the team, averaging 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds.

UC Irvine (7-10, 1-2) at Pacific (5-10, 2-1), 7:30 -- The Anteaters are back on the road, having already played 11 of their 17 games away from home. They are 2-9 in those games, including Thursday’s loss to Cal State Northridge. Center Darren Fells is averaging a team-best 11 points and leads the Big West with a shooting percentage of 55.6. Pacific, the three-time defending conference champion, is coming off a loss last Saturday against Fullerton, its first Big West loss since last Jan. 15.

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WEST COAST CONFERENCE

San Diego (10-6, 0-1) at Pepperdine (4-14, 0-2), 7 -- The Waves dropped their first two conference games against Gonzaga and Portland to extend their losing streak to four games. They are playing at home for only the sixth time this season and have gone 1-4 in their first five. Guard Chase Griffin has averaged 19.4 points over the last five games. San Diego bounced back from a 103-100 double-overtime loss to San Francisco in its conference opener last weekend by beating UC Riverside, 78-62, Wednesday.

San Francisco (5-11, 1-0) at Loyola Marymount (8-10, 0-2), 7:30 -- The Lions return home for the first time since Dec. 22, a span of four games. They were 0-4 in those games and have lost five in a row overall, but are 5-1 at home. Matthew Knight averaged 21.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in two games last week, his first action since Dec. 22 because of a knee injury. During the game, Loyola will honor the 1960-61 team, the first at the school to win a conference title.

NONCONFERENCE

UC Davis (2-12) at UC Santa Barbara (11-4), 7 -- The Gauchos are off to their best start since 1991-92 and ended a two-game road losing streak with a 64-59 victory over UC Irvine last Saturday. Forward Ivan Elliott is shooting 75% (27 for 36) over the last four games and guard Alex Harris has reached 20 points or more in 10 of the Gauchos’ 15 games. UC Davis is 0-3 against Big West teams this season, including a 68-48 loss to UC Irvine.

--PETER YOON

WOMEN

PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE

USC (9-7, 3-3) at UCLA (9-9, 3-3), 2 -- Both teams reached the NCAA tournament last March and both were ranked among the preseason top 25 but inconsistency dropped them from the elite early on. UCLA had lost three of four before defeating Oregon, 77-70, Sunday. USC, ravaged by injuries, has won three in a row after losing its first three conference games. The Trojans also have won three in a row over UCLA. Each team is led by a senior guard. USC’s Shay Murphy ranks second in the Pac-10 in scoring at 18.7 points a game, fourth in rebounding at 8.7 and first in steals at 2.5. UCLA’s Noelle Quinn leads the conference in assists at 6.2 and ranks fifth in scoring at 16.6.

--JERRY CROWE

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