Thursday, March 12th, 11:30 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Anaheim Convention Center Arena (7,734) -- Anaheim, California. Television: Big West TV. Home Record: Fullerton 6-6, UCSB 10-4. Away Record: Fullerton 7-7, UCSB 3-10. Neutral Record: Fullerton 2-3, UCSB 2-0. Conference Record: Fullerton 7-9, UCSB 8-8. Series Record: UCSB leads, 34-33.

GAME NOTES: The seventh-seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans are set to tangle with the fourth-seeded UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Conference Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center. Fullerton advanced by beating UC Riverside, 59-46 in the first round Wednesday night. UCR's 46 points were the fewest scored against Fullerton this season. The Titans entered the tournament with losses in four of their final five regular- season games. The Gauchos closed out the regular season by winning three straight and seven of their final eight games. As a result, they jumped all the way from eighth to fourth place, picking up the final first-round bye in the tournament. UCSB has a slim 34-33 lead in the head-to-head series, although Fullerton beat the Gauchos twice during the regular season

The Titans, who won this tournament last season, have a major weapon in Big West Player of the year Josh Akognon. The senior guard scored a tournament- record 37 points against UCR last night, while also breaking the school's single-season scoring record (741 points) in the process. Akognon has been in the top-10 in the nation in scoring all season long, currently averaging 23.9 ppg. He hasn't missed a start and has knocked down 123 three-pointers (36.1 percent) and 125 free throws (88.7 percent). Akognon hit a personal-best nine three-pointers against UCR. The only other Titan to have started each game this season is Jacques Streeter, a 42.3 percent shooter from beyond the arc who averaged 10.4 ppg. Beyond that however, the Titans simply don't have a whole lot of offensive firepower. They've also struggled with some of the bigger teams, as they are a -4.5 in rebounding margin for the season.

The Gauchos are led by Chris Devine, a 52.4-percent shooter who is posting 15.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Devine gets to the free-throw line often, having knocked down 120-of-156 freebies (76.9 percent) on the season. While he may be UCSB's only double-digit scorer, the Gauchos have been a more well-balanced team during their late-season push. James Nunnally has led the team in scoring in each of the last three games, averaging 17.7 ppg during that stretch. In fact, Nunnally hit a three-pointer at the buzzer against Long Beach State in the regular-season finale, which helped UCSB lock up a first-round bye. He finished the game with 20 points off the bench, while Devine scored 15 in the win.

It will be interesting to see if the Gauchos can continue to stay hot now that the stakes have been raised. Without question, they will deploy any and all resources to try and stop Akognon. Nunnally's continued production will be key, as Devine can't be expected to shoulder the scoring load by himself.

Predicted Outcome

UC Santa Barbara 75, Cal State Fullerton 70