GAME NOTES: Having lost three of their past four games, the UC Irvine Anteaters will look to get back on track as they play host to the Sacramento State Hornets in a non-conference clash at Bren Events Center.

Sacramento State is off to a nice start on the new season, owning a 4-2 record coming into the clash with UC Irvine. The Hornets had won four in a row before the team was slowed by Abilene Christian, 72-61, on Thursday.

Irvine has dropped three of its last four games, with a most recent loss on Wednesday to Fresno State, 72-63. Irvine will host consecutive games before hitting the road until the end of the month.

The all-time series between the two sides is knotted up at 2-2. The teams met up last season in Sacramento, as UC Irvine pulled away for a 79-53 win to even the series.

Abilene Christian had a stellar offensive day against Sacramento State on Thursday, as the Wildcats were allowed to net 51.1 percent shooting from the floor, while the Hornets could only connect on 32.1 percent of their shots on the day. Dylan Garrity led Sacramento State with 19 points in the loss, hitting 6-of-14 from the field. Mikh McKinney chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and five steals to round out the double-digit scorers for the Hornets in the contest.

It's been McKinney and Garrity that have led the Hornets this season in scoring, averaging 15.6 and 11.8 ppg, respectively. Cody Demps isn't far off the double-figure scoring pace at 9.2 ppg for the Hornets, who are averaging 70.8 ppg this season. McKinney is shooting an impressive 52.7 percent from the floor, and is connecting on an even 40 percent from 3-point range. He also adds a team-best 4.6 apg, while Zach Mills enters the contest against UC Irvine pulling down a team-best 5.8 rpg.

Fresno State entered the game against UC Irvine on Wednesday having only won one game on the season, but the Bulldogs came out and played like they were on a win streak. Fresno State connected on 42.9 percent of their shots in the game, as the 'Dogs held UC Irvine to a mere 35.4 percent shooting from the floor. Will Davis II contributed a double-double to the losing effort for the Anteaters, netting 12 points with 10 rebounds. Jaron Martin also chipped in with 12 points to pace the team in scoring, while Luke Nelson added 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Mamadou Ndiaye, who sat out the Anteaters' last game, tops the team in scoring entering the clash with Sacramento State at 12.0 ppg. The big man also grabs 4.2 rpg, and has blocked 10 shots already this season. He's not on the team's injured list headed into Saturday. Nelson finds himself second on the team with an 11.8 ppg average, followed by 10.2 ppg each from Davis and Alex Young for a team netting 70.2 ppg on 47 percent shooting from the field. Davis leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.8 boards per outing.

Sacramento State is finding its way in the non-conference portion part of its schedule, while UC Irvine is struggling to put things together early in the season. But both teams have been strong offensively, each netting over 70 points per outing so far. At home, the Anteaters have the advantage, but the Hornets won't go away easily.