CS Fullerton, UCSB meet in Big West semis

Cal State Fullerton (15-16, 11-6) vs. UC Santa Barbara (22-9, 11-6)

Big West Conference Tourney Semifinals, Honda Center, Anaheim, California; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Cal State Fullerton is set to take on UC Santa Barbara with the winner earning a spot in the Big West championship game. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last played each other on Feb. 23, when the Gauchos shot 50 percent from the field while limiting Cal State Fullerton to just 44.6 percent en route to an 82-67 victory.

STEPPING UP: Seniors Khalil Ahmad and Kyle Allman Jr. have led the Titans. Ahmad is averaging 18.2 points and 4.1 rebounds while Allman is putting up 17.9 points per game. The Gauchos have been led by Ar’mond Davis and Amadou Sow, who have combined to score 25.5 points per contest.

ACCURATE AHMAD: Ahmad has connected on 31 percent of the 158 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 9 of 24 over his last five games. He’s also made 80.2 percent of his free throws this season.

PERFECT WHEN: UC Santa Barbara is a perfect 14-0 when it scores at least 75 points. The Gauchos are 8-9 when scoring any fewer than that.

ASSIST RATIOS: The Titans have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara has 29 assists on 84 field goals (34.5 percent) over its past three games while Cal State Fullerton has assists on 36 of 69 field goals (52.2 percent) during its past three games.

SECOND CHANCES: UC Santa Barbara has posted an excellent offensive rebound percentage of 34.8 percent this year. That figure is the 23rd-highest in the nation. The offensive rebound percentage for Cal State Fullerton stands at just 24.6 percent (ranked 298th).