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(Nov. 24, 2007) –The
UC Riverside Men’s basketball team rallied back after
trailing by nine with six minutes left to beat the University
of Idaho 56-55 at the UCR Recreation Center Saturday night.
Junior Severin Gates finished with a game-high 18 points including
the game-winning layup with five seconds left for the Highlanders
who improve to 1-4 on the season.
Gates scored 10 of UCR’s
final 14 points as the Highlanders used a 14-4 run in the
final six minutes to give Jim Wooldridge his first victory
as head coach. UCR shot 11-23 (47.8%) from the field and outscored
the Vandals (1-3) 29-20 in the second half to overcome a nine
point half-time deficit.
The Highlanders came out
hot to start their home-opener, building a 18-9 lead at the
9:10 mark in the first half. The Vandals answered UCR’s
tempo and produced a 26-9 run of their own to close out the
final nine minutes and took a 35-27 into the break.
It was the shooting that
gave Idaho the lead through the first 20 minutes. The Vandals
fired up 29 shots, finishing 14-29 (48.3%) but the Highlanders
were doing the exact opposite. UCR kept on passing up open
look after open look, taking only 16 shots finishing, 9-16
(56.3%). They were attacking the basket however, reaching
the free throw line 17 times but failing to take advantage
making 8-17 (47.1%). The Vandals relied mostly on their outside
shooting, launching 13 shots from three-point land, finishing
the half 6 of 13 (46.2%).
Idaho went up by 10, 39-29,
three minutes into second half, but UCR answered back with
a small 7-2 run capped by sophomore Sean Cunningham’s
three pointer to cut the Vandal lead to 41-36. Both teams
struggled to score and the pace of the game slowed down for
most of the second half. Both squads scored only eight points
by way of free-throws over the next six minutes.
UCR came alive with just
over six minutes to play. Trailing 51-42, Gates started the
Highlander run, his two baskets were followed by junior Aaron
Scott’s layup and then another Gates jumper erased another
Vandal 10 point lead and make it 53-50 Idaho with three minutes
remaining. Another Scott layup followed from a Gates pass
made it 53-52.
The Vandals then made one
of two from the line to open up a two-point lead. On the following
UCR possession, Cunningham dribbled into the lane and dished
out to Gates who knocked down his jumper from the right wing
to tie it at 54-54 with two minutes left on the clock.
Neither team could get
a shot to fall over the next minute but Idaho received a break
as sophomore Charles Jim-George was whistled for a hand-check
on Trevor Morris. Morris made one-of-two from the line to
give Idaho a 55-54 advantage with 32 seconds remaining.
The Highlanders continued
to move the ball around the floor just as they had in the
second half to cut the Idaho lead. Another set of clean crisp
passes eventually found the hands of Gates, he then drove
the right side of the line and beat a couple Vandal defenders
with a lay up off the glass to put UCR on top 56-55. Idaho
raced the length of the floor in the closing seconds but their
shot went wide to give the Highlanders the win.
The difference in the second
half was the attacking of the rim by UCR who finished 11-23
(47.8%) from the floor in the second half to shoot 51.3% on
the night. Gates finished 8-12 from the field and also brought
down a game-high nine rebounds. Sean Cunningham added 11 points
and senior Larry Cunningham finished with nine points.
The Highlanders are at
home for one more game, hosting Hope International on Wednesday
at 7:00 p.m.
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