UC Riverside Hires Rick Croy as Assistant Men's Basketball Coach

(5/3/02) - The University of California, Riverside men's basketball program has hired Rick Croy as an assistant coach, Head Coach John Masi announced Friday.

Croy was the program's part time assistant from 1999 to 2001 before leaving to become an assistant coach at Concordia University in Irvine for the 2001-02 season. He replaces Reggie Howard, who left UCR to pursue other job opportunities.

"I am very happy to be able to bring Rick back into the fold," Masi said. "I felt it was important to keep continuity in our coaching staff and bring in somebody that the players were familiar with."

Croy was the recruiting coordinator at Concordia and helped the Eagles to 21-12 overall and 13-7 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. They lost in the first round of the conference tournament.

"It is great to be back and to see so many friendly faces," Croy said. "I had a very positive experience at Concordia, but I am glad to be a Highlander again."

Croy graduated from San Francisco State University in 1999 with a degree in recreation. As a player, he ranks among the SFSU leaders in five categories, holding the school record for three-point field goals (167), second in games played (103), third in assists (253) and steals (113) and eighth in scoring (1,128 points). Croy was the team's leading scorer in each of his final three seasons and was named All-Northern California Athletic Conference as a junior and honorable mention All-California Collegiate Athletic Association as a senior.

Croy earned a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in June of 2000.

UC Riverside Men's Basketball Signs Nate Carter to National Letter of Intent

(5/3/02) - The University of California Riverside men's basketball team has signed Division 4 Player of the Year Nate Carter of Horizon High School in San Diego to a National Letter of Intent, Coach John Masi announced Friday.

The 6-7 Carter, a First-Team All-CIF selection and the San Diego Union-Tribune's County Player of the Year, averaged 21.5 points per game and was the team leader in rebounds and assists, helping the Panthers to a 29-4 record. He scored 23 points and had 14 rebounds in Horizon's 78-45 victory over San Jose Valley Christian in the state championship game at Sacramento March 22.

"We are very excited to have Nate joining our program," Coach John Masi said. "We look for him to make an immediate impact for us."

This is the Highlanders' first announced signing of the 2002 signing period.

Highlanders Open Season with 78-69 Win Over EA All Stars

(11/2/02) - The UC Riverside Highlanders overcame a 10-point second half deficit and withstood a late rally to defeat the visiting Electronic Arts All Stars 78-69 in the exhibition opener Saturday at the UCR Student Recreation Center.

Freshman forward Nate Carter had an outstanding debut for the Highlanders, scoring 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Senior forward John Galbreath added 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. The Highlanders committed 28 turnovers in the game, but out rebounded the All Stars, 50-34. UCR shot 47.5% from the field on 28-of-59 shooting.

"I am pleased with the comeback, but we need to clean-up on our fundamentals," UCR Head Coach John Masi said.

The All Stars, who opened their schedule with a 97-86 loss to New Mexico at the Pit in Albuquerque Friday, were led by UCSB grad Josh Merrill, who had 16 points, despite shooting just 4-of-15 from the field. Maurice Spillers, who played at Utah State, scored 15 points before fouling out, and Cal grad Ryan Forehan-Kelly had 11.
The All Stars held a 35-34 advantage at halftime, then used an 11-4 run to open the second half to take a 48-38 lead. But the Highlanders responded with a 13-3 run to tie the game at 51-51.

Galbreath sparked the rally as he got aggressive and attacked the basket, making a lay-up and going to the line twice. Freshman center Klaus Schille also benefited as he got a lay-up on a pass from Galbreath. Junior guard Kevin Butler then nailed back-to-back treys to give UCR a 54-51 lead.

The Highlanders built the lead to as many as 10 on a free throw by Butler at 3:25 to make the score 73-63, but the All Stars mounted one last rally as Forehan-Kelly and Merrill each nailed three pointers to cut the lead to 73-69, but the Highlanders hit six-of-six free throws over the final 1:35 to ice the game.

The first half was extremely rough, as you might expect from a college team playing their first real game of the year and a club team playing their second game in as many nights. The Highlanders shot 51.9% from the field (4-of-27), but were just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. They also committed 19 turnovers, several on missed cuts and miss communication on passes. Defensively, the Highlanders held the All Stars to 13-of-39 shooting from the field.

The Highlanders jumped out to a 10-4 lead on a baseline dunk by freshman forward Nate Carter, but the All Stars came back to take a 13-12 lead on a pair of free throws by Scott Brooks at 9:35. The teams basically battled back and forth during the half.

The Highlanders play again on November 16 as they host the Delta Jammers at the UCR Recreation Center.

Big West Announces Preseason Polls, All-Conference

(Nov 6, 2002) - The 2002-03 Big West Preseason polls and all-conference teams were announced on Wednesday at Big West Media Day in Irvine, CA.

The Highlanders had two players make the preseason all-conference team, voted on by the media. Junior Crystal Harris and sophomore Casandra Reeves were joined by Gillian d’Hondt (UOP), Kari Duperron (CP), Kristen Mann (UCSB) and Lindsay Taylor (UCSB).

The women’s basketball coaches picked the Highlanders to finish seventh with 30 points. The reigning Big West Champion, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos were picked first with 64 points (eight first place votes) while the University of the Pacific received the other first place vote and finished second with 53 points while Long Beach State was third with 46 points. In the media poll, UCR was picked fourth as the top three remained the same as in the coaches poll with the Gauchos receiving all 14 first place votes.

On the men’s side, Riverside was picked tenth in both the media and coaches poll with 39 and 9 points respectively. UC Santa Barbara, Utah State and UC Irvine were the top three finishers in each poll. In the coaches poll, UCSB garnered 77 points (6), USU had 73 (3), and UCI received 69 (1). In the media poll, Santa Barbara had 246 (14), Utah State had 231 (9) and Irvine had 217 (3).

The men’s all-conference team included Varnie Daniels (CP), Branduinn Fullove (UCSB), Mark Hull (UCSB), Adam Parada (UCI), Desmond Penigar (USU) and Pape Sow (CSF).

Highlanders Defeat Delta Jammers 94-79

(11/16/02) - (Riverside, CA) - The UC Riverside Highlanders completed a perfect exhibition season with a 94-79 win over the visiting Delta Jammers travel team at the UCR Student Recreation Center Saturday.

Senior forward John Galbreath led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including seven-of-seven from the free throw line. Junior guard Ted Bell had 18 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including four threes. San Francisco State graduate Renardo Page had 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting to lead the Jammers.
Overall, the Highlanders shot 43.5% from the field (27-of-62) and 43.8% (7-of-16) from beyond the arc.

"We have lots of things we still need to work on. I am pleased with some of our defensive effort, but we need to work on defending the three point shot," Coach John Masi said. "Offensively we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I pleased overall with tonight's performance."

The Highlanders owned a 50-40 halftime advantage, but the Jammers came out running in the second half with an 11-3 run, taking advantage of several UCR mistakes, including a one-of-nine shooting performance from the field, to cut the deficit to 53-51 within the first five minutes.

The Jammers completed the comeback as Lee McCowan's driving layup gave them a 64-63 lead with 9:25 remaining.

UCR built the lead back to 10 at 82-72 at 3:28 on a free throw by Bell, but the Jammers again cut the lead to six on a pair of free throws by page and a layup by forward Malik Harris.

However, that was as close as they would get as UCR built the final margin to 15 by virtue of eight straight free throws in the final 90 seconds of the game. Guard Mark Peters put the cap on with a layup with four seconds left as the shot clock expired.

The Highlanders jumped out to an early 8-2 lead defeating the visitor's zone with the physical play inside of freshman Nate Carter and the outside shooting of John Galbreath. After the Jammers cut the lead to 11-10, the Highlanders went on a 10-0 run highlighted by Galbreath fast break lay-up off of steal to give them a 21-10 advantage at 10:48. The Highlanders built the lead to 14 before settling for the 10-point halftime advantage.

Galbreath had 10 points at the half on 4-of-7 shooting while freshman forward Nate Carter had nine points and five boards. He finished the evening with 13 points.

The Highlanders open the regular season on November 22nd at USC at the Sports Arena.

Highlanders Fall to USC in Opener, 81-68

(NOTE: After reviewing film on Monday, Nate Carter's final basket was changed from a two-pointer to a three-pointer.)

(11/22/02) - (Los Angeles, CA) - The USC Trojans capitalized on early jitters by the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders to post an 81-68 win in front of 3,127 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena Friday.

However, the score didn't tell the whole story, as the game was a tale of two halves: the first where the Highlanders seemed skittish as they faced their first real competition of the season, and the second where UCR came out strong, attacked the basket and executed the offense.

"We couldn't have had a better opening game, playing against a team that throws a lot of presses and looks against you," Masi said. "If you can't learn from a game like this, you can't learn from anything."

UCR was led by freshman forward Nate Carter who scored a game-high 24 points, 19 in the second half on 8-of-13 shooting after an 0-of-6 performance in the opening frame. Senior forward John Galbreath added 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The Trojans were led by sophomore guard Errick Craven, who scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting off the bench.

The Trojans built a 40-22 lead at the intermission, spreading the ball around with scoring from multiple sources while taking advantage of poor UCR shooting and early turnovers. UCR seemed tight early on, committing 10 turnovers in the first eight minutes as USC capitalized on the mistakes to jump out to a 14-6 lead.

"We didn't execute well in the first half. Our poor offense and turnovers cost us," Masi said.

Highlanders Lose to USD, 84-64

(11/30/02) - (Riverside, CA) - The University of San Diego Toreros moved to 3-0 on the season with an 84-64 win over the host UC Riverside Highlanders in front of 1,462 at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Saturday.

The game was one of ups and downs for the Highlanders, who overcame a 15-for-15 first half shooting performance by the Toreros and a twelve-point first half deficit to tie the game at 56-56 midway through the second half. However, USD replied with a 28-9 run over the final 10 minutes to put the game away.

The Toreros used a balanced, up-tempo attack, and had five players score in double digits, led by 18 each by senior center Jason Keep and senior forward Jason Blair. Guard Roy Morris had 14, guard Travis Smith had 10 points and guard Nick Lewis had 13 points off the bench on six-of-six shooting from the field. On the night, USD was 31-of-44 (70.5%) from the field.

The Highlanders were led by freshman forward Nate Carter, who scored 16 points and added seven rebounds. Junior guard Kevin Butler had 12 points and backcourt mate Ted Bell had 10. As a team, the Highlanders shot 45.3% from the field (24-of-53), but just 33.3% in the second half (9-of-27).

The Highlanders cut the lead to 49-47 on a three-pointer by Galbreath at 14:50, and the teams exchanged baskets until Aaron Hands nailed two free throws to tie the game at 56-56, bringing UCR all the way back at 10:40. However, USD went on a 12-2 run to build the lead back to 66-58 and cruised from there.

The Toreros led 41-35 at the intermission on the strength of a remarkable shooting display in the first half, as USD hit their first 16 shots from the field and their first three free throws without a miss, helping to blow open a one-point game into a 12-point advantage at 34-22 on a three pointer by Smith at the 7:30 mark. Nineteen of the points came from Keep (8) and Blair (11). The remarkable performance came to an end when Smith missed a short jumper at the 5:04 mark. Blair ended the free throw streak a moment later with a miss.

UCR clawed the lead down to six as Bell drained a three-pointer at 39-33 at 2:33 and the teams exchanged baskets over the final minute. The Toreros finished the half shooting 17-of-21 from the field (81.0%), while the Highlanders were 15-of-26 (57.7%). USD outrebounded the Highlanders, 27-22 and turnovers were tied at 20.

The Highlanders (0-2) now take two weeks off for finals and return to the court on December 14 as they host UC Santa Cruz.

Carter's Double-Double Leads Highlanders Over UCSC, 71-58

(12/14/02) - (Riverside, CA) - It wasn't pretty, but the UCR Highlanders got their first win of 2002 with a 71-58 win over UC Santa Cruz in front of 850 fans at the UCR Student Recreation Center Saturday.

The game was a ragged affair as the Highlanders looked to shake off the rust of two weeks between games due to finals. UCR was led by freshman forward Nate Carter, who recorded his first collegiate double-double with game-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds. Junior guard Ted Bell added 16 with a quartet of three pointers and senior guard Mark Miller had 13 off of the bench.

For UCSC, Nick Vita had 16 points and Matt Robles added 14. "We were very rusty out there," UCR Head Coach John Masi said. "It wasn't the performance I had hoped for and we have a lot of work to do before Tuesday (at St. Mary's)."

The tone of the game was set in the first three and half minutes as neither team could get the ball in the basket. UCR's Ted Bell finally broke the drought with a three pointer, but after 10 minutes the score was just 11-8 in favor of the Highlanders.

UCR gradually began to pull away, building the lead to 12 at the intermission at 36-24. In the second half the Banana Slugs cut the lead down to six at 49-43 on a three-pointer by Nick Vita at 10:15, but Mark Peters answered with a three pointer of his own, sparking a 9-0 mini rally to make the score 58-43. The Slugs never again got the deficit into single digits.

Sophomore guard Rickey Porter made his season debut after missing the pre-season and the first two regular season games with a sprained wrist.

The Highlanders (1-2) return to action on Tuesday as they travel to Moraga to face St. Mary's in a non-conference battle.

Gaels Hold Off Highlanders, 79-74

(12/17/02) - (Moraga, CA) - The St. Mary's College Gaels held off the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders 79-74 at the McKeon Pavilion in Moraga Tuesday.

UCR (1-3) was led by freshman forward Nate Carter who scored 17 points. Senior forward Aaron Hands had a season-high 12 points and junior guard Kevin Butler added 11. Forward Tyler Herr had 21 points to lead all scorers for the Gaels.

"There was a good effort there. I saw some positive signs, such as the fact we came back on the road. We just need a little more solid play to get over the hump," UCR Head Coach John Masi said.

The game was a foul-plagued affair as official blew their whistles 57 times, 32 against the Highlanders. St. Mary's capitalized by hitting 30-of-37 from the charity stripe, including 19 in a row at one point.

The game was tied 8-8 at the 15:30 mark as Kevin Butler nailed a three from the left wing, but the Gaels went on a 15-0 run as the Highlanders failed to find the basket for exactly seven minutes. Aaron Hands' layup at the seven minute mark broke the drought, cutting the score to 23-10. But the Gaels hit a dry-spell of their own, going just under six minutes without scoring a basket and the Highlanders slowly chipped away at the lead, finishing the half on a 16-7 run that put UCR within four at 30-26. Sophomore forward Kellen Dixon capped the rally with three baskets in the final 45 seconds. Entering the game, Dixon had scored just four points on the season.

The Highlanders cut the lead down to two at 36-34 as senior forward John Galbreath hit a pair of free throws at 14:23, his first trip to the line since the Highlanders' season opener at USC, but the Gaels went on a 12-2 run in the next four and a half minutes to jump out to a 48-36 lead.

The lead grew to as many as 14 at 59-45 with 6:21 remaining, but the Highlanders again began to chip away, cutting it to 71-63 with 1:40 left. UCR scored seven points over the next 60 seconds to cut the score to 77-71 with 24 seconds left on a layup and free throw by Kevin Butler, but they could get no closer, with Mark Peters three with three seconds left wrapping up the Highlander scoring and setting the final margin at 79-74.

UCR shot 48.1% from the field in the game, including 53.1% in the second half. The start of the game was delayed an hour and fifteen minutes by a campuswide power outage caused by a downed powerline.

The Highlanders next play Saturday, December 21, at the University of San Diego. The teams met earlier this season with USD taking a 84-64 decision on November 30th.

Toreros Defeat Highlanders, 73-62

(12/21/02) - (San Diego, CA) - The University of San Diego defeated the UC Riverside Highlanders for the second time this season, 73-62, in front of 1,753 fans at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego Saturday.

The Torero's frontcourt tandem of Jasons did in the Highlanders as they scored 41 of USD's 73 points. Senior forward Jason Blair scored a game-high 24 points, 20 in the first half, while senior center Jason Keep opened the second half with USD's first 10 points en route to 15 second-half points and 17 in the game before fouling out with four minutes remaining.

"Blair was the difference in this game," UCR Head Coach John Masi said. "He had an outstanding game."

UCR freshman forward Nate Carter scored 21 points, all in the second half, after not playing in the first half. Senior forward John Galbreath scored 11 points, nailing three treys.

The Highlanders shot 33.3% in the game, their lowest total of the season.

"Our offense is not where it needs to be, and our defense is not where it needs to be because we give up too many layups," Coach John Masi said.

The game started promisingly for the Highlanders, who led 9-7 on a three-pointer by Galbreath at 16:45. However, the Toreros responded with a 12-0 run while the Highlanders suffered through an 0-for-10 shooting slump over the next 7:15. The Toreros built the lead up to 14 at 36-22 by the end of the first half.

The second half saw the Toreros build their lead to as much as 22 points at 68-46 with 3:19 remaining , but UCR finished out the game on an 18-5 run to cut the final margin to 11, the punctuation coming on a break-away dunk by junior guard Kevin Butler at the buzzer.

Masi said that Carter sat out the first half due to "lack of effort in practice."

The Highlanders next play Saturday, December 28, as they face the No.5 ranked University of Oregon in Eugene at 2:30 PM.

No. 11 Ducks Defeat Highlanders, 108-67

(12/28/02) - (Eugene, OR) - The No.11 Oregon Ducks defeated the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders, 108-67, in front of 8,185 fans at MacArthur Court in Eugene Saturday.

The Highlanders (1-5) entered the game as severe underdogs to the Ducks (9-1), who had been ranked as high as No. 5 last week, but UCR did play well in spurts. However, turnovers continued to plague the Highlanders as they committed 14 in the first half en route to 28 on the game. The Ducks capitalized on the Highlander errors, scoring 31 points off of the miscues.

The Highlanders were led by junior guard Kevin Butler and freshman forward Nate Carter, who each had 14 points. Senior forward Aaron Hands had an outstanding night on the boards, pulling down a personal season-high of 11 before fouling out with 5:25 remaining. Oregon was led by guard Luke Ridnour, who scored 24 and backcourt mate Luke Jackson added 20. The Ducks had five scorers in double figures.

UCR trailed 48-27 at halftime but was outscored 32-11 over the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Ducks pulled out to an 80-38 lead.

In the game, the Highlanders shot 38.7% (24-of-62) from the field and were 6-of-15 from the three point line. Oregon was 37-of-72 from the field (51.4%) and hit 9-of-21 from the three point line and were 25-of-28 from the free throw line. The Ducks dominated the boards, 46-28.

The margin of defeat was the largest for UCR since the Highlanders fell by 38 to Cal Poly, 104-66 on January 13, 2001. That game also marked that last time that an opponent scored in excess of 100 points. The last time the Highlanders lost by a margin of 40 or more was November 29, 2000 where they lost to then No. 2 ranked Stanford, 84-41 (43 points).

The Highlanders next play Thursday, January 2, 2003, as they open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara. They continue on the road on January 4 at Cal Poly.

Gauchos Topple Highlanders, 65-49

(1/3/03) - (Santa Barbara, CA) - The UC Riverside Highlanders fell to the host UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in Santa Barbara Thursday 65-49, in the Big West opener for both teams at the Thunderdome.

The Highlanders (1-6, 0-1) were led by junior guard Kevin Butler's 13 points and freshman Nate Carter had 11, the first game that he did not lead the team in scoring.

"Kevin Butler played well tonight. He was shooting well early and even though he got a little tired, he still played a solid game," Masi said.

Mark Hull had 16 for the Gauchos, including three treys, and Josh Davis, filling in for the injured Branduinn Fullove was 5-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line for a season-high 14 points. The Gauchos shot 47.2% from the field (25-of-53) and the Highlanders hit 34.7% (14-of-49). UCSB won the battle of the boards, 35-30.

"Defensively we did a great job, offensively we struggled," Masi said.

Butler sparked the Highlanders to a 17-10 lead at 13:28. Butler scored six straight points, nailing a pair of field goals and two free throws to give the Highlanders a seven-point advantage, but UCSB responded with a 17-3 run give the Gauchos a 27-20 lead at 6:08 remaining. The run was spurred by eight points by Josh Davis, including two threes. The teams traded baskets over the final six minutes to set the halftime score at 32-25.

The Gauchos opened the second half with a 7-2 run to open up a 39-27 lead and never really looked back, as the teams basically exchanged baskets for the remainder of the period, though some late Highlander fouls swelled the lead in UCSB's favor.

The Highlanders next play Saturday, January 4, 2003, as they continue on the road on January 4 at Cal Poly.

Mustangs Squeak Past Highlanders, 83-77

(1/4/03) - (San Luis Obispo, CA) - The UC Riverside Highlanders played perhaps their best game of the season but came up short Saturday, falling to the Cal Poly Mustangs, 83-77, in a Big West contest at Mott Gymnasium in San Luis Obispo.

The Highlanders (1-7, 0-2) were led by freshman forward Nate Carter, who had a double-double with a game and season-high 30 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Kevin Butler added a season-high 16 points. Cal Poly got 22 from junior forward Shane Schilling and 19 from junior forward Varnie Dennis. UCR shot 64.0% (16-of-25) in the first half and 48.2% (27-of-56)

Carter's effort was the most scored in a game by a freshman since Mark Miller scored 25 on January 2, 2001. It was his second double-double of the season.

The Highlanders jumped out to an early 21-12 lead on the strength of 11 points from Nate Carter, forcing Cal Poly Coach Kevin Bromley to call a time out. The Mustangs fought back, narrowing the gap to 34-33 on a jumper by Varnie Dennis with 4:58 remaining, but Carter responded with a three pointer, then followed with a steal that led to a Jake Wessel three pointer to push the lead back to seven. The teams exchanged baskets before Steve Geary's jumper with 10 seconds left cut the lead to five at 42-37.

The 42 points were the most the Highlanders have scored in a first half this season and were just seven less than they scored in a full game at UCSB on Thursday.

Poly (6-5, 0-2) cut the led to 53-52 on a three-pointer by Jason Allen at 14:10, but the Highlanders responded with a driving layup by John Galbreath and a leaning jumper by Ted Bell to build the lead back to five at 57-52. But the Mustangs fought back with a three by James Grace and a three-point play by Dennis to take a 58-57 lead at 11:19. The lead reached four at 67-61 as Diaby Kamara had three consecutive tip-in baskets off of misses.

But UCR came back with a 7-0 run, six from Carter on four free throws and a layup, but Poly again answered back with a three-point play by Schilling to take a 70-68 lead. The Mustangs outscored UCR 13-9 down the stretch, with four points on free throws by Schilling to clinch the win.

The Highlanders next play Thursday, January 9, 2003 as they host Long Beach State at the Student Recreation Center at 7:00 PM.

Carter Scores 25 as Highlanders Get Win Over LBSU

(1/9/03) - (Riverside, CA) - The UC Riverside Highlanders won their first Big West game of the year while the visiting Long Beach State 49ers remained winless in conference play as UCR held off a furious 49er rally to win 77-73, in front of 1,711 fans at the Student Recreation Center Thursday.

For the second consecutive game the Highlanders (2-7, 1-2) broke out to a big first half lead, only to see the opposition roar back into the game. The 49ers (1-10, 0-2) trailed by as many as 19 in the first half, but chopped the margin to a single point in the final minute.

Freshman Nate Carter led all scorers with 25 points and had a team-high nine rebounds. Junior guard Ted Bell had 17 off the bench, including 5-of-6 shooting overall and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Guard Tony Darden had 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, all from beyond the arc. Forward Kevin Roberts had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

What had seemed like a laugher for the Highlanders got dicey as a four point play by Darden with 2:13 remaining cut what had been a double-digit lead to just four. A turnover by Nate Carter and a steal by Travis Clark led to another Darden three, an off-balance shot from well beyond the arc that banked in and cut the Highlander lead to 1 at 72-71 with 49 seconds left.

The 49ers fouled the Highlanders' Kevin Butler to send him to the line, but Butler missed the front end of a one-and-one. However, Carter got the rebound and gave UCR the 74-71 lead. Clark answered with a layup to make the lead one, and the 49ers again fouled, sending Ted Bell to the line. Bell missed the first, but made the second with 22.3 seconds left to make the score 75-73.

On the 49ers next possession Chris Jenkins missed a jumper from the free throw line and Butler gathered in a tip and was fouled with 10.1 seconds left. Butler missed the first, but made the second. Darnell Thompson's three pointer hit the back iron and bounced high off the glass, hitting the scoreboard before rolling into the hoop. However, the ball was ruled out of bounds when it hit the scoreboard and the Highlanders took possession with 2.9 seconds left. Jake Wessel was fouled with 0.9 seconds left, and again missed the first of a two-shot foul, but hit the second, icing the game.

UCR opened the game with a 7-0 run, forcing the 49ers to call an early time out at 17:57, but LBSU responded with an 8-2 run to quickly get back into the game. UCR responded with a run of their own, 14-2, to jump out to a 23-10 lead at 12:29. The lead would grow to as many as 19 as Bell stroked back-to-back three pointers to build the margin to 40-21 at 4:50. However, the 49ers finished the half on an 8-1 run to make the halftime margin 47-36.

The Highlanders broke their season mark for points in a first half for the second consecutive game, scoring 47. Their previous high was 42 in their last game at Cal Poly.

The game marked the first appearance of former long-time UCR assistant Larry Reynolds as a Division I headcoach. The win was John Masi’s first against his protégé since January 24, 1998, when Reynolds was at CS San Bernardino.

The win was Riverside’s second ever against LBSU. The 49ers hold a 16-2 historical advantage.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday night against UC Irvine with a game time of 7:10 PM at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside

Anteaters Hold Off Highlanders, 81-77

(1/11/03) - (Riverside, CA) - Mike Hood's jumper with 29 seconds left and two free throws with 11.1 seconds remaining helped the UC Irvine Anteaters hold off the UC Riverside Highlanders, 81-77 in front of 1,226 at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Saturday.

Hood's jumper gave the Anteaters the lead for good at 78-77. He put the game away a few moments later with a pair of clutch free throws after UCR guard Mark Peters' three point attempt bounced out and went to Hood.
The Highlanders' bid to tie the game ended as senior forward John Galbreath dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds as he drove to the basket. Jeff Gloger was fouled and hit one of two free throws to set the final margin at four.

The game was like a prize fight as the teams battled through 32 lead changes and 12 ties in the second half alone.

The game was billed as a battle between Big West Freshman of the Year candidates Nate Carter or UCR and Jeff Gloger of UCI. Carter was 6-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line for 16 points, while the UCI redshirt had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Jordan Harris of UCI led all scorers with 20 points, and Adam Parada and Hood each had 11. The Highlanders had five players in double figures led by Carter's 16. Galbreath and Aaron Hands each had 11 and Kevin Butler and Mark Peters each had 10.

The Anteaters jumped out to a 19-8 lead in the first six and a half minutes, nailing four treys, three by Harris. UCR quickly got back into the game with a 10-2 run over the next four minutes. The Highlanders cut the lead to 24-20 on driving layup by Hands, then moments later Mark Miller was fouled while shooting a three and nailed all three free throws to cut the margin to 24-23 at 8:12. Galbreath gave the Highlanders the lead for the first time at 26-25 with a three at 7:24. The lead changed hands three times and their were four ties in the final seven plus minutes and the teams entered the locker room deadlocked at 35-35.

The teams traded blows throughout the second half, matching shot for shot. UCR took a 73-72 lead at 2:50 on a three by Peters, but Matt Okoro answered with two free throws to switch it back in the Anteaters favor.
The crowd errupted with 48 seconds left as Peters connected with Hands on an alley-oop dunk to make it 77-76, but Hood answered with his jumper to make it 78-77 with 29 seconds left, then iced it a few moments later following Peters' miss.

UCR shot 62.5% from the field (25-of-40) and were 24-of-29 from the free throw line, both season. They also wonthe rebounding battle, 29-26. UCI shot 47.5% from the field (28-of-59).

It was the third game in a row in which UCR scored 77 points, their highest output of the season.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday night at Cal State Fullerton with a game time of 7:00 PM.

Highlanders Defeat Titans, 47-41

(1/18/03) - (Fullerton, CA) The UC Riverside Highlanders got their second conference win Saturday, defeating the host Cal State Fullerton Titans 47-41 in front of 1,065 fans at Titan Gym.

UCR freshman guard Nate Carter scored a game-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added eight rebounds. Senior forward Aaron Hands had a solid game, playing just under 40 minutes and scoring eight points, and adding four rebounds and two blocked shots. UCR shot 46.5% (20-of-43) from the field and were 4-of-5 from the line. The game had just 23 fouls, 13 on UCR and 10 on the Titans.

Guard Fedi Holm-Hadullah had a team-high 12 points off the bench for Fullerton and forward Anthony Bolton had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The game was played at a snails-pace in front of a crowded, but quiet, gymnasium. With Fullerton working the clock into the teens on each possession before starting their offense, the game took an almost scrimmage-like atmosphere with Daniels and Masi shouting offensive and defensive instructions to their teams.

The Highlanders got out to a quick start as John Galbreath nailed a three on the first possession, then Kevin Butler and Carter followed with buckets to jump out to a 7-0 lead, forcing Daniels to call a time out.

Neither team performed well following the break. The Titans finally got on the board at the 14:02 mark on a jumper by Holm-Hadulla, and the Highlanders went 5:23 between baskets before Hands scored from the paint at 11:31 to make it 9-4.

CSF cut the Highlander lead to one at 18-17 on a trey by Holm-Hadulla at 3:33, but the Highlanders finished the half on a 6-2 run including a pretty rebound at put-back of a Carter miss by Hands with 1:19 remaining.

CSF's Derick Andrew scored first four points of the second half to cut the lead to 24-23 at 18:08, but UCR built the lead back to eight at 35-27 with a 7-0 run capped off by a three by guard Mark Peters at 10:50.

After the Titans cut the lead to 37-33 on a trey by Bolton, the Highlanders built the lead back to 41-33 at 4:33 as Carter put-back a Galbreath miss off a steal by Kevin Butler.

The Titans then made their final run of the night on back-to-back treys by Bolton and Andrew sandwiched around a Highlander turnover. Groomes then tied it at 41-41 with a layup, but Carter gave UCR the lead back with a layup from Galbreath against the Titan press.

Wessel helped seal the win for the Highlanders, nailing a jumper from the free throw line to make the score 45-41, then grabbed a clutch rebound off a miss by Andrews with :40 left. Following a foul, Butler beat the defense for a layup, but missed it high off the glass. Carter was there for the rebound and put it home with 31 seconds left to give the Highlanders the final six-point advantage.

The 41 points allowed by the Highlanders was tied for the 10th lowest total in UCR history, matching a 41 point total scored by Upland College on February 20, 1962. The Highlanders' 47 points were the third lowest total in a victory. The lowest total was 40, scored against Cal Poly on February 25, 1984.

The Titans dressed only eight players due to injuries and suspensions.

The Highlanders return to action on Thursday, January 23, 2003 at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Aggies Defeat Highlanders, 77-58

(1/23/03) - (Logan, UT) è The Utah State Aggies defeated the UC Riverside Highlanders 77-58 at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in front of 7,056 fans in Logan, UT Thursday.

The Aggies used a 19-3 first half run and a 13-2 run to open the second half to overcome an early UCR lead and stay perfect at home this season. With the loss, UCR fell to 3-9 overall and 2-4 in the Big West, while Utah State moved to 14-4 and 4-2.

The Highlanders were led in scoring by freshman center Klaus Schille, who had a career-high 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting off the bench. Freshman forward Nate Carter added 10 points. Utah State was led by senior forward Desmond Penigar s 18 points. Four Aggies scored in double figures in the game.

The Highlanders came out strong and built an early nine-point lead at 22-13. UCR opened the half by spreading their offense around as eight different players scored UCR s first nine baskets.

The Highlanders built the lead up to 22-13 lead on a 7-0 run highlighted by Kevin Butler s second three pointer of the night at 9:46. But the Aggies held UCR to just three points over an eight minute span midway towards the end of the first half as part of a 19-3 run that turned a nine-point deficit into a seven-point lead. The Highlanders scored the final four points of the half as Schille and Carter recorded baskets to make the halftime margin 32-29.

The Aggies opened the second half on a 13-2 run to build the lead to 45-31. UCR cut the lead down to as few as 12 on a Butler three at 7:12 but could get no closer.

USU shot 54.4% (31-of-57) from the field, and UCR shot 42.1% (24-of-57). The Aggies outrebounded UCR, 38-29.

The game marked the first collegiate appearances by redshirt freshmen Jon Folonis (five points in five minutes) and Mike Ferrera (no points in two minutes.) The Highlanders return to action on Thursday, January 25, 2003 at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID.

Vandals Rally to Defeat UCR, 56-53

(1/25/03) - (Moscow, ID) è The University of Idaho took a nip-and-tuck 56-53 victory over the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders at the Cowan Spectrum in front of 2,663 fans in Moscow, ID Saturday.

The Highlanders were led by freshman forward Nate Carter, who scored a team-high 13 points. No other Highlander was in double digits. As a team, UCR was 18-of-46 from the field (39.1%). Idaho was led by Tyrone Hayes, who scored 17 points. Zach White added 13 off the bench. Idaho was 19-of-48 from the field (39.6%).

The Highlanders led by as many as seven, the last time at 36-29 at 16:19, as they opened the second half on an 8-0 ran that helped them overcome a seven-point first half Idaho lead. However, Idaho chipped away at the Highlander lead and tied it at 38-38 at 11:09 on a three pointer by Justan Logan. UCR again rallied, building the lead to five at 48-43 with 5:23 remaining, but the Vandals used a 11-1 run to build a five point lead of their own at 54-49 with 1:09 remaining.

UCR cut the lead to two on a jumper by Aaron Hands with 10 seconds left, and the door was left open for a chance to tie as Justin Logan made just one of two free throws to give Idaho a 56-53 lead with five seconds remaining. However, the Highlanders failed to convert their last second attempt to tie.

The Highlanders outrebounded the Vandals 34-30. Idaho was just 13-of-24(54.2%) from the free throw line while UCR was 13-of-17 (76.5%).

The Vandals took a 26-25 advantage into halftime. The Highlanders had trailed by seven at 22-15 but outscored the Vandals 10-4 in the final six minutes to climb back into the game. UCR had two cracks at a go-ahead basket in the final 10 seconds after stopping Idaho on their final shot attempt, but the shots fell short.

The Highlanders return to action on Thursday, January 30, 2003 as they host the University of the Pacific at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside.

Pacific Defeats UCR, 79-71

(1/30/03) - (Riverside, CA) è The University of the Pacific Tigers and UC Riverside Highlanders put on a three point shooting display, but it was the Tigers' free throw shooting that helped them come away with a 79-71 road victory in front of 977 fans at the Student Recreation Center Thursday.

The teams combined for 21 treys in the game, with UCR recording a season-high of 12. However, the difference in the score could be found at the foul line, as the Tigers hit 28-of-37 from the line while the Highlanders were 13-of-15. The game was extremely physical, as the teams combined to commit 54 fouls (32 for UCR, 22 for UOP). A total of six players fouled out of the game.

Freshman forward Nate Carter scored a game-high 20 and added six rebounds and junior guard Ted Bell had 19 points off the bench, including five three pointers. UOP had 18 from guard Demetrius Jackson, 15 from Jasko Korajkic and 16 from Myree Bowden off the bench.

UOP led 39-30 lead at the intermission. The Highlanders got within two points at 49-47 on a jumper by Mark Peters with 11:34 remaining, but the Tigers scored the next six points to pull out to an eight point advantage and the Highlanders got no closer than four the rest of the game.

The expected match-up of freshman of the year candidates Carter of UCR and Christian Maraker of UOP failed to materialize as Maraker did not play due to a sore back. The Tigers played the bulk of the game with just seven players.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday, February 1, 2003 as they host the Cal State Northridge Matadors at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside. The game is the annual homecoming extravaganza.

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