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(May 11, 2004) - The UC
Riverside Highlanders men’s basketball team has signed
three players to national letters of intent, Coach John Masi
announced.
The Highlanders have signed
6-0 point guard Justin Argenal (Concord, CA/DeLaSalle HS),
6-7 forward Daniel Fleming (Murrieta, CA/Murrieta Valley HS),
and 6-9 junior college transfer post David Misko (College
of the Sequoias).
• Argenal led the
De La Salle HS Spartans to a 30-3 record and the CIF State
Championship game. He became the career leader in steals and
assists, surpassing Drew Barry's marks. “Justin is known
for being an extremely solid point guard who can run a team,
making everyone around him better,” Masi said.
• Fleming will add
versatility to the Highlander roster with his ability to score
from both inside and out. As a senior at Murrieta Valley HS,
he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds. “Daniel is unlike
any current player on the Highlander's roster because of his
flexibility to play multiple positions and will be an exciting
one to see develop throughout the years,” Masi said.
• Misko averaged 10
points and five rebounds at College of Sequoias, leading them
to the semifinals of the Junior College State Championships
under the guidance of former Highlander Assistant Coach Rusty
Smith. “Misko is an extremely hard working post who
will add depth to our frontline,” Masi said. “He
will be another big body, a guy who should get some boards
and be a defensive presence.”
(July 8, 2004) - The NCAA
today selected the Big West Conference to host the 2008 Division
I Men’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds
at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. The 2008 event will take
place on Thursday, March 20 and Saturday, March 22.
Previously, the Big West and Arrowhead Pond teamed up to host
the NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regionals in 1998, 2001
and 2003. This marks the first time the Big West and Arrowhead
Pond will host the first two rounds of
the NCAA Championship.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with the
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and thankful the NCAA has awarded
us this opportunity to be involved once again with ‘March
Madness’”, said Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell.
“We know from our past experiences of hosting three
West Regionals in a six-year span that the committee respects
the arena, the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention
Bureau and the conference for their abilities to represent
Southern California in a first class manner.”
The Big West Conference is an NCAA Division I member including
the following institutions: California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo; California State University, Fullerton; California
State University, Northridge; Long Beach State University;
University of California, Irvine; University of California,
Riverside; University of California, Santa Barbara; University
of Idaho; University of the Pacific; and Utah State University.
The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim,
opened in 1993, is owned by the City of Anaheim and managed
by Anaheim Arena Management, LLC. Home to the NHL's Mighty
Ducks of Anaheim and a host of major sporting events, top-name
concerts and renowned family shows, the Arrowhead Pond stands
as one of the premier entertainment and sports venues in the
country. For more information on events at the Arrowhead Pond
visit arrowheadpond.com.
In addition to being the venue for the NCAA West Regionals,
the Arrowhead Pond hosted the 1999 Men’s Ice Hockey
Frozen Four. The Arrowhead Pond also is home to the annual
John R. Wooden Basketball Classic.
"We are thrilled to bring the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament
back to Southern California," said Tim Ryan, Arrowhead
Pond president. "This will be the fifth NCAA event at
the arena since we opened in 1993. Thanks to
partners like the Big West, we look forward to many more first-class
events in the coming years."
Big West member Pacific was selected to host First and Second
round games of the 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship
at ARCO Arena on March 15 and 17.
(August 3, 2004) - Former
standout Texas Tech point guard Bryant C. Moore has been hired
as an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University
of California, Riverside, Head Coach John Masi announced.
He replaces Darren French, who left the program earlier this
year to take a position at Tyler Junior College.
“Bryant is an up and
coming young coach, and his skills in teaching the game of
basketball are solid,” Masi said. “His collegiate
playing experience and his history of working with talented
young athletes will serve UCR well.”
The position will be Moore’s
first in the collegiate coach ranks. Moore had served as an
assistant coach to Head Coach Scott Gradin at Sheldon High
School in Elk Grove, CA from 2000 to 2004, helping the program
to three league titles and coaching a pair of California players
of the year - DeMarcus Nelson, the 2003-04 McDonalds All-America
and all time leading scorer in the state of California, and
Maurice Miller.
Moore played collegiately
at Texas Tech University where he was a two-year starter for
the Red Raiders in 1990-91 and 1991-92. In his first year
with the program he set a school record for assists with 12
against Southern Methodist University on February 2, 1991.
In his senior year in 1991-92
he started 24-of-29 games, averaging 7.8 points and 6.2 assists
per game. He set a pair of single-season school records that
season, recording 179 assists and 55 steals. He finished his
career with 335 assists and 105 steals.
Moore graduated from Texas
Tech in 1993 with a degree in Speech Communications.
He prepped at James Madison
High School in San Diego and attended Mesa (AZ) CC before
attending Texas Tech.
(Sept. 21, 2004) - The UC
Riverside Highlanders will face their "big brother,"
the Golden Bears of Cal, in the first round of the
2004 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on November 11th, the
Gazelle Group announced in a press release Tuesday.
The tournament features
16 teams playing at four regional sites at Syracuse, NY, Memphis,
TN, Birmingham, AL and Berkeley, CA. The winners from each
site will advance to the championship rounds at Madison Square
Garden in New York City on November 18th-19th. In addition
to the Highlanders, teams scheduled to participate are: Alabama
A&M, Belmont, Birmingham-Southern, Bucknell, Fairfield,
George Mason, IPFW, Northern Colorado, Princeton, Savannah
State, and St. Mary's.
"We are excited to
be playing in such a prestigious tournament," Head Coach
John Masi said. "It is a great opportunity to get a chance
to play at Madison Square Garden."
The Highlanders will open
up against the Golden Bears at 7:30 PM at Haas Pavilion. Also
in the bracket are St. Mary's and Belmont. Saturday will feature
a consolation game between the game-one losers prior to the
start of the quarterfinal games.
The game will mark the second
meeting between the two schools. UCR played at Cal on December
14, 1979, posting a 69-63 win. UCR has never faced Belmont
and is 3-1 against St. Mary's, including an 83-71 win at the
Student Recreation Center last season.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program,
created by the American Cancer Society and the National Association
of Basketball Coaches exists to leverage the strength, community
leadership and celebrity of our country's basketball coaches
to raise awareness and in turn, reduce cancer risk through
education programs while raising funds for the American Cancer
Society. Since 1995, The Gazelle Group, producer of the Coaches
vs. Cancer Classic, has raised over $2.2 million for Coaches
vs. Cancer.
(Nov. 11, 2004) - The host
California Golden Bears defeated the UC Riverside Highlanders
78-61 in the opening round of the
2004 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Haas Pavillion in Berkeley
Thursday.
The Highlanders open the
season at 0-1, while the Bears move to 1-0. UCR will play
Belmont in the consolation round of the tournament on Friday,
while the Bears will play St. Mary's in the championship game,
with the winner going on to Madison Square Garden next week
for the championship round.
Senior forward Vili Morton
had a double double with 10 points and 14- rebounds and freshman
Larry Cunningham had a game-high 18 points, all in the second
half. However, the Highlanders struggled mightily from the
field, shooting .334 overall (22-of-64) and 5-of-15 (.333)
from the three point line. Junior post Klaus Schille had eight
points before fouling out.
David Paris led the Bears
with 16 points and Eric Vierneisel had 12, all on three-pointers.
The game was close for the
first seven minutes, with the Highlanders coming back from
a 12-7 deficit to cut the lead to one at 12-11 with 13:15
remaining. However, the Highlanders then hit a cold spell,
as the Bears outscored them 15-0 over a span of 6:30 to jump
out to a 27-11 lead. The scoreless string was broken by a
Vili Morton layup at 6:45, but UCR got just two more baskets
in the first half and went into the locker room trailing 39-17.
The Highlanders post players combined for six baskets in 14
shots, but the guards and wings struggled, shooting 1-of-15
from the field and 0-3 from the three point line. The lone
basket by a non-post was by Justin Bell.
The second half was a more
wide-open affair, with both teams opening up their benches.
The Highlanders' offense seemed to flow more, though the remainder
of the wings continued to struggle, including Porter who was
0-of-9 and Williams who was 2-of-10.
The Highlanders play Belmont
in the consolation round game at 5:30 PM Friday. The radio
broadcast will be tape delayed to 7:00 PM on both the internet
and on KPRO-1570 AM.
(Nov. 12, 2004) -The UC
Riverside Highlanders got a double-double of 20 points and
10 rebounds from senior forward David Jobe and played outstanding
team defense in the second half to pull out a 74-65 win over
Belmont College in the consolation championship of the of
the 2004 Coaches vs. Cancer
Classic at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley Friday.
Jobe was the beneficiary
of the Belmont defense that keyed on senior forward Vili Morton
for most of the game. Jobe was 8-of-12 from the field, including
5-of-7 in the second half. Half of his 10 rebounds were offensive,
far and away the best on the team. Despite being double and
occasionally triple-teamed, Morton rallied for 14 points,
12 coming in the second half and junior guard Rickey Porter
had 15 points, 12 coming in the first half. For the Bruins,
Brian Collins had 20 points and Nick Otis had 14, including
nine from the three point line.
It was the Highlander defense
that was the story of the second half. UCR shut down the Belmont
outside attack, holding them to just 1-of-12 (8.3%) from the
three point line in the second half after they shot a remarkable
7-of-13 (58.3%) in the first half. Overall the Bruins shot
33.9% from the field (20-of-59) and 8-of-25 (32.0%) from the
three point line. In contrast, UCR shot 50.0% (26-of-52) from
the field and 36.4% (4-of-11) from the three point line for
the game. UCR recorded 18 assists on their 26 baskets and
outrebounded the Bruins, 40-32.
UCR used an 11-2 run in
the second half to turn a 46-46 tie into a 57-48 lead with
7:42 remaining. They extended the margin to 12 at 63-51 with
5:36 remaining on a pair of free throws by Morton, but the
Bruins' Collins led his team on an 8-0 run with three baskets
and a pair of free throws to cut the Highlanders' lead to
four at 63-59 with 3:44 left.
But Morton took over, scoring
six straight points on a pair of layups and a pair of free
throws to build the lead back to 10 at 69-59 with 2:26 remaining
and the Highlanders never looked back.
The Bruins set the tone
early, taking a 9-0 lead with a trio of treys in the first
1:48 of play. UCR came back to tie the game at 16-16 on a
three pointer by junior guard Steve Williams with 9:57 remaining
and took the lead for the first time at 19-18 on a three-pointer
by Porter at 7:54. Belmont went up 37-29 with an 7-0 run,
but UCR scored eight points in the final 1:19 of the half
to tie the game at 37-37. Four of the points were by Jobe,
who had a pair of free throws with 37.7 seconds and a put-back
basket of a missed Williams free throw as time expired to
tie the game at 37-37.
In the first half Belmont
showed the same form that led them to the third most three
pointers per game in the nation last season. The Bruins shot
7-of-13 (53.8%) from behind the arc in the first half and
46.2% (12-of-26) from the field. UCR was 58.3% (14-of-24)
and three-of-six from beyond the arc in the first half.
The win marked the first
time since 1998 that the Highlanders have won one of their
first two games.
The Highlanders return to
action on November 20 as they face Northern Arizona University
in Flagstaff at 1:05 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Nov. 20, 2004) -The Northern
Arizona University men’s basketball team defeated visiting
UC Riverside, 78-60, Saturday
afternoon in Rolle Activity Center.
The Highlanders fell to
1-2 with the loss while the Lumberjacks improved their record
to 2-1.
UCR senior forward Vili
Morton had a game-high 17 points, junior guard Rickey Porter
added 14 and junior guard Steve Williams had 11. The Lumberjacks
had five players who scored in double digits. Freshman Kyle
Landry and Boykin scored 16 apiece. Stevens ended the afternoon
with 13 points while Stephen Garnett and Kelly Golob added
10. The Highlanders held the Lumberjacks to just 1-of-13 shooting
from the three point line, but the Lumberjacks were 25-of-28
from the free throw line UCR was 7-of-23 from the line and
7-of-14 from the free throw line.
The Lumberjacks scored on
seven consecutive trips down the court, giving them the early
15-2 lead. The Highlanders struggled early on as they committed
seven of their 13 first-half turnovers in the beginning four
minutes of play.
UCR’s Vili Morton helped
his team out of its deficit as he scored 12 points to put
both teams at 34 going into the locker rooms.
The teams battled back
and forth early on in the second period, but the Lumberjacks
used an 11-1 run to blow open a 47-46 lead into a 58-47 advantage
with 9:23 to play. With the Highlanders shooting from outside
in attempts to cut the margin, the Lumberjacks got several
easy baskets to close out the game with an 18-point margin.
The Highlanders return to
action on November 27 as they host Loyola Marymount at the
Student Recreation Center 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Nov. 27, 2004) - Junior
guard Rickey Porter and senior center Vili Morton each has
21 points had a double-double with 21 points and a game high
11 rebounds as the UC Riverside Highlanders opened their home
schedule in fine fashion with a 79-72 win over the visiting
Loyola Marymount Lions at the UCR Student Recreation Center
in Riverside Saturday.
With the win, UCR moves
to 2-2 on the season, while LMU falls to 2-1.
Porter had a career night,
tying or breaking eight career marks, including hitting a
game-high and career-high tying four three pointers and career-high
tying seven free throws on a career-best eight attempts. He
also had a career-highs in rebounds (7), assists (4) and shot
attempts (18).
While Porter dominated the
outside, Morton was solid inside, scoring 21 points and pulling
down 11 boards while stifling the Lions leading scorer Matthew
Knight, holding him to just eight points.
Brandon Worthy led the Lions
with a game-high 26 points and Charles Brown added 12. For
the Highlanders, junior guard Steve Williams had 14 points
and freshman guard Larry Cunningham added 11. Junior forward
Klaus Schille had a career-high seven rebounds. The Highlanders
shot 42.4% on the evening (25-of-59) and 50.0% from beyond
the arc (10-of-20). UCR outrebounded the Lions, 49-32 and
posted 16 assists.
The Highlanders used back-to-back-to-back
three pointers by Cunningham and Porter to key a 9-2 run and
give UCR a 49-45 lead with 13:14 remaining. The Lions came
back to take the lead at 52-49 on a trey by Daryl Pegram at
10:15 and the lead continued to flip back and forth, with
the Lions holding a 57-55 edge with 7:20 remaining on a basket
and free throw by Worthy. But Porter's next three at 6:52
off a pass by senior guard Brett Ost gave UCR the lead at
58-57 and they never looked back. The three started a 12-3
run that gave UCR a 67-60 advantage, with Porter's fifth and
final three bookending the run.
The Lions stopped the run
with a pair of Worthy free throws and the momentum swung momentarily
when John Haywood blocked away a Porter layup attempt on a
fast break. But junior guard Justin Bell drained a three after
the inbounds, putting the margin to eight.
Brown's three and a Worthy
layup led the Lions on one last run, cutting the margin to
three at 72-69 with 30 seconds remaining, but Porter made
five of six free throws in the final 30 seconds and Morton
added a pair to send the majority of the 460 fans in attendance
home happy.
The Highlanders return to
action on December 4 as they host Cascade College at the Student
Recreation Center at 7:00 PM.
(Nov. 29, 2004) - Junior
guard Rickey Porter (Fountain Valley, CA/Mater Dei HS) was
named the Big West Player of the Week Tuesday by the conference
office.
Porter had perhaps his finest
game as a Highlander in UCR's 79-72 win over Loyola Marymount
on November 27th. Porter tied or set seven new single-game
personal records, hit a clutch three to start a UCR rally
and drained five-of-six free throws down the stretch to clinch
the win over previously unbeaten LMU.
In the game, he led UCR
with a team-high of 21 points, and career-highs of seven rebounds
and four assists.
His fourth trey of the
game vs. the Lions gave UCR the lead for good and keyed a
12-3 run. Porter then hit five-of-six free throws in the final
28 seconds to put the game away for the Highlanders.
Overall, he set career-highs
in field goal attempts (18), three pointers attempted (12),
free throws attempted (8), rebounds (7), assists (4) and total
points (24). He tied his marks in threes made (5) and free
throws made (7).
On the season Porter is
averaging 13.8 points per game, second on the team, and has
a team-high nine three pointers.
BOX
SCORE
(Dec. 4, 2004) - Five Highlanders
scored in double-figures as UC Riverside defeated the Cascade
College Thunderbirds, 102-60, in a non-conference match at
the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Saturday.
Junior guard Rickey Porter
scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting and drained
a game-high five three pointers. Junior guard Steve Williams
had a Division I career high of 23 points and added seven
rebounds.
Senior forward Vili Morton
recorded his third and the team's fourth double-double of
the year with 13 points and 12 rebounds, senior guard Brett
Ost had a career-high 12 points, all coming on threes, and
freshman guard Larry Cunningham came off the bench to score
13 points. Junior forward Klaus Schille had nine points and
nine rebounds. Junior guard Justin Bell came off the bench
to record nine assists. UCR shot 50.0% (37-of-74) from the
field and was 16-of-35 (45.7%) from the three point line.
For the Thunderbirds, an
NAIA team from Portland, OR, Malik Edwards had 22 points and
Paul Hamilton added 14.
The undersized Thunderbirds
stayed in a zone for most of the night and the Highlanders
excelled in moving the ball, recording a season-high 28 assists.
UCR forced the Thunderbirds into 23 turnovers and scored 35
points off the miscues.
UCR outscored Cascade 56-26
in the second half, breaking open what had been a relatively
close game early Ont. teams were tied at 6-6 with 15:34 remaining
in the first, but UCR went on a 12-1 run and never looked
back. The Thunderbirds cut the margin to four at 29-25 with
7:34 remaining, but a 10-2 run put UCR up by 12 at 39-27 and
the lead never again got below 10 as Riverside owned a 46-34
lead at halftime.
The only major question
in the second half was whether UCR would reach the century
mark for the first time this season. Ost's three put that
fear to rest with 1:26 remaining, sending the crowd of 636
into hysterics.
All 10 Highlanders who suited
up for the game played.
The Highlanders return to
action on Sunday, December 12 as the Highlanders travel to
face Arizona State. Game time is 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Dec. 12, 2004) - TEMPE,
Ariz. - Junior guard Rickey Porter had 17 points and senior
forward Vili Morton added 15, but Arizona State forward Ike
Diogu scored 19 points and junior Bryson Krueger scored a
season-high 23 points to lead Arizona State to a 75-59 win
over visiting UC Riverside on Sunday night.
Diogu, who scored 13 of
his 16 points in the second half, reached double digits for
the 67th consecutive time. At 7-1, the Sun Devils are off
to their best start since they went 8-1 in the 1992-93 season.
UCR fell to 3-3 on the season.
UCR had a 9-8 lead on a
Porter three with 17:17 remaining in the first half. ASU jumped
out to a 19-13 lead, but UCR came back to tie it at 19-19
on a jumper by freshman Larry Cunningham with 7:35 left. However
the Sun Devils used a 16-4 run to close out the half and put
the Highlanders into a 35-23 hole.
The Highlanders started
chipping away at the Sun Devil lead in the second half with
a 13-6 run, as Morton scored UCR's first seven points of the
half. A Porter three-point-play with 14:35 remaining cut the
margin to six at 41-36 with 13:54 left, but the Sun Devils
had an 8-2 run and stretched the lead to at 49-38 with 11:17
remaining. A Steve Williams layup broke the run to make it
49-40, but Diogu and Krueger combined to propel ASU on an
11-2 run that mate the margin 18 at 60-42 and the Sun Devils
never looked back. The lead grew to as many as 23 points before
UCR shaved it to the final 16.
UCR shot 3-of-22 (13.6%)
from the three point line, but were 19-of-36 (52.8%) from
inside the arc
The Highlanders return to
action on Monday, December 20 as they host Sacramento State
at the Student Recreation Center. Game time is 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Dec. 20, 2004) - UCR senior
forward Vili Morton had a career-high 29 points and the host
UC Riverside Highlanders used a 19-4 run to break a 34-34
halftime tie and pull out an 82-74 win over the visiting Sacramento
State Hornets in front of a crowd of 583 fans at the Student
Recreation Center Monday.
With the win UCR moved to
4-3 on the season, while Sacramento State fell to 1-8.
Morton had his fourth double-double
of the season with 29 points and 13 rebounds and junior wing
Steve Williams had his first UCR double-double with 11 points
and 12 rebounds. Senior forward David Jobe had 15 , all coming
in the second half, and junior guard Rickey Porter had 13
points. Jason Harris led the hornets with 23 points and Schuler
McKay added 10.
The Hornets opened the scoring
in the second half with a bucket by McKay, but UCR took the
lead back on a three by Brett Ost, who had eight points. Moments
later, with the score tied at 38-38, the Highlanders got consecutive
baskets by Williams and a three-point play by Vili to give
them a 43-38. Following a Hornet bucket, UCR got back-to-back
threes by Porter and Williams to build the lead to nine and
never looked back.
Sacramento State cut the
lead to single digits in the final minutes, shaving it to
as few as six on four occasions. They cut it to 73-67 on a
pair of free throws by Freeman with 2:01 left, but a pair
of free throws by Jobe and additional free throws by Williams
and Porter gave UCR back the momentum. The Hornets got within
six again with seven seconds left, but Jobe iced the win with
two more charity buckets to set the final margin at 82-74.
UCR overcame poor first
half shooting to hit 14-of-21 from the field in the second
half. UCR was also 28-of-39 (71.8%) from the line, both season
highs. The Highlanders won the battle of the boards, 43-19,
their biggest advantage of the season.
The first half was back
and forth featuring four lead changes and eight ties. Sacramento
State took a five point lead at 31-26 with 4:21 remaining
and led 34-29 with 1:17 left, but UCR got a three pointer
by Porter and a pair of free throws to tie the game at 34-34
entering intermission. Harris had 15 points, almost half of
the Highlanders output, but Morton topped him with 16. The
Hornets shot 50.0% from the floor (13-of-26) compared to UCR's
37.0% (10-of-27).
The Highlanders return to
action on Wednesday, December 22 as they host the University
of Portland at the Student Recreation Center. Game time is
7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Dec. 22, 2004) - University
of Portland guard Pooh Jeter scored a game-high 25 points
and the Pilots overcame a two-point halftime deficit to pull
out a 76-70 non-conference win over the host UC Riverside
Highlanders at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside
Wednesday.
With the win, the Pilots
moved to 9-3, while the Highlanders fell to 4-4.
For the Highlanders, redshirt
freshman guard Larry Cunningham came off the bench to score
19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-7 from the three
point line, and senior forward Vili Morton had 18 points and
eight rebounds.
Portland's Darren Cooper
had 14 points and Marcus Lewis came off the bench to score
10.
UCR's struggles at the
free throw line proved to be the difference. Morton shot 6-of-13
from the line, and the rest of the Highlanders were just 3-of-5
from the line. In contrast, Portland made 15-of-19.
The Highlanders shot over
50.0% for the first time this season (26-of-51, 51.0%), bettering
the Pilots' 46.7% clip (28-of-60). The Pilots outrebounded
UCR, 32-28.
The Pilots used a 9-2 run
in the second half to overcome a 52-51 UCR lead and build
a 60-54 margin. The Highlanders got back within two at 62-60
with 5:44 remaining on a jumper by junior guard Justin Bell.
With Portland leading 68-64
with 2:04 remaining, the Highlanders' hopes for a rally were
hurt when Morton was called for a questionable offensive foul.
Jeter followed with a jumper and Jeremiah Dominguez hit a
pair of free throws to build the lead to eight with 50 seconds
remaining.
UCR led by as many as nine
in the first half, the last time at 29-20 with 4:58 remaining.
But the Pilots outscored the Highlanders by seven in the final
minutes and only trailed by two at the intermission, 33-31.
Morton was held to four points and did not have a rebound
in the first half.
The Highlanders return
to action on Tuesday, December 28 open Big West play at the
University of the Pacific. Game time is 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Dec. 28, 2004) - The UC
Riverside Highlanders made it close, but came up on the short
end of a 58-45 decision to the host University of the Pacific
Tigers at the Spanos Center in Stockton Tuesday in the Big
West Conference opener for both teams.
The Highlanders had a tough
shooting night and continued to struggle with turnovers, but
trailed by just five points with four minutes remaining. However,
the Highlanders could not get a decent shot off to cut the
margin further and the Tigers drew away over the final minutes.
UCR is now 4-5, 0-1 and
the Tigers are 6-2, 1-0.
The Tigers got a pair of
double-doubles, as Christian Maraker had 11 points and 10
rebounds and Guillaume Yango had 10 points and 11 boards.
David Doubley led the Tigers with a game-high 18 points. The
Tigers outrebounded UCR, 44-27.
Justin Bell was the leading
scorer for UCR and the only player to reach double-digits
with 10 points. The Highlanders were just 29.6% from the field
on the night, including 5-of-24 from the three point line.
The Highlanders kept the
game close for most of the second half. They cut a seven-point
halftime deficit to three on a pair of free throws by Vili
Morton followed moments later by a Morton jumper that made
it 31-28 with 17:24 remaining. Pacific slowly drew away, building
the margin up to 10 at 43-33, but a Rickey Porter trey made
it 43-36, and UCR cut it further to 45-40 with 5:42 remaining,
forcing a UOP time out.
UCR trailed 50-45 with four
minutes left and coming out of a timeout, but were unable
to get a good look at the basket. UOP scored the last eight
points of the game and built the final margin to 13.
The Highlanders trailed
by as many as 13 in the first half and struggled with nine
turnovers, including three straight within the final 90 seconds,
but entered the half trailing by just seven points at 29-22
as Bell ended the half with a 25-foot three pointer as time
expired. They struggled from the field, hitting just 18% from
the field at the midpoint of the half before upping it to
33.3% at the intermission. Morton was just 1-of-6 from the
field in the half.
The Highlanders return to
action on Thursday, December 30 as they travel to face Cal
State Northridge in the final game of 2004.
BOX
SCORE
(Dec. 30, 2004) - The Cal
State Northridge Matadors handed the visiting UC Riverside
Highlanders their second consecutive Big West loss with a
57-43 victory at the Matadome in Northridge Thursday. With
the win, the Matadors improve to 3-7, 1-1 in the Big West,
while the Highlanders fell to 4-6, 0-2.
Junior guard Rickey Porter
led the Highlanders with 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting from
the field and 2-of-10 from the three point line. He was the
only Highlander to reach double figures, though junior guard
Steve Williams had nine points and senior forward Vili Morton
had eight points and eight rebounds. UCR shot 37.7% from the
field (20-of-53) and was 3-of-14 (21.4%) from the three point
line.
For Northridge, sophomore
forward Thomas Shewmake had a double-double with 14 points
and 11 rebounds. Senior swingman Ian Boylan had 11 points,
six coming in the second half. The Matadors outrebounded the
HIghlanders, 40-32, and forced UCR into 17 turnovers.
It was a tale of two halves
for the Highlanders, who followed one of their worst offensive
and defensive performances of the season in the first half
with an improved second half performance that trimmed a 15-point
halftime deficit to just seven on two occasions. However,
UCR could get no closer and the Matadors rebuilt the margin
to double-digits as the game wore down.
The Matadors opened the
game with a 7-0 run, but UCR trimmed the margin to 11-7 at
12:35. The Matadors again took the momentum, scoring eight
unanswered points to build a 19-7 lead as the Highlanders
went nearly five minutes between field goals. The Matadors
finished the half strongly as Shewmake scored his team's final
eight points, and Northridge entered the intermission with
a 31-16 lead.
The 16 points were the Highlanders'
lowest output of the season. UCR was 6-of-23 (26.1%) from
the field and missed all seven of their trey attempts. Northridge
hit 11-of-33 from the field and outrebounded the Highlanders
25-16.
UCR opened the second half
in a zone and the Matadors' offense stalled, allowing UCR
to crawl back into the game. Brett Ost and Rickey Porter opened
the half with threes, then Williams followed with six consecutive
points to help UCR cut the margin to 37-30 with 12:53 remaining.
But with Williams on the
bench with four fouls, the Highlander offense began to struggle,
and the lead was back to 11 at 43-32 with 9:21 remaining.
The Matadors used an 11-2 run, with Boylan chipping in the
final six points, to put the game out of reach at 56-40 with
3:36 remaining. The Highlanders failed to score a field goal
in the final 6:50 of regulation.
The Highlanders next play
at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, January 6th.
(Jan. 3, 2005) - Former
Arizona State guard and Moreno Valley native Tron Smith has
transferred to UC Riverside, Highlanders’ Head Coach
John Masi announced Monday.
Smith is a 6-2, 195 pound
combo guard out of Canyon Springs HS. He left the ASU program
prior to the start of the regular season under a mutual agreement
with Head Coach Rob Evans. He began attending classes at UC
Riverside on Monday, January 3, and will be eligible to play
for the Highlanders at the end of Fall Quarter, 2005. He will
have at least two years of eligibility remaining.
“We are excited to
welcome Tron to the Highlander family,” Masi said. “He
is a talented young man and will be a great asset to the program.”
Masi said Smith would begin
practicing with the team immediately.
As a freshman at ASU in
2003-04, Smith appeared in 17 games, starting 10 and averaging
3.9 points and 1.5 boards per game. He suffered a broken nose
in December, 2003, when he was elbowed by a teammate in practice.
He subsequently came down with pneumonia and had a hamstring
problem. He scored a season-high 10 points against Washington.
This season, Smith played just 11 minutes in an exhibition
opener against Alberta-Edmonton and three minutes against
EA Sports before leaving the team.
Smith was recruited to ASU
after being ranked as the No. 27 incoming freshman by ESPN.com
in May, 2003, tabbing him as the sixth best shooting guard.
He was ranked No. 63 in CBS Sportsline rankings and No. 68
by Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports Report.
While at Canyon Springs,
he averaged 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three
steals in his senior year, earning All-State Second Team honors
as well as All-CIF Southern Section Division IA first team
honors. Smith was named First-Team Long Beach Press Telegram
Best in the West from among players from the nine western
states. Other big names on the first team were California’s
Leon Powe, UCLA’s Aaron Brooks, and USC’s Rodrick
and Lodrick Stewart.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 6, 2004) - The UC
Riverside Highlanders made it close, but suffered their fourth
consecutive loss of the season and third straight in Big West
play as the Cal State Fullerton Titans defeated them 74-71
in front of 823 fans at Titan Gym in Fullerton Thursday.
Senior forward Vili Morton
became the 11th Highlander to reach the 1,000 career point
plateau with his eighth point of the game, coming on a short
turnaround layup with 18:32 remaining in the second half.
Morton finished with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds,
and Klaus Schille had a career high 15 points for the Highlanders.
Bobby Brown led the Titans with 23 points, and Hardy Asprilla
had a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds, including
a backbreaking prayer layup with 50.5 seconds left that crushed
the Highlanders comeback hopes. Jamaal Brown also had a double-double
of 15 points and 12 rebounds and Ralphy Holmes had 15 points
and seven boards.
The Titans (6-4, 2-1) used
a 9-2 run early in the second half to break a 36-36 tie and
build a seven point margin. The Highlanders (4-7, 0-3) struggled
with the Titans' transition offense and were outrebounded
56-34 in the game. UCR also was just 15-of-26 from the free
throw line (57.7%) and made just 8-of-16 in the second. The
missed free throws would prove key in the outcome.
The Titans led 64-57 with
4:04 remaining, but UCR came roaring back with an 12-3 run
to give them the lead for the first time in the second half
at 68-67 with 1:09 remaining. But Asprilla followed with an
offensive rebound of a Bobby Brown layup and hit a prayer
shot as he was fouled and falling out of bounds. He nailed
the free throw to give the Titans a 70-68 lead, sucking the
wind out of the Highlanders come back.
Following a pair of Titan
free throws, Justin Bell drained a three with 5.9 seconds
left to bring it to 72-71. Jamaal Brown was fouled and drained
a pair of free throws with 4.9 seconds left, and Bell's three
point bid to tie at the buzzer fell short.
The Highlanders committed
a turnover on their first possession of the second half, but
then went on a 6-0 run to tie it at 36-36, the tying basket
coming on a Schille tip-in of a Morton miss with 17:49 left.
Fullerton called time out, then immediately responded with
a 9-2 run, seven coming from forward Jamaal Brown, to build
a 45-38 advantage.
Titans opened the game with
a 9-0 run, but Bell got UCR on the board at the 16:04 mark
with a 12-foot jumper. UCR used a 9-2 run to cut the Titans'
lead to three at 18-15 with 11:29 remaining. The Titans' Bobby
Brown scored six consecutive points to pad the lead to 24-15
lead with 8:59 remaining. The Highlanders finished strongly,
limiting the Titans to just two free throws over the final
5:00 minutes and trimming the halftime margin to 34-30. Both
teams struggled with their shooting in the first half, with
UCR hitting 11-of-30 (36.7%) and Fullerton 12-of-36 (33.3%).
The Titans outrebounded UCR, 33-14 in the half.
The Highlanders next play
at UC Davis in a non-conference game on Monday, January 10th
at the Student Recreation Center. Tip off is 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 10, 2004) - The Highlanders
dropped a 66-65 non-conference game to the visiting UC Davis
Aggies in front of 715 fans at the Student Recreation Center
in Riverside Monday, but may have suffered a much more significant
loss when senior center Vili Morton suffered an undisclosed
injury to his left knee late in the second half.
The game came down to the
final possession. Trailing 65-64, the Aggies' Rommel Martinez'
layup attempt was blocked by Highlander guard Larry Cunningham.
Ryan Moore got the rebound and put up a layup that was short,
got his own rebound, then laid it in as time expired to give
Davis a 66-65 win. Moore led the Aggies (6-8) with 25 points.
Morton had a team-high 25
points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, but he was just
9-of-16 from the free throw line. With 55 seconds left, Morton
passed the ball to Steve Williams as he drove to the basket.
Williams hit Moore, who fell to the floor in front of Morton,
who was moving to the basket for the rebound. Morton's foot
appeared to get caught under Moore, and Morton fell to the
floor in obvious pain.
According to UCR Athletic
Trainer Tony Ontiveros, Morton will undergo X-rays and see
the team orthopedist on Tuesday, and the injury will be further
evaluated.
After trailing by as many
as 15 points in the second, the Aggies went on a 14-5 run
to cut a 55-45 Highlander lead to just one at 60-59 with 2:50
remaining on a three by Ryan Moore. Moments later, following
an Aggie intentional foul and a Morton free throw, Moore drained
another trey to give the Aggies a 62-61 lead with 2:04 left.
Morton hit one-of-two free throws with 1:52 left to tie the
score at 62-62.
Morton's injury occurred
on the next play as Williams was fouled. He made both free
throws for a 64-62 lead, but Moore Hit another layup to tie
the game at 64-64 with 48 seconds left. With 29 seconds remaining,
Klaus Schille was fouled and hit one of two free throws, giving
UCR the lead and setting up the thrilling finish.
Free throws continued to
be the Highlanders' (4-8) Achilles' Heel, as they hit just
19-of-30 (63.3%) in the game. In contrast, Davis hit 10-of-12.
Overall the Highlanders shot well, hitting 20-of-35 from the
field and 6-of-12 from the three point line, though they were
just 1-of-5 from the arc in the second half.
UCR opened the game with
a 9-0 run over the first 3:25, forcing the Aggies to call
a time out. The Aggies got on the board at 16:03 of the first
half on a pair of Moore free throws, but the Highlanders'
hot shooting continued, while UC Davis struggled. The lead
reached as many as 15 at 28-13 with 4:28 remaining. The Aggies
cut the margin to nine at 33-24, but Rickey Porter's three
off of a long rebound as time expired gave the Highlanders
a 36-24 lead entering the intermission.
The Highlanders had three
players with 10-points at the intermission - Porter, Williams
and Morton - following one of their best shooting halves of
the year, hitting 12-of-18 (66.7%), including 5-of-7 (71.4%)
from the three point line. In contrast, the Aggies struggled,
hitting just 7-of-23 (30.4%) from the field and 3-of-11 from
the three point line.
The Highlanders next host
UC Irvine on Thursday, January 13th in a Big West Conference
game at the Student Recreation Center. Tip off is 7:00 PM.
(Jan. 12, 2004) - UC Riverside
senior forward Vili Morton will miss the remainder of the
2004-05 season after suffering a major injury to his left
knee during Monday’s game against UC Davis.
Morton suffered a partial tear of his left anterior cruciate
ligament, a partial tear of his medial collateral ligament,
a small tear to his lateral meniscus and a small compression
fracture of his femoral condyle when he was hit by UC Davis
forward Ryan Moore with 55 seconds remaining in the Highlanders’
66-65 loss to the Aggies on January 10th, 2005.
He underwent x-rays and magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) scan
on Tuesday, and the results of the tests were released Wednesday.
“The nature of the injury will not allow him to play
again this season,” UCR Certified Athletics Trainer
Tony Ontiveros said.
“Vili is currently wearing a long knee brace to help
support the knee and he has begun light activities to help
with his range of motion and decrease his pain,” Ontiveros
said. “He will stay on crutches for the next two weeks.
The treatment plan would be to surgically repair the ACL and
lateral meniscus, and that surgery should take place within
the next four to six weeks.”
Ontiveros added that with rehabilitation, Morton could return
to the practice floor in six months in preparation for a professional
career.
“Vili seems to be in good spirits, which is remarkable
considering what he has been through,” UCR Head Coach
John Masi said. “Everybody on the team feels bad for
him. He is as fine a person as there is and it is a terrible
thing to see him go down, especially given the amount he has
worked to overcome the injury to his foot last season. He
has sacrificed quite a bit for the sake of this program, and
we will work hard to help him rehabilitate and overcome this
injury.”
After redshirting the 2002-03 season, Morton played the 03-04
season with an undiagnosed fracture to the navicular bone
in his right foot. He underwent surgery after the season and
spent four months in a walking boot.
Morton, who attended practice on Wednesday, concludes his
Highlander career as the ninth all-time leading scorer with
1,037 points, and has a school record 174 career blocked shots.
He led the team in 2004-05 with a 16.5 points per game average
and a 9.1 rebounds per game average in 32.3 minutes per game.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 13, 2005) - With their
senior leader Vili Morton on the bench with his leg in a brace,
it was a freshman who led the Highlanders to their first Big
West win.
Redshirt freshman Larry
Cunningham had a team season-high tying 29 points, including
15 straight in the first half, to help the Highlanders to
a 68-55 win over UC Irvine in a Big West Conference game at
the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Thursday.
The Highlanders improved
to 5-8 and 1-3 in the Big West, snapping a five game losing
streak. UC Irvine fell to 6-6 overall and 1-4 in the Big West.
With Morton on the shelf, the Highlanders played one of their
best games of the season, gelling as a team, crashing the
boards and playing cohesive defense.
Cunningham tied the Highlanders'
season-high 29 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field,
5-of-7 from the three point line and 8-of-10 from the free
throw line. His 29th point came on a circus shot where he
swooped under the basket and threw up an over the head scoop
shot as he fell to the floor which swished through the hoop,
sending the crowd into hysterics.
Junior forward Klaus Schille
had 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field. For Irvine,
Ross Schraeder had 12 points, but no other Anteater had more
than eight. The Highlanders shot 20-of-49 from the field (40.8%)
and had one of their best nights from the free throw line,
hitting 22-of-27 (81.5%). The Anteaters were 18-of-51 (35.3%).
The Highlanders jumped out
to a 9-3 lead over the first 6:40, spreading the ball around
and connecting from inside and out. Irvine cut the margin
to four, the last time at 15-11 with 11:25 remaining, but
the Cunningham took over. The redshirt freshman scored 15
consecutive points to lead UCR on a 15-4 run to build the
margin to 30-15. Cunningham opened with a layup and a free
throw, then followed with four consecutive treys in four possessions.
The Anteaters chipped away
at the lead, narrowing it to eight at 36-28 with 1:17 remaining
on a trey by Schraeder, but Justin Bell hit a pair of free
throws in the final 10 seconds for a 38-28 halftime advantage.
UCR opened the second half
on a 17-2 run and led 55-30 with 11:16 remaining before Schraeder
broke the string with a pair of free throws. The Anteaters
were 1-of-14 from the field (7.1%) in the the first nine and
a half minutes and committed five turnovers.
UCR had just 10 turnovers,
their second lowest total of the season, while Irvine had
16.
The Highlanders next host
Long Beach State University on Saturday, January 15th in a
Big West Conference game at the Student Recreation Center.
Tip off is 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 15, 2005) - The Highlanders
finally got a close one to go their way.
Jibril Hodges' three point
bid to tie as time expired rolled off the rim and the UC Riverside
Highlanders came away with a 68-65 Big West win over visiting
Long Beach State University in front of a crowd of 769 at
the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Saturday.
UCR moved to 6-8 overall
and 2-3 in the Big West, while LBSU fell to 2-13 and 0-6.
UCR is now 2-0 without senior forward Vili Morton, who was
lost for the season with torn knee ligaments Monday.
Junior forward Klaus Schille
had a career-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field
and senior guard Brett Ost added 10. Redshirt freshman guard
Larry Cunningham scored six points with a pair of treys in
the first half, but suffered back spasms and did not play
in the second half. UCR shot 26-of-59 (44.1%) from the field.
Shawn Hawkins led Long Beach with a double-double of 15 points
and 12 rebounds and Hodges had 12, all on threes. The. 49ers
were 24-of-64 (37.5%)
Leading 66-65, senior forward
David Jobe jump stopped and dropped a layup in with 30 seconds
remaining to give the Highlanders a three point lead. The
49ers called time out with 14 seconds left to set up a play
for Hodges. Hodges' three was long and Cody Pearson was fouled
by Jobe on the rebound with 1.8 seconds left. Pearson missed
the first and the second, and Hodges ended up with the ball
at the top of the key, but his fall-away three at the buzzer
was long.
Though the 49ers never led
in the second half, they made it very exciting, overcoming
a 10-point deficit with a 12-2 run to turn a 47-37 Highlander
lead into a 49-49 tie with 8:37 remaining in the game, but
UCR regained the lead at 51-49 on the next possession on a
layup by Schille and the Highlanders never again relinquished
the lead.
In the first half, UCR went
on an 11-0 run to build a three-point lead into a 21-7 margin
with 8:34 remaining. Long Beach responded with a run of their
own, outscoring the Highlanders 13-5 over the next three minutes
to cut the lead to six at 26-20. The Highlanders built the
margin back to 11 at the intermission on a three by Justin
Bell at 1:08 and a cutting layup by Schille off a nice pass
from Dedrick Bates with 43 seconds left.
The Highlanders got balanced
scoring in the first half with six players scoring at least
four points. They were 14-of-31 (45.2%) from the field in
the first half and hit four treys, while the 49ers were 10-of-28
(35.7%) with a quartet of treys. The half was remarkably free
of fouls, as UCR was called for four and the 49ers five.
The Highlanders next travel
to face Idaho on Thursday, January 20 in Moscow, ID. Tip off
is at 6:05 PST.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 20, 2005) - The Idaho
Vandals held off a late rally by the visiting UCR Highlanders
to pull out a 56-54 win in a Big West Conference game at the
Cowan Spectrum in Moscow, ID Thursday.
Freshman guard Larry Cunningham
had a game-high 18 points, shooting 4-of-13 from the field
and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior forward Klaus
Schille added 11 points. UCR was 16-of-51 (31%) from the field,
compared to 17-of-51 (33%) for the Vandals.
The Highlanders were 18-of-22
from the free throw line, including all 12 in the second half.
The Highlanders outrebounded their opponent for the first
time since Vili Morton went down with a knee injury, holding
a 41-36 advantage.
For the Vandals, Dandrick
Jones had 14 points and five assists and Anton Lyons 15 points
and six rebounds.
Idaho guard Tanoris Shepherd
got a kind roll on his 15-footer with 21 seconds left to give
the Vandals a 55-54 lead and breaking a nearly seven minute
span without a field goal. The Highlanders came back and ran
a clear-out play for Cunningham, who drove to the basket,
only to have Jones get a step on him, rise up and tie up his
shot, leading to a jump ball call with 6.6 seconds left. With
the arrow pointing to Idaho, the Vandals broke the press before
Lionel Davis was fouled with 2.9 seconds left. UCR guard Brett
Ost's desperation 25-foot three point bid at the buzzer went
long and the Vandals prevailed.
The Highlanders trailed
by as many as seven in the second half, but pulled back into
the game with an outstanding defensive stand. With 2:14 remaining,
Steve WIlliams hit a pair of free throws to cut the Idaho
lead to 53-52.
With 39.2 seconds left Cunningham
drove and was fouled by Lyons and drained both free throws
to give the Highlanders a 54-53 lead, setting up Shepherd's
shot and the finale.
The first half was a slow
affair, and early on it looked like it would be an easy night
for the Vandals, who led 21-12 with 5:12 remaining, but the
Highlanders went on a 10-1 run over the next three minutes
to tie the game at 22-22. The teams traded baskets and entered
the intermission tied at 25-25, with Porter and Cunningham
each having seven points to lead UCR. The Highlanders also
put together a good defensive streak in the first half, holding
the Vandals without a field goal for six minutes.
The Highlanders opened the
second half in fine fashion as Cunningham drained a trey and
made a free throw for a four point play and a 29-25 lead,
but the Vandals came back to build a seven point lead in an
up-tempo half to build a 44-37 lead with 11:57 left.
The Highlanders next travel
to face Utah State on Saturday, January 22 in Logan, UT. Tip
off is at 6:05 PST.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 22, 2005) - The Utah
State Aggies got 17 points from Spencer Nelson to help them
to a 77-52 Big West Conference basketball win over visiting
UC Riverside in Logan, UT Saturday.
With the win USU improved
to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the Big West, while the Highlanders
fell to 6-10 and 2-5.
Utah State jumped out to
a 10-point and held a double-digit margin for most of the
game.
UC Riverside was led by
Rickey Porter, who scored 19 points. Larry Cunningham chipped
in 10 points off the bench. Carroll was the only other Aggie
in double figures as he scored 11 points while adding five
rebounds. USU shot 50.9 percent from the field almost doubling
the Highlanders' 28.6 percent effort. UCR was 10-of-23 from
the three point line and 10-of-14 from the free throw line.
UC Riverside returns home
on Thursday, January 27, 2005 to host UC Santa Barbara in
the start of Homecoming Weekend celebrations.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 27, 2005) - It came
down to the wire, but the UC Riverside Highlanders held on
to defeat the visiting UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 54-50 in a
Big West Conference match-up in front of 1,091 fans at the
Student Recreation Center in Riverside Thursday.
Junior guard Rickey Porter
drained one of two free throws with 2.5 seconds remaining
to give the HIghlanders a four-point lead and the Gauchos
were unable to squeeze off a desperation shot as their inbounds
attempt was deflected out of bounds.
UCR freshman guard Larry
Cunningham led all scorers with 16 points and junior forward
Klaus Schille added 10. Senior forward David Jobe had four
points and 10 rebounds. UCSB had three scorers reach double-digits,
led by 15 by Chrismen Oliver, 14 by Cameron Goettsche and
12 by Josh Davis.
Both teams struggled at
the free throw line, as UCR was just 10-of-19 (52.6%) while
Santa Barbara was 12-of-22 (54.5%). The Highlanders outrebounded
the Gauchos 44-24.
UCR led by as many as 13
in the first half and 10 in the second half, but the Gauchos
used a strong second-half spurt and were able to whittle the
lead down to three at 50-47 with 2:48 remaining, then tie
it on a Davis trey with 1:55 left.
But Steve Williams' scoop
shot fell with 1:32 remaining broke the tie. Moments later,
he drew a charge on a driving Joe See with 59.7 left, giving
the HIghlanders the ball.
But Cunningham's dunk attempt
with blocked by Goettsche, and Oliver came down for a three
pointer which was long. Williams pulled in the rebound and
called a time out with 31.6 left.
UCR's Justin Bell was fouled
with 17.2 seconds left and Santa Barbara called back-to-back
time outs to ice him. Bell missed the first and made the second
for a three point lead. UCSB's Michael Chambers' three attempt
went long, and Porter got the rebound, setting up the final
free throws.
First seven minutes of the
game were not picture perfect basketball as the teams combined
for just four field goals in 19 attempts. WIth the Highlanders
trailing 6-5, they commenced on a 16-2 run including a trey
by Joel Henning and two by Cunningham that built up a 21-8
margin with 5:47 to play. The Gauchos finally cracked the
double-digit barrier at 21-11with 4:49 remaining on a trey
by Oliver and the teams entered the locker room with the Highlanders
leading 28-17.
UCR was 11-of-25 (44.0%)
from the field in the first half, while the Gauchos were 7-of-27
(25.9%). The Highlanders outrebounded the Gauchos 25-11.
UC Riverside returns home
on Saturday, January 29, 2005 to host Cal Poly at 7:00 PM.
BOX
SCORE
(Jan. 29, 2005) - The Cal
Poly Mustangs earned their first road win of the season with
a 90-81 win over the host UC Riverside Highlanders in front
of a crowd of 964 at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside
Saturday. UCR fell to 7-11, 3-6, while Poly improved to 4-14,
2-8.
The Mustangs took advantage
of a UCR "implosion" in the second half that turned
a 39-37 UCR lead into a 56-43 Cal Poly advantage with 12:46
remaining. UCR trimmed the margin to three with 28 seconds
left, but could get no closer.
Six Mustangs scored in double
figures, led by 20 each by Nick Enzweiler and Phil Johnson.
Johnson added a game high 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Dawin Whitten added 15 off the bench, Joe Henry had 11 and
Glenn Jones and Fernando Sampson each had 10. The Mustangs
went to the free throw line 40 times, hitting 33 (82.5%) and
were 25-of-52 (48.1%) from the field.
UCR got 15 points from junior
guard Rickey Porter, 14 from freshman guard Larry Cunningham,
13 from senior forward David Jobe and 10 from junior forward
Steve Williams. The Highlanders were 26-of-65 (40.0%) from
the field and 7-of-28 (25.0%) from the three point line. They
were 22-of-30 (73.3%) from the free throw line.
There were 52 fouls called
in the game, 28 to UCR and 24 to Cal Poly.
UCR opened the second half
on a 7-1 run to overcome a 36-32 halftime deficit. But the
Mustangs tied the game at 39-39, starting a 19-4 run that
was fueled by UCR breakdowns and turnovers that put the game
in the Mustangs' hands. The big blow came with the Mustangs
leading 48-43 when junior forward David Misko was called for
a foul on Jones' drive. Williams was tagged for a technical
foul for complaining about the call. Enzweiler hit a the two
free throws, and Jones followed with one-of-two for a three
point play. Following a Sampson layup, Jones picked senior
guard Brett Ost and laid it in and moments later Porter turned
the ball over and Phil Johnson put it home for a 13-point
Mustang lead.
UCR trailed by 11 at 83-72
with 1:25 remaining, but used a 9-1 run over the next 46 seconds
to cut the margin to three as Dedrick Bates converted a three
point play and Porter and Cunningham followed with treys of
their own. But Jones hit a layup with 19 seconds left for
a 86-81 Mustang lead and a Cunningham trey bid missed with
12 seconds left, with the rebound going to the Mustangs and
closing the door on UCR's comeback bid.
The Mustangs used a 19-5
run in the first half to build a 25-12 lead with 11:20 remaining.
The Highlanders answered with a run of their own, outscoring
the Mustangs 16-7 to cut the margin to four at 32-28 with
2:15 remaining, eventually settling for a six-point halftime
deficit, 36-30, entering the intermission.
UCR's guards combined to
shoot 3-of-21 (14.3%)in the first half.
UC Riverside starts the
second half of Big West play as they host Cal State Fullerton
on Thursday, February 3 at the Student Recreation Center in
Riverside.
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