UC Riverside
Denver
Highlanders Comeback Falls Short to Denver, 52-46
12/29/2008 5:49:29 PM | Men's Basketball
The Highlanders trailed by 10 at the break after struggling form the floor connecting on just 6 of 17 shots from the field. Meanwhile, the Pioneers ran their “Princeton” offense to near perfection prior to the half, making 11 of 18 shots with assists coming on nine of those baskets and five of the baskets coming from three-point range.
Following the break, the Highlanders shooting woes continued, but UCR’s defense was picking up the pace holding the Pioneers to 29.4 percent shooting in the second.
The Highlanders halved the Pioneers’ halftime lead with 10 minutes to go, trailing 36-31 following an Aaron Scott free throw. A Christian Soto hook shot in the lane with 6:54 to go cut the Pioneer lead to four at 39-35. Nearly three minutes later, Cleavon Barlow nailed a jumper at the free throw line to cut the lead to three, and with three minutes to go, Kyle Austin scored on a driving layup to make the score 44-42 Denver.
The Highlanders still trailed by three and had the ball in their hands with just over a minute to go, but a turnover and subsequent Pioneers' basket made the score 49-44 Denver and that was all the Pioneers needed.
Austin provided the Highlanders with much of their offense on the day going 8 of 13 from the field and scoring a game-high 19 points. The rest of the team made just 6 of 23 shots.
The Highlanders begin Big West Conference competition on January 2 at home against Cal Poly. Tip time at the UCR Student Recreation Center is 7 pm PT.
