Riverside- Secean Johnson posted careers highs of 22 points and 17 rebounds, and the UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team outscored Morgan State 27-10 to start the second half, en route to an 81-72, come-from-behind victory at Morgan State Monday afternoon. It was the fourth straight win for the Highlanders, who improved to 9-5 overall, and 3-4 on the road.
 
Trailing by six at the break, UC Riverside put on an offensive clinic over the first 10 minutes of the second. The Highlanders made their first six shots coming out of the locker room, and nine of their first 10 as they outscored the Bears 27-10 to lead 62-51 midway through the second.

Morgan State (2-9) had one more run left in it, however, closing to within two, 69-67, with 3:59 remaining. UCR scored the final seven points of the game to close out the win.
 
The Highlanders shot 60.7 percent from the floor in the second, as Johnson recorded a double-double in the half with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The offense was bolstered by a seven of eight shooting performance on the day from Gentrey Thomas, who finished with 15 points, and a five for six effort from Alex Larsson, who finished with 10. Jaylen Bland added 16 points to give UC Riverside four double-digit scorers for the game.
 
It was a homecoming of sorts for Johnson, whose family drove in from Philadelphia to see him play for the first time. The junior got UC Riverside off to a hot start scoring nine of the team's first 21 points. A Bland jumper with 9:52 to go in the first made it a 23-19 ballgame, but UC Riverside went cold shortly thereafter as Morgan State scored 13 of the next 15 points.
 
The Highlanders committed two turnovers and went one for four from the field during that nearly four minute stretch. Larsson's jumper with 5:52 on the clock ended the run, but the Bears still took a six-point lead into the locker room, 41-35.
 
UC Riverside's trademark perimeter defense, which ranked in the top 20 in the nation entering the game in lowest three-point field goal percentage allowed, allowed Morgan State to connect on five of 10 from beyond the arc over the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Personal fouls were also an issue for the Highlanders, as Taylor Johns was limited to just 12 minutes in the first after picking up his second foul. Larsson and Bland were each whistled for two fouls as well.
 
Johnson led UC Riverside with 11 points in the first 20 minutes of play, while Morgan State's Phillip Carr led all scorers with a dozen draining all three of his three-point field goal attempts.
 
It was more Johnson to start the second, as he had eight of the team's first 15 points after the intermission, and it was his free throw with 9:49 to go that gave the Highlanders their largest lead of the game at 12, 63-51.
 
Carr led the Bears with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Antonio Gillespie and Cedric Blossom chipped in with 15 and 14 points respectively.
 
UC Riverside remains on the road this week closing out 2015 with a Wednesday, December 30 tilt at Ohio. Tip is slated for 5 pm PT