UC Riverside
Pacific
Highlanders Stun Tigers Behind Porter's 40
1/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Senior guard Rickey Porter scored a career-high 40 points, 21 coming on seven-of-seven shooting from three point range, to lead the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders to a 83-71 win over the host University of the Pacific Tigers at the Spanos Center in Stockton Saturday.
The Highlanders improve to 2-1 in the Big West and to 2-11 overall. Pacific falls to 9-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference. The loss ended Pacific's streak of 31 consecutive Big West league wins.
Porter's 40 points was the second highest point total in school history, trailing only Dick Barton's 42-point effort recorded on January 11, 1969. The senior had 22 points in the first half and was 13-19 from the field, including 7-of-7 from three-point range, tying for the second-highest total of made treys in school history.
Sophomore guard Larry Cunningham was the only other Highlander to score in double-figures, scoring 10 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Junior guard Dedrick Bates had nine points and 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists. UCR was 31-of-63 (49.2%) from the field and 9-of-18 from the three-point line. UCR outrebounded the Tigers, 42-25. Defensively, UCR held the Tigers to 31.8% shooting from the three-point line in the game. The Highlanders entered the game second in the conference behind the Tigers in three-point defense, 32.1% to 32.0%.
Johnny Gray led the Tigers with 24 points and Christian Maraker had 20. The Tigers shot 49.1% (28-of-57) from the field.
Pacific took its largest lead of the first half (nine points) with 1:54 left in the half, but UC Riverside outscored the Tigers 8-0 - a three-point play and a trey by Porter and a steal and fast break layup by Bates - to cut the margin to just 40-39 at the break.
The Tigers came out strong to start the second half, using a 12-2 run to take a 54-43 lead with 15:50 left in the game. The Highlanders responded though, using an 18-2 run to take their first lead of the game - 63-58 with 10:11 remaining.
The Tigers would not get closer than two the rest of the game. They trailed by four at 75-71 following a pair of Gray free throws with 3:15 left, but the Highlanders scored the final eight points of the game, including a layup by senior forward Klaus Schille and six consecutive free throws by Porter.
The loss was the first time in the last 20 home games against Big West opponents. The Tigers were held without a field goal for the final 6:25 of the game. The Highlanders' bench outscored the Tigers' bench, 17-5, including a 15-0 advantage in the second half.
