University of California, Riverside
UC Davis
Cunningham Has 33, Williams Has 30 & 15 as Highlanders Come Back to Beat Aggies in OT
3/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sophomore Larry Cunningham exploded for a career-high 33 points and senior swingman Steve Williams had his second consecutive double-double with a career-high 30 points and 15 rebounds as the UC Riverside Highlanders came from behind to defeat the visiting UC Davis Aggies 94-87 in overtime in a non-conference game at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside Saturday.
The Highlanders finish the regular season at 5-22, while UC Davis fell to 8-20.
In addition to the career-highs, senior guard Rickey Porter had 19 points and five assists, senior forward David Misko had six points and freshman guard Sean Cunningham had six points. Only five Highlanders scored in the game. UCR shot 53.2% (33-of-62) from the field and a season best 53.6% from the three point line with a season-high 15 treys in 28 attempts. The 15 treys tied for the fourth highest total of treys in school history and is the most since UCR drained 16 against Cascade College in 2004.
The only blot on the ledger for UCR came at the free throw line, where they shot just 13-of-23 (56.5%) on the afternoon.
For the Aggies, Kyle Brucculeri had 26 points, Rommel Marentez had 17, David Carter 16 and Phil Rasmussen had 14. The Aggies shot 46.3% (25-of-54) from the floor and 42.1% (8-of-19) from the three point line. They were active at the free throw line, hitting 29-of-39, a 74.4% clip.
Tied at 80 at the end of regulation, the game was the second in a row and the third in the last four that went to overtime for UCR. The Highlanders, who had lost each of those games, used an 10-1 run, keyed by seven points by Larry Cunningham , to overcome a two-point Davis lead and to put the game away. Following a Misko jumper that tied the score at 84-84, Sean Cunningham swatted away Marentez's layup attempt and moments later Larry Cunningham drained a three to give the Highlanders the lead. Moments later he stole the ball from David Carter and coasted in for a layup for a five point lead. Following an Aggie free throw, the sophomore struck again for a layup for a 91-85 lead.
But it was Williams who threw the final dagger into the Aggies' heart. With under a minute left, as the Highlanders worked the clock down, Williams drove into traffic for a short jumper, which missed. But he emerged on the other side of the scrum with the ball and was fouled a few moments later, hitting one-of-two charity shots to make the lead seven with 41 seconds left. The Aggies drained one more basket on a layup by Brucculeri, but Williams hit the final two freebies with 27 seconds left to make the final margin 94-87.
That the Highlanders got the game to overtime was a credit to their perseverance and late game heroics, as they trailed by 10 at 78-68 with 3:22 remaining. But the Highlanders ratcheted up the defense and got some clutch play from Misko to post a rally. The senior forward grabbed an acrobatic rebound off of a missed trey by Porter and put it back, them drew the fifth foul on Rasmussen and went to the line to hit a pair to cut the lead to six at 78-72 with 2:23 left.
Then it was Porter's turn. After a Marentez free throw made the lead seven, Porter drained a three to cut the margin to four. Brucculeri then made one-of-two free throws for a five point lead, but again Porter came down and canned a three to make the score 80-78 with 1:18 left.
A frenzy ensued when Aggie 7-1 center Michael Boone clanged a dunk attempt off the back of the rim, but the Highlanders turned the ball back over, and Boone was fouled with 49 seconds left. But the big freshman's afternoon got even worse as he missed both of the free throws, and moments later Porter coasted down the right baseline for a slick layup to tie the game at 80-80 with 17 seconds left. Brucculeri's three attempt with six seconds left missed, and the game went to overtime.
Williams' 15 rebounds was also a team season-high, but not a career-high, as he pulled down 16 in a game in 2004.
The Highlanders, the No. 8 seed in the Big West, will play No. 5 seed UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the Big West Tournament at Anaheim on Wednesday, March 8 at 6:00 PM at the Anaheim Convention Center. The Gauchos defeated CS Northridge on the road to clinch the No. 5 seed.
