UC Riverside
UC Davis
Highlanders Get Back on Winning Track With 80-76 Victory over UC Davis
3/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior guard Larry Cunningham scored 26 points, including 10 free throws and the UC Riverside Highlanders concluded their non-conference schedule with an 80-76 come-from-behind win over the host UC Davis at the Pavilion in Davis Thursday.
UCR is now 7-22 overall, while UC Davis is now 4-23. The Highlanders swept the season series from the Aggies this year.
The Highlanders took advantage of sloppy ball handling by the Aggies, as the host squad committed 26 turnovers leading to 27 Highlander points. UCR, in contrast, had just 10 giveaways leading to nine points for the Aggies.
Cunningham led all scorers with 26 points and freshman forward Henrik Thomsen added 14. Senior guard Justin Bell had 13 points, including three treys. Ari Warmerdam led the Aggies with 23 points off of the bench. Thomas Juillerat was the only other player in double-figures, just missing a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. The Aggies shot 60% (29-of-48) from the field, 30% (3-of-10) from the three point line and 75% (15-of-20) from the free throw line. The Aggies outrebounded the Highlanders, 34-19.
UCR shot 53% (31-of-59) from the field and 29% (5-of-17) from the three point line. They were just 59% (13-of-22) from the free throw line, and their problems at the charity stripe caused some anxious moments during the waning moments of the game.
The Highlanders had rallied back from a 57-51 deficit with a 9-0 run, then later took the lead at 68-67 on a layup by Thomsen with 4:59 left. The lead grew to six at 78-72 with 59 seconds left, and the Aggies were forced to foul to keep things close. The Highlanders missed four of six charity shots in the final 26 seconds, but the Aggies could not convert their scoring opportunities and UCR prevailed.
UCR led by as many as seven in the first half at 20-13 with 10:36 remaining, but Davis whittled away at the lead and tied things up at 28-28 with 6:05 remaining, then built the lead to four at 32-28 with 5:25 left. Following the 19-8 run, the Highlanders came back with a little run of their own to take a 39-37 lead into the intermission.
The Highlanders close out the regular season at home on Saturday, March 3 at 5:00 p.m. against Long Beach State. Seniors Dedrick Bates and Justin Bell will be honored prior to the game.
