Friday, December 4
Student Recreation Center
8:00 PM
University of California, Riverside
58
vs
55
San Diego
Photo by: Bobby R. Hester, (c) 2009
Men's Hoops Overcomes 19-Point Second-Half Deficit To Stun San Diego
12/4/2009 4:49:29 PM | Men's Basketball
UC Riverside 58, San Diego 55 - Box Score
Riverside, CA - Down nineteen points with 13:14 to go in the second half? No problem. At least not for the UC Riverside men's basketball team as they found themselves in just such a predicament Friday evening at the Student Recreation Center. Kyle Austin (pictured) put the Highlanders offense on his back in the second half, however, scoring 22 of his career-high 28 points in the period as UCR stunned the San Diego Toreros, 58-55.
The Toreros shot 50 percent from the field in the first half including 5 of 14 from three-point range while UCR struggled connecting on just 39.1 percent of their shots. San Diego used the shooting discrepancy, as well as 13 UCR turnovers, to build a 16-point lead at the half.
It was more of the same at the start of the second, and Brandon Johnson's free throws with 13:14 remaining in the game gave the Toreros a 19-point lead, 48-29. The Highlanders began to chip away at the deficit as they scored the next six points, five of which came off of Austin shots and free throws.
UC Riverside finally cut the lead to 10 with 5:17 left on an Austin layup. Johnson let his frustration show, picking up a technical foul following the play, and two Austin freebies cut the lead to eight, 51-43. Following a Johnson miss, Austin made a layup and a free throw slicing the lead to five, and Dwight Gordon's lay-in with 4:08 to go made it a three-point ballgame, 51-48.
The team's traded baskets and free throws for the next two minutes, and San Diego still led by four as the two minute mark approached. Austin grabbed the rebound off of an errant Sean Cunningham shot and his subsequent stick back made it 55-53 Toreros. After a stop on the defensive end, it was David Chavarria's turn to put back an offensive board tying the game for the first time since midway through the first half.
Over the final 1:18 of play, San Diego missed a three-pointer and committed a turnover while Gordon nailed three free throws to give the Highlanders the win, 58-55.
The 19-point lead is the largest such deficit UCR has overcome to win a game in the Division I era. Austin's 28 points were the most by a member of the Highlanders since Larry Cunningham poured in 31 vs. Hawaii on February 23, 2008. The win also gives UC Riverside a five-game winning streak, the longest such streak in the Division I history of the program.
The Highlanders take a week off for final exams before traveling to Flagstaff, Arizona for a Sunday, December 13 tile with Northern Arizona. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:05 pm PT.
Riverside, CA - Down nineteen points with 13:14 to go in the second half? No problem. At least not for the UC Riverside men's basketball team as they found themselves in just such a predicament Friday evening at the Student Recreation Center. Kyle Austin (pictured) put the Highlanders offense on his back in the second half, however, scoring 22 of his career-high 28 points in the period as UCR stunned the San Diego Toreros, 58-55.
The Toreros shot 50 percent from the field in the first half including 5 of 14 from three-point range while UCR struggled connecting on just 39.1 percent of their shots. San Diego used the shooting discrepancy, as well as 13 UCR turnovers, to build a 16-point lead at the half.
It was more of the same at the start of the second, and Brandon Johnson's free throws with 13:14 remaining in the game gave the Toreros a 19-point lead, 48-29. The Highlanders began to chip away at the deficit as they scored the next six points, five of which came off of Austin shots and free throws.
UC Riverside finally cut the lead to 10 with 5:17 left on an Austin layup. Johnson let his frustration show, picking up a technical foul following the play, and two Austin freebies cut the lead to eight, 51-43. Following a Johnson miss, Austin made a layup and a free throw slicing the lead to five, and Dwight Gordon's lay-in with 4:08 to go made it a three-point ballgame, 51-48.
The team's traded baskets and free throws for the next two minutes, and San Diego still led by four as the two minute mark approached. Austin grabbed the rebound off of an errant Sean Cunningham shot and his subsequent stick back made it 55-53 Toreros. After a stop on the defensive end, it was David Chavarria's turn to put back an offensive board tying the game for the first time since midway through the first half.
Over the final 1:18 of play, San Diego missed a three-pointer and committed a turnover while Gordon nailed three free throws to give the Highlanders the win, 58-55.
The 19-point lead is the largest such deficit UCR has overcome to win a game in the Division I era. Austin's 28 points were the most by a member of the Highlanders since Larry Cunningham poured in 31 vs. Hawaii on February 23, 2008. The win also gives UC Riverside a five-game winning streak, the longest such streak in the Division I history of the program.
The Highlanders take a week off for final exams before traveling to Flagstaff, Arizona for a Sunday, December 13 tile with Northern Arizona. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:05 pm PT.
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