Thursday, February 5
Student Recreation Center
7:00 PM
UC Riverside
66
vs
63
Pacific
Photo by: Bobby R. Hester, (c) 2009
Record Setting Win! Highlanders Top Pacific, 66-63, For 12th W Of Year
2/6/2009 1:52:56 AM | Men's Basketball
(Riverside, CA ) – It was touch and go for a while, but the 2008-09 version of the Highlanders Men’s Basketball Team finally sits alone atop the program’s Division I standings with its record twelfth win of the season – a 66-63 nail biter over the Pacific Tigers.
Coming into the game odds-makers probably wouldn’t have been on the Highlanders’ side: Pacific beat UCR earlier in the year by 20; The Tigers had won the previous six meetings; The Highlanders had just one win in the 15-game series .
And none of it mattered.
Not that there weren’t plenty of tense moments along the way. Both offenses were slow to get going combining for just five total points in the first 3:30 of play. The teams matched baskets the rest of the way with UCR (12-9, 4-5) clinging to a miniscule 32 to 31 lead at the half.
Kyle Austin led a balanced UC Riverside scoring attack with seven points in the period while five other Highlanders scored at least three before the break. For the Tigers, Bryan LeDuc led the way with 14 points in the first half, and both teams shot better than 50 percent in the period (UCR - 57.1%, Pacific – 52.3%).
Pacific quickly took the lead to start the second and held a 43-37 advantage with 14:39 to go. Minutes later, however, an Austin jumper put UCR back on top with 8:49 left in the game. The Highlanders would never trail again, but the Tigers tied the game up on three separate occasions, and back-to-back three-pointers by Michael Kirby from well beyond the arc made the score 64-63 with 12 seconds remaining.
Pacific immediately fouled Javon Borum after the second three-ball, but Borum made both shots to push the lead back to three. Two subsequent three-point attempts by the Tigers were off the mark, and the Highlanders celebrated their record setting twelfth win of the season.
Both teams cooled off offensively in the second with Pacific connecting on 43.5 percent of their shots and the Highlanders nailing 42.9 percent of theirs. Austin finished the game with 20 points, including 13 after the break, to lead all scorers and also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Aaron Scott and Brandon Dowdy also scored in double figures with 14 and 11 points respectively. The Tigers were lead by Kirby’s 18, including 15 after halftime, as the Highlanders held LeDuc scoreless in the second half.
The Highlander’s next home game is on Saturday, February 7 at 5:00 p.m. where they will face off against the UC Davis Aggies. It is Homecoming for the Highlanders and some upper level seats still remain. For tickets to all Highlanders Athletics events, please call the Athletics Ticket Office at (951) 827-4653.
Coming into the game odds-makers probably wouldn’t have been on the Highlanders’ side: Pacific beat UCR earlier in the year by 20; The Tigers had won the previous six meetings; The Highlanders had just one win in the 15-game series .
And none of it mattered.
Not that there weren’t plenty of tense moments along the way. Both offenses were slow to get going combining for just five total points in the first 3:30 of play. The teams matched baskets the rest of the way with UCR (12-9, 4-5) clinging to a miniscule 32 to 31 lead at the half.
Kyle Austin led a balanced UC Riverside scoring attack with seven points in the period while five other Highlanders scored at least three before the break. For the Tigers, Bryan LeDuc led the way with 14 points in the first half, and both teams shot better than 50 percent in the period (UCR - 57.1%, Pacific – 52.3%).
Pacific quickly took the lead to start the second and held a 43-37 advantage with 14:39 to go. Minutes later, however, an Austin jumper put UCR back on top with 8:49 left in the game. The Highlanders would never trail again, but the Tigers tied the game up on three separate occasions, and back-to-back three-pointers by Michael Kirby from well beyond the arc made the score 64-63 with 12 seconds remaining.
Pacific immediately fouled Javon Borum after the second three-ball, but Borum made both shots to push the lead back to three. Two subsequent three-point attempts by the Tigers were off the mark, and the Highlanders celebrated their record setting twelfth win of the season.
Both teams cooled off offensively in the second with Pacific connecting on 43.5 percent of their shots and the Highlanders nailing 42.9 percent of theirs. Austin finished the game with 20 points, including 13 after the break, to lead all scorers and also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Aaron Scott and Brandon Dowdy also scored in double figures with 14 and 11 points respectively. The Tigers were lead by Kirby’s 18, including 15 after halftime, as the Highlanders held LeDuc scoreless in the second half.
The Highlander’s next home game is on Saturday, February 7 at 5:00 p.m. where they will face off against the UC Davis Aggies. It is Homecoming for the Highlanders and some upper level seats still remain. For tickets to all Highlanders Athletics events, please call the Athletics Ticket Office at (951) 827-4653.
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