Friday, March 5
Long Beach, CA
7:30 PM
UC Riverside
74
at
76
Long Beach State
Photo by: Bobby R. Hester, (c) 2009
Gurganious' 22 Points Not Enough As UCR Comeback Falls Short, 76-74
3/5/2010 11:21:55 PM | Men's Basketball
Long Beach State 76, UC Riverside 74 Box Score
Long Beach, CA—Highlanders fans, it is officially scoreboard watching time.
The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team dug itself out of a 13-point hole Friday evening at The Pyramid, tying the game with 3:56 remaining, but Nike Brooks' three-pointer for the win was blocked by Casper Ware, and the Highlanders comeback fell two points short, 76-74.
The loss dropped UCR to 5-11 in conference and a half game back of idle UC Irvine (5-10) for the eighth and final spot in the Big West Tournament. The Anteaters last regular season game of the year is Saturday, March 6 at Cal Poly. If UC Irvine wins, they're headed to Anaheim. If they lose, then the Highlanders are making the trek. Tip at the Mott Center is scheduled for 7 pm PT.
UCR's chances at making the postseason would have benefited greatly from a win at The Beach, but a slow start proved to be their undoing. The Highlanders missed nine of their first ten field goal attempts and committed four turnovers in the first 8:18 of play, trailing by as many as 13 in the first and 37-26 at the break.
Perimeter defense was a sticking point in the first 20 minutes of play as the 49ers hit 6 of 13 from beyond the arc. The 49ers Stephen Gilling was the primary culprit hitting 7 of 10 from the field and 4 of 7 from long range for 18 points prior to the intermission.
On the offensive end, the Highlanders made just 10 of 28 shots in the first, committing 11 turnovers, while Kyle Austin, the leading scorer in the Big West heading into the game, was held without a point.
The story remained unchanged early in the second half as UC Riverside still trailed by 10 with 13:56 left on the clock, but they soon received a spark from an unlikely source. Freshman Niko Brooks, who played just 13 minutes in conference all season, logged 16 crucial minutes for the Highlanders Friday. The stat sheet shows that he scored just two points and handed out 1 assist, but the shot was as pretty a deke in the lane as you're likely to see, and his energy on defense helped UCR slice away at the LBSU lead.
Meanwhile, Larry Gurganious was enjoying his best offensive effort as a member of the Highlanders scoring a career-high 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. He scored 14 of those points after the break as UCR mounted its comeback.
Rudy Meo's three with 5:54 remaining cut the lead to two at 60-58, and just over a minute later, Austin's two free throws made it a one-point game, 63-62. It was Bryson Hampton's layup two offensive possessions later that tied the game at 66 apiece with 3:56 to go.
The Highlanders were never able to take the lead, however, as the 49ers had an answer for every UCR run. Ware's jumper in the paint with 1:05 left made it 76-71 Long Beach, but Austin drilled a three 12 seconds late to bring the Highlanders back within two. Gilling missed a three with 25 seconds to go and Greg Plater missed a pair of free throws with six seconds left on the clock, but UC Riverside's final two possessions consisted of a turnover and Brooks' off-balance three at the buzzer.
Long Beach, CA—Highlanders fans, it is officially scoreboard watching time.
The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team dug itself out of a 13-point hole Friday evening at The Pyramid, tying the game with 3:56 remaining, but Nike Brooks' three-pointer for the win was blocked by Casper Ware, and the Highlanders comeback fell two points short, 76-74.
The loss dropped UCR to 5-11 in conference and a half game back of idle UC Irvine (5-10) for the eighth and final spot in the Big West Tournament. The Anteaters last regular season game of the year is Saturday, March 6 at Cal Poly. If UC Irvine wins, they're headed to Anaheim. If they lose, then the Highlanders are making the trek. Tip at the Mott Center is scheduled for 7 pm PT.
UCR's chances at making the postseason would have benefited greatly from a win at The Beach, but a slow start proved to be their undoing. The Highlanders missed nine of their first ten field goal attempts and committed four turnovers in the first 8:18 of play, trailing by as many as 13 in the first and 37-26 at the break.
Perimeter defense was a sticking point in the first 20 minutes of play as the 49ers hit 6 of 13 from beyond the arc. The 49ers Stephen Gilling was the primary culprit hitting 7 of 10 from the field and 4 of 7 from long range for 18 points prior to the intermission.
On the offensive end, the Highlanders made just 10 of 28 shots in the first, committing 11 turnovers, while Kyle Austin, the leading scorer in the Big West heading into the game, was held without a point.
The story remained unchanged early in the second half as UC Riverside still trailed by 10 with 13:56 left on the clock, but they soon received a spark from an unlikely source. Freshman Niko Brooks, who played just 13 minutes in conference all season, logged 16 crucial minutes for the Highlanders Friday. The stat sheet shows that he scored just two points and handed out 1 assist, but the shot was as pretty a deke in the lane as you're likely to see, and his energy on defense helped UCR slice away at the LBSU lead.
Meanwhile, Larry Gurganious was enjoying his best offensive effort as a member of the Highlanders scoring a career-high 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. He scored 14 of those points after the break as UCR mounted its comeback.
Rudy Meo's three with 5:54 remaining cut the lead to two at 60-58, and just over a minute later, Austin's two free throws made it a one-point game, 63-62. It was Bryson Hampton's layup two offensive possessions later that tied the game at 66 apiece with 3:56 to go.
The Highlanders were never able to take the lead, however, as the 49ers had an answer for every UCR run. Ware's jumper in the paint with 1:05 left made it 76-71 Long Beach, but Austin drilled a three 12 seconds late to bring the Highlanders back within two. Gilling missed a three with 25 seconds to go and Greg Plater missed a pair of free throws with six seconds left on the clock, but UC Riverside's final two possessions consisted of a turnover and Brooks' off-balance three at the buzzer.
Thursday, May 21
Monday, May 04
Friday, May 01
Tuesday, March 24
