Wednesday, February 22
Northridge, CA
7:05 pm
UC Riverside
63
at
61
Cal State Northridge
Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta
Robert Smith's Free Throws With 4.3 Seconds Remaining Give UCR 63-61 Win
2/22/2012 5:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Northridge, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team used an 11-2 run early in the second period to turn a three-point deficit into a six-point lead and overcame some cold shooting down the stretch, holding on for a 63-61 win over Cal State Northridge Wednesday evening. The win ups the Highlanders record in Big West play to 6-8, one-half game behind Cal Poly (6-7) and Pacific (6-7) for fourth place in the conference.
UCR almost let the game get away as they led 61-52 following a Robert Smith jumper with 5:43 on the clock, but the Highlanders went cold at that point failing to connect on a field goal for the remainder of the game.
The Matadors were struggling as well, but Vinnie McGhee's three-pointer with 1:32 remaining cut the UC Riverside advantage to two, 61-59. The Highlanders missed a shot and turned the ball over on their next two plays, and Josh Green's basket with 20 seconds to go tied the game at 61.
With no timeouts left, UC Riverside brought the ball up the floor and Kareem Nitoto missed a lay up. But he grabbed his own rebound retaining possession for the Highlanders. With 4.2 seconds to go, Robert Smith drew a foul, and made both ends of the one-and-one. Cal State Northridge never got a shot off in their final possession, and UCR had the 63-61 win in hand.
The Matadors led 31-28 at the break, and it was still a three-point game, 35-32 with 1:40 gone in the second. That's when the Highlanders went on their roll outscoring CSUN 11-2 over the next two-plus minutes.
Kevin Bradshaw's jumper with 17:51 to go made it a one-point game, and Phil Martin's three-pointer gave UCR the lead, 36-35. After a pair of Stephen Hicks free throws put the Matadors back on top, Robert Smith converted on an old-fashioned three-point play, and Martin drained another three to put UCR up 43-37 with 16:26 on the clock.
Just under six minutes later, a Daymond Cowlah three extended the UC Riverside advantage to 10, 56-46. They still led by nine, 61-52, with 5:43 to go setting up the nail-biting final minuts.
In the first half, neither team led by more than three until the Matadors went on a 6-0 run capped by a Davon Potts bucket which made it 19-13 CSUN with 7:51 to go in the first. Austin Quick's three-pointer with 6:56 remaining ended the run, and following a John Heyward-Mayhew basket, Quick drained a shot from long distance again to make it 21-19 Matadors.
The Highlanders got a stop on the defensive end on Northridge's next possession and Robert Smith put UC Riverside back on top with a three-pointer, 22-21.
BJ Shearry picked up a steal, and Phil Martin converted a lay up and a free throw capping a 12-2 run and giving the Highlanders their biggest lead of the period, 25-21. That was the last bucket of the first half for UCR, however, as they didn't make a field goal over the last 4:33 and went into the break trailing 31-28.
Martin and Smith each scored 14 points on the night while BJ Shearry grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds on the night. Nobody on the Matadors broke double-digits with Ari Feldman's nine leading the way.
The Highlanders remain on the road this weekend traveling to Long Beach State Saturday, February 25 at 4 pm PT.
UCR almost let the game get away as they led 61-52 following a Robert Smith jumper with 5:43 on the clock, but the Highlanders went cold at that point failing to connect on a field goal for the remainder of the game.
The Matadors were struggling as well, but Vinnie McGhee's three-pointer with 1:32 remaining cut the UC Riverside advantage to two, 61-59. The Highlanders missed a shot and turned the ball over on their next two plays, and Josh Green's basket with 20 seconds to go tied the game at 61.
With no timeouts left, UC Riverside brought the ball up the floor and Kareem Nitoto missed a lay up. But he grabbed his own rebound retaining possession for the Highlanders. With 4.2 seconds to go, Robert Smith drew a foul, and made both ends of the one-and-one. Cal State Northridge never got a shot off in their final possession, and UCR had the 63-61 win in hand.
The Matadors led 31-28 at the break, and it was still a three-point game, 35-32 with 1:40 gone in the second. That's when the Highlanders went on their roll outscoring CSUN 11-2 over the next two-plus minutes.
Kevin Bradshaw's jumper with 17:51 to go made it a one-point game, and Phil Martin's three-pointer gave UCR the lead, 36-35. After a pair of Stephen Hicks free throws put the Matadors back on top, Robert Smith converted on an old-fashioned three-point play, and Martin drained another three to put UCR up 43-37 with 16:26 on the clock.
Just under six minutes later, a Daymond Cowlah three extended the UC Riverside advantage to 10, 56-46. They still led by nine, 61-52, with 5:43 to go setting up the nail-biting final minuts.
In the first half, neither team led by more than three until the Matadors went on a 6-0 run capped by a Davon Potts bucket which made it 19-13 CSUN with 7:51 to go in the first. Austin Quick's three-pointer with 6:56 remaining ended the run, and following a John Heyward-Mayhew basket, Quick drained a shot from long distance again to make it 21-19 Matadors.
The Highlanders got a stop on the defensive end on Northridge's next possession and Robert Smith put UC Riverside back on top with a three-pointer, 22-21.
BJ Shearry picked up a steal, and Phil Martin converted a lay up and a free throw capping a 12-2 run and giving the Highlanders their biggest lead of the period, 25-21. That was the last bucket of the first half for UCR, however, as they didn't make a field goal over the last 4:33 and went into the break trailing 31-28.
Martin and Smith each scored 14 points on the night while BJ Shearry grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds on the night. Nobody on the Matadors broke double-digits with Ari Feldman's nine leading the way.
The Highlanders remain on the road this weekend traveling to Long Beach State Saturday, February 25 at 4 pm PT.
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