Baltimore, MD—The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team heads back to the hardwood this week following a brief break for the holidays as the Highlanders travel to the east coast to take on Morgan State on Monday, December 28 at 10 pm PT, and to the Buckeye State to take on Ohio on Wednesday, December 30 at 4 pm.
The Highlanders bring a three-game winning streak on the road with them following a 63-54 victory over Denver on December 22 (
box score/
recap). Taylor Johns scored eight points during a 12-0 UCR run to start the second half which broke the game open. He finished with 14 points, while Jaylen Bland added a game-high 20.
Bland ranks third in the Big West in scoring averaging 17.2 points per game, and is eighth in the nation in made three-pointers per game (3.69). Johns is averaging 15.8 points and 9.4 rebounds—figures which would rank fourth and first in the conference, but the senior has not played in enough games yet to qualify for league rankings.
The Highlanders connected on 52.5 percent of their field goal attempts in their win over the Pioneers, reaching the .500 mark for the third time this season, and raising their overall field goal percentage to 44.1. Over the team's three-game winning streak, UC Riverside is 79 for 158 from the field (.500) and 21 for 55 from beyond the arc (.382).
Defensively, the Highlanders continue to clamp down on the perimeter where they are holding opponents to 27.7 percent from three-point range—the 14th lowest percentage in the nation.
Morgan State is 2-8 on the season following a 71-47 loss to Rider Wednesday evening. The Bears are being outscored by nearly 14 points per game on the year as opponents are making 45.4 percent of their field goal attempts on the season, and outrebounding MSU by more than seven boards a game.
Three members of the Bears are averaging in double figures—Cedric Blossom (14.4), Kyle Thomas (12.3) and Andre Horne (11.0). Blossom has only played in five games, however, after missing the first several games of the season. Horne has missed each of the last three games for Morgan State. Thomas (.347) and Horne (.393) are two of the most prolific three-point shooters on the squad.
This is the second meeting between the Highlanders and Bears who first met on December 30, 2014 with UC Riverside emerging with a 68-63 victory (
box score/
recap).
Ohio is 8-3 on the season, including a perfect 6-0 at home. The Bobcats come out of the holiday break carrying a four-game winning streak and boasting one of the top offenses in the nation as they average 80.3 points per game. Ohio makes 48.5 percent of its field goals, 37.3 percent of its three-pointers and 76.1 percent of its free throws.
Bobcats' opponents have had success from long range connecting on 37.7 percent of their three-pointers, and have also forced Ohio into committing 14.5 turnovers per game compared to 12.1 for the opposition.
Five different Bobcats are averaging in double figures led by Antonio Campbell's 15.2 points per game. He also makes 59.6 percent of his field goals and 38.5 percent of his three-pointers, while grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game. Jaaron Simmons chips in with 14.5 points per game and 7.8 assists per game.
This is the first-ever meeting between UC Riverside and Ohio.
