Riverside, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team looks to snap a four-game losing skid this week as the Highlanders host Hawai'i on Thursday, January 14 at 7 pm PT, and travel to CSUN on Saturday, January 16 at 7:30 pm. The game against the Rainbow Warriors is being broadcast on ESPN3.
UCR dropped an 84-68 decision on the road at UC Irvine over the weekend (
box score/
recap). The Anteaters, who were picked to win the Big West in the preseason media poll, jumped out to an early double digit lead, hitting 11 of their first 16 shots including seven of eight from three-point range. Luke Nelson led the way with 29 points.
Irvine connected on eight of 12 three-pointers on the night, and the Highlanders have allowed their last six opponents to make 40.8 percent of their three-pointers. Through the first 12 games of the season, UC Riverside gave up just 26.4 percent from long distance.
Jaylen Bland paced the Highlanders with 20 points against the 'Eaters, while Secean Johnson and Taylor Johns added 15 apiece. Bland leads the team averaging 16.7 points per game, and his 3.61 made three-pointers per game are the eighth most in the nation. Johns ranks seventh in the conference in scoring (14.5) and third in rebounding (8.0), and Johnson's 11.7 points per game rank 16th in the Big West.
The Rainbow Warriors (13-2, 2-0) are tied with UC Irvine and Long Beach State atop the conference standings, and have won five straight. Thursday's game is just their second away from the friendly confines of the Stan Sheriff Center. They lost their lone road tilt back on November 28, 82-74 at Texas Tech.
Aaron Valdes and Stefan Jankovic are each averaging 14.8 points per game for Hawai'i. Roderick Bobbitt chips in with 13.9 per game, and Isaac Fleming averages 10.7 off the bench. As a team, the Rainbow Warriors average 80.3 points per game, while making 47.1 percent of their field goal attempts, and grabbing 38.5 boards per game—all of which are the top marks in the Big West.
The Highlanders are 2-6 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors (
view results), and the team's split their two meetings a year ago with each squad winning at home.
CSUN (6-10, 1-1) split its first two conference games of the season falling 94-78 vs. Long Beach State, and upending Cal State Fullerton on the road, 85-75.
Kendall Smith's 20.3 points per game lead the Matadors and would be tops in the Big West, but he has only played in seven games this season. Micheal Warren is second on the squad with 14.3 points per game followed by Tavrion Dawson at 11.8.
As a team, CSUN connects on 44.6 percent of its field goal attempts, which is the fourth highest percentage in the conference, and they lead the league in free throw percentage at 72.3 percent.
Defensively, however, the Matadors allow a league-high 38.8 percent from beyond the arc, and the third most points per game at 74.8.
The Highlanders are 34-39 all-time against CSUN (
view results), but have won six of the last 10 meetings between the teams.
