Box Score Riverside—The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team battled back from a 13-point first-half deficit to snap a 12-game losing streak against Long Beach State with a 74-72 victory (Listen to audio highlights).

Taylor Johns led all scorers with a season-high 26 points making nine of 12 shots from the field and seven of eight from the free throw line.

Long Beach State put the Highlanders (11-11, 2-4) back on their heals early, scoring the first 10 points of the game, and leading by as many as 13 midway through the first half. It was still an 11-point 49ers' lead with 6:39 to go before intermission, but UC Riverside closed the period on an 18-6 run to take a 38-37 lead into the locker room. Five different Highlanders scored during the run led by Jaylen Bland with six points and Secean Johnson with five.

Bland led the team with nine at the break, while Johns and Menno Dijkstra added eight apiece.

The second half saw four lead changes and four ties, the last of which came with 2:10 to go following a Justin Bibbins free throw which knotted the game at 72.

It was still a 72-72 ballgame when Taylor John scored on a jumper in the paint to put the Highlanders up by two. Johns, who became UC Riverside's career leader in blocked shots two weeks ago, added to his total with 36 remaining when he redirected a Gabe Levin lay up into Johnson's hands effectively ending the game.

Johns scored 18 points—half UC Riverside's total—over the final 20 minutes of play, as the Highlanders posted their best offensive effort of the conference season. Their 51.0 percent shooting from the field is their highest percentage since they connected on 52.6 percent in a December 28 victory over Morgan State.

The 49ers (9-12, 3-3) made 54.5 percent of their shots, but the Highlanders 15 of 18 effort from the free throw line proved to be the difference as Long Beach State went just seven of 11.

UC Riverside is back on the road next Thursday, January 28 as they travel to Cal Poly for a 7 pm PT tip against the Mustangs.