Salt Lake City, UT—UC Riverside freshman Dikymbe Martin made the first start of his collegiate career Friday night, and showed that his 26-point performance against Fresno Pacific was no fluke by scoring 15 points in the Highlanders' 85-67 loss to Utah.
Martin got the start in the absence of UC Riverside's leading scorer Mailk Thames, who is home in Sacramento due to an illness in the family. The Highlanders were also without the services of DJ Sylvester, Marcus Blakely and Idy DIallo, each of whom did not travel because of injuries.
UC Riverside matched Utah shot for shot in the early going, as the teams were tied at nine with 3:04 gone in the first. Dikymbe Martin was responsible for five of those points.
The Runnin' Utes lived up to their nickname over the next several possessions, going on a 7-0 run, causing Highlanders' Head Coach Dennis Coach to call time out. Of Utahs first 16 points, 10 came in the paint, and five came on fast breaks. The Utes also connected on seven of nine from the field to start the game.
Whatever adjustments Cutts made during the time out did the trick. Consecutive buckets by Chance Murray, Alex Larsson, and Gentrey Thomas sliced the lead to one, 16-15. The Highlanders tied the score at 21 on a Menno Dijkstra jumper, but Utah flexed its collective muscles again scoring 11 straight.
Martin ended the run with a three-pointer with 7:48 to go before intermission, giving him 10 points on the night.
A Chance Murray three-pointer with 6:04 to go made it a six-point Utah lead, but the home team closed out the half with an 13-7 run to lead 46-34 heading into the break.
Martin led the Highlanders through the first, playing all 20 minutes while connecting on four of six from the field and two of two from three-point range. Lorenzo Bonam paced the Utes in the first, scoring 15 points and grabbing six rebounds. Kyle Kuzma joined him in double figures with 10 points.
The key stats of the first half came from inside the paint, where Utah outscored the Highlanders 28-16, and out-rebounded them 25-18 including nine to four on the offensive glass.
Utah extended its lead by scoring the first six points after intermission. Once again, it was Martin who ended the run connecting on a jumper with 16:35 remaining to make it a 54-36 ballgame.
The Utes continued their mastery of the glass, extending their lead beyond 20 points, where it remained for the next several minutes. The Highlanders had one last run in them, though, as they scored eight straight to cut the lead to 17, 70-53.
A handful of possessions later, UC Riverside made it a 15-point game, 76-61. That was as close as the Highlanders would get, however, as Utah kept them at arms length in the 18-point victory.
Over the final 20 minutes of play, Utah out-rebounded UCR, 24-14. They also out-scored the Highlanders in the paint 28-12 during that stretch.
Murray led the Highlanders with 17 points on the night, while Larsson joined Murray and Martin in double figures with 10 to go along with seven rebounds,
Bonam posted a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double for Utah, and Devon Daniels did likewise with 14 points and 11 boards.,
The Highlanders return to Southern California to take on UCLA on Wednesday, November 30 beginning at 8 pm PT, before taking a two-week break for final exams.
