Los Angeles, CA—The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team travels west this Wednesday, November 30 for an 8 pm PT tip at UCLA's famed Pauley Pavilion.
The Highlanders are coming off of an 85-67 loss at Utah, which continued the coming out party for freshman Dikymbe Martin (
Riverside, CA). The J.W. North High School graduate scored 15 points against the Runnin' Utes (
box score/
recap), and has now scored 41 points on 17 of 24 shooting over his last two games. Martin also has made six of his last seven three-pointers, and has 10 assists and just two turnovers over those last two games.
Martin is the team's leading scorer at 12.5 points per game, as well as its leader in field goal percentage (57.1%), three-point field goal percentage (75.0 %), assists per game (3.0), steals per game (2.25), and assist-to-turnover ratio (4-1).
Chance Murray (
Los Angeles, CA) led the Highlanders in scoring at Utah with 17 points. He ranks third on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Malik Thames (
Sacramento, CA) is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, but missed the game against the Runnin' Utes due to personal reasons. Alex Larsson (
Sodertalje, Sweden) is UC Riverside's top post player averaging 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
UCLA is 7-0 after topping Texas A&M, 74-67, in the championship game of the Direct TV Wooden Classic at Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Two of the Bruins' victories are over Big West opponents—102-87 over CSUN, and 114-77 against Long Beach State. They also topped former Big West member, Pacific, in the team's season opener, 119-80.
UCLA is averaging 96.9 points per game, outscoring opponents by 21.6 points per game, while making 54.7 percent shooting from the field, and 45.2 percent from three-point range.
Six Bruins are averaging double figures in scoring led by TJ Leaf's 17.1 points per game. Leaf is also the team's second leading rebounder at 8.9 boards per game. Bryce Alford is just behind Leaf at 17.0 points per game, followed by Isaac Hamilton (16.7), Lonzo Ball (16.0), Aaron Holiday (12.1), and Thomas Welsh (10.6). Welsh is averaging a near double-double with 9.4 rebounds per game.
The Highlanders are 0-4 all-time against the Bruins. The last time the clubs met was on December 10, 2014 when UCLA topped UC Riverside, 77-67 (
box score/
recap).
