Riverside—The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team hosts UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 21 in search of the team's third straight win. Tip is slated for 4 pm PT, and will be followed at 7 pm by the Women's Basketball Team's game against Cal State Fullerton.
The Highlanders picked up their second straight victory, and first road win of the 2016-17 season, in a 71-63 decision at Cal State Fullerton Wednesday evening (
box score/
recap).
UC Riverside is 3-2 over its last five games, and has done a complete 180 on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court during that stretch. Through the first 10 games of the season, the Highlanders averaged 63.2 points per game while making 36.9 percent of their shots from the field, and 30.0 percent from tree-point range. Over the last five games, those figures have improved to 69.6 points, 47.6 percent shooting from the floor, and 38.8 percent from long distance.
Defensively, UCR allowed teams to score 74.9 points per game through the first 10 games of the year, while making 47.4 percent of their field goal attempts. Since then, Highlanders opponents are averaging 65.2 points per game, and 37.3 percent shooting.
Five different players have led or tied for the team lead in scoring over that five-game stretch as well, and seven different players have scored in double figures.
Secean Johnson's 11.3 points per game leads three Highlanders in double-digit scoring, followed by Chance Murray at 10.9 and Gentrey Thomas at 10.2.
UC Santa Barbara fell to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in conference, Thursday, with an 81-76 loss at Long Beach State. Those 76 points were the most the Gauchos have scored since an 82-62 victory over Fresno Pacific on November 6.
UCSB is averaging a league low 64.4 points per game, and ranks last in the Big West in field goal percentage (.372), and three-point field goal percentage (.286). The Gauchos also rank in the bottom three in the conference in those categories against conference opponents, scoring 60.8 points per game (8th) while making 37.6 percent of their shots (8th) and 28.3 percent of their three-pointers (7th) against Big West foes.
Gabe Vincent leads UC Santa Barbara in scoring at 15.2 points per game, followed by Jalen Canty's at 10.2. Canty has missed the last six games for the Gauchos, but before his absence, he was connecting on 55.1 percent of his field goal attempts—the fourth highest percentage in the conference.
The Highlanders are 8-31 all-time against the Gauchos, but 8-9 at home. UC Santa Barbara won both meetings between the clubs last season, and have taken six of the last seven.
