RIVERSIDE, Calif.—The UC Riverside Women's Basketball team continues a tough road stretch this weekend when it faces BYU on Friday and Oklahoma State on Sunday.

The Highlanders had quite the test in their first official game of the season on Tuesday at USC, taking a 73-55 loss. The score was not indicative of how close the game was though, especially in the first half.

After USC took a 21-11 lead going into the second quarter, the Highlanders bounced back, going on a 13-point scoring run that eventually helped them take a 30-29 lead at the 2:17 mark.

Two of the biggest standouts in the game were junior Marina Ewodo and senior Malou Thiebaut De Kergret. Ewodo finished the game with 13 points (5-for-12) and 13 rebounds, along with five blocked shots. De Kergret led the team with 17 points after coming off the bench at the end of the first period.

"It serves a purpose," head coach John Margaritis said of playing such tough opponents to begin the season. "We start with three really good teams on the road and hopefully we learn from it and it helps us succeed later on in the season."

Catch all of Friday's action here and Sunday's action here.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS

BYU plays its first official game of the season vs. UCR. It won its exhibition game against Dixie State on Tuesday 83-56. Shalae Salmon, Brenna Chase and Paisley Johnson all scored in double digits and will again be the biggest threats in Friday's game.

SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS

Oklahoma State got its first win of the season against Arkansas State on Friday in a nail-biter with a 62-60 win. Senior forward LaTashia Jones had 10 points and 21 rebounds. UCR will be the second game of a four game homestand for the Cowgirls.

LAST TIME OUT

It's been quite a while since UCR faced either of these teams. The last matchup vs. BYU came on Dec. 20, 2006 at BYU. The Highlanders took a 57-66 loss. The last matchup vs OSU came on Dec. 17, 2009 in a 69-46 loss. UCR is a combined 0-5 vs. the two schools.