RIVERSIDE, Calif.— After winning its last three straight home games, the UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team (5-8) is set to hit the road this weekend as the Highlanders face Air Force (4-7) Friday night and Western Michigan (5-7) Sunday afternoon. 

The Highlanders have been hot as of late winning their last two straight including a hard-fought 60-53 victory over a one-loss team in Loyola Marymount last week. Over the last four games, the team has outscored its opponents by an average of nine points thanks to a .462 field goal percentage.

The matchup with Air Force is set for Friday at 5 PM in Colorado Springs, CO before the Highlanders take on Western Michigan Sunday at 1 PM in Kalamazoo, MI.

R' HOUSE
The Highlanders have enjoyed success on their home floor at the SRC Arena with a 3-1 record. The team on average scores just under 71 ppg, shoots a potent .473 from the field, and collects 30.6 rpg.

TRIPLE THREAT
Sophomore guard Jordan Gilliam has proved to be an excellent addition to the team as he leads the team in rebounds (3.5 rpg) and assists (2.8 apg), and is 4th on the team in scoring (7.4 ppg)

FROM DOWNTOWN
The Highlanders have found success from behind the arc this season as their .369 3pt shooting percentage leads the Big West and 11 different student-athletes have hit from deep.

DIKYMBE DROPPING 20
The Highlanders' leading scorer, Dikymbe Martin, has notched 20+ points four different times this season already, which ties for 3rd in the Big West. His highest scoring performance came at Valparaiso where the junior guard dropped 21.

DRAGAN FROM DEEP
Freshman guard Dragan Elkaz has already made his presence felt in his first season as a Highlander hitting 26 threes and shooting .406 from behind the arc. His percentage is currently ranks 7th in the Big West. 

ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Junior guard Dikymbe Martin was named to the All-Tournament Team the Thanksgiving Tiger Tournament as he averaged 15 ppg shooting an efficient .429 from the field. His best scoring night came in the first game of the tourney vs Pacific where he dropped 20.

THE DAVID PATRICK ERA
The 2018-19 season is set to be a historic one as first-year Head Coach David Patrick will be at the helm. Coach Patrick takes over Highlanders Hoops with an impressive resume that features stints at Saint Mary's, LSU, and TCU. Patrick was welcomed to the program in early April.

NEW-LOOK COACHING STAFF
In addition to Head Coach David Patrick, the Highlanders have added 5 other new faces to the staff. Assistants Mike Magpayo and Mike Czepil, Director of Operations Michael Lecak, and Graduate Assistant Troy Hammel round out an experienced coaching staff.

BELL IS BACK
UC Riverside Alumnus Justin Bell is the sole returner from last years staff after taking over as Interim Head Coach towards the end of the conference season. The now Associate Head Coach is credited with helping a team that started Big West play 0-8 last year reach the conference tournament.

THE MELTING POT
This year's team is a mix of new student-athletes and returners, some recruited by the current coaching staff and others brought in before the staff's arrival, but you would never know it the way these Highlanders have come together in the preseason. They are truly embracing the team's motto: Run as One.

Here is what Coach Patrick had to say on the matter...

"These are all our guys. The returners and the new guys know that and nobody feels like they're on an island," Patrick said. "We brought everyone in early and I think that gave us an advantage, because they all got a chance to gel and bond as a team."

OTHER COACH PATRICK QUOTES
On the journey from day one to game one...

"Since our first practice together they have gotten better day by day and have really answered what our coaching staff has asked them for," said Patrick. "The main thing is their attitudes have been great and they have bought in to what we've sold them, which is trying to be in the best shape they can be, being as mentally and physically tough as they can be, and holding themselves accountable. They have done that from day one."

On new coaching staff...

"Our coaches are great mix of guys with no egos," Patrick explained. "When it came time to start thinking about our staff I made an effort to pick experienced leaders who don't think anything is beneath them. They're all willing to roll up their sleeves, work hard, and wear many hats if we need them to and they have done a great job with that."

On Dikymbe Martin...

"I've really been impressed with DK so far," Patrick said. "We know he has the ability to score, but he has also been open to us changing his role in needing him to defend and rebound better. He has really bought in, which is great because change is always hard when you're used to scoring a lot of points."

On Menno Dijkstra and Eric Rwahwire returning...

"Right now Menno is in the best shape he has been in here and is skilled both inside and from the perimeter," Patrick said. "Rwahwire has been extremely vocal and has shown a lot of leadership so we are looking for him to bring that to the court Tuesday night."

THE RETURNERS
Six Highlanders return to the UC Riverside roster....

     #10 Ajani Kennedy
     #13 Eric Rwahwire
     #15 Dikyembe Martin
     #22 Dominick Pickett
     #31 Ryker Pierce
     #32 Menno Dijkstra

THE FAB FIVE
Five freshman join the Highlanders in their first ever NCAA Season...

    #0 Dragan Elkaz
    #3 DJ McDonald
    #11 Zac Watson
    #24 Kendall Stubblefield
    #25 Callum McRae

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Much like last year, the Highlanders will be on the road for most of the non-conference season tallying 10 total away/nuetral games before they open Big West play.

These games feature Oregon State, Portland State, UNLV, Pacific, Valparaiso, UT El Paso, Air Force, and Western Michigan. UCR will aso face Elon and Abilene Christian as a part of the Tiger Thanksgiving Tournament in Stockton, CA.

THE BIG WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Big West Conference Tournament is set for the weekend of Thursday March 14th - Sunday March 17th. The winner of the tournament gets automatic entrance to the NCAA Tournament.

Last year, the Highlanders battled at the end of the conference season under Interim Head Coach and UCR Alumnus Justin Bell to make to the Big Weest Tournament and nearly knocked off the No. 1 seed in UC Davis. The Aggies edged out the Highlanders 70-66.