RIVERSIDE, Calif.— The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team (7-13, 1-3) earned its first conference win Saturday night as the Highlanders defeated Hawaii (11-6, 2-1) at home 75-71. It was another historical night for UCR as the team tied its Division I record with 26 assists and freshman Dragan Elkaz tied the Division I record sinking a career high seven triples.
"I think the guys are growing more and more every game," Head Coach David Patrick said. "We had some tough losses but I can tell we're getting better every day. After those set backs our guys came in and worked even harder and I'm extremely proud to see that dedication pay off with a win over a good team tonight."
The youthful Highlanders began the game with three freshmen in the starting line up for the second straight game in Elkaz, Zac Watson, and Callum McRae. The decision would more then pay off as the trio combined for 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting and added 11 boards, eight assists, and a pair of steals. Elkaz led all scorers with a career high 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
"Everyone was really locked in all day today," Elkaz said. "You could tell that we were really focused on winning today. For me, it's always about how I prepare, making sure every shot in practice is a game shot and then stepping in and doing the same in the game."
UCR was slow out of the gate trailing by as much as 11 points with under ten minutes to go in the first half. With four minutes left Elkaz nailed back-to-back threes followed by bucket from senior Menno Dijkstra and a triple from junior Dikymbe Martin to turn an 11-0 run into a 36-34 lead at the half.
The Highlanders were on a mission in the second half never surrendering the lead to earn their first Big West victory. The Warriors hung around all 40 minutes, pulling to within two down the stretch, but UCR would match every punch with clutch plays including a four-point play from Elkaz with just under four minutes to go.
The Big West's top three point shooting team showed out once again hitting 13 threes on .520 shooting. The Highlanders also put up efficient numbers overall shooting .537 from the field.
Martin finished the game shooting 8-for-10 from the field on the way to 19 points, five assists, and two rebounds. McRae went 6-for-8 scoring 12 and collecting five rebounds.
"We're really excited. I feel like this was a huge momentum swing today," Martin said. "We're going to keep working in practice to prepare for the next game, but overall we know we've been right there in the last three games. We've been up at halftime and today we we're able to focus in and grind out a win."
The Highlanders will now look to keep it going on the road at Cal Poly and UC Irvine this week.
