UCRMBB Defending
Carlos Puma
80
Winner CSUN CSUN 7-12,2-1 Big West
68
UC Riverside UCR 12-7,2-1 Big West
Winner
CSUN CSUN
7-12,2-1 Big West
80
Final
68
UC Riverside UCR
12-7,2-1 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
CSUN CSUN 40 40 80
UC Riverside UCR 36 32 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

UC Riverside Hit With First Conference Loss, 80-68 to CSUN

Presented by Altura Credit Union

Altura Credit Union

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Highlanders came into Thursday's Big West meeting with Cal State Northridge at the top of the conference on a three-game winning streak, and exited bruised but unbowed with their best start in Division I history still intact despite a 36-point night for CSUN's Lamine Diane and a 80-68 loss at SRC Arena.

Angus McWilliam led UCR with 15 points, Callum McRae had 14 and Dikymbe Martin added 13, but the defensive mindset that allowed the Highlanders to limit opponents to under 60 points per game could not withstand a second-half offensive barrage by the Matadors, led by the redshirt sophomore from Senegal.

UC Riverside (12-7, 2-1) entered Thursday's game tied for No. 10 nationally in scoring defense, while CSUN (7-12, 2-1) came in averaging a conference-leading 74.8 ppg in Big West play. The teams jabbed early, then erupted for four lead changes in 90 seconds before CSUN took a 7-0 run and four-point lead on two free throws by Terrell Gomez, who entered the game as the top scorer in the Big West and finished with 17 points.

Two free throws by Arinze Chidom (5 points) got UCR going as both teams went diving for loose balls, and the lead changed hands five times in a 90-second span, during which the Highlanders never able to take more than a two-point advantage until a three by Khy Khabellis put them by four at 25-21. That lead lasted less than 2 minutes and proved to be UCR's last of the evening as the Matadors went on another mini-run to keep the Highlanders at a four-point halftime deficit.

The Matadors came out firing to start the second half, notching a 9-point lead before treys by Zyon Pullin (7 pts) and Martin helped keep the Highlanders within 5. That five-point gap became a bridge too far as the lead grew to 11 on the strength of Diane, who went on a tear as the UCR defense came unglued. The media timeout with 4:45 remaining saw the Highlanders down by 15, their deepest deficit of the night on the way to a 12-point defeat.

"This was the first game that we found it hard to establish ourselves defensively," said head coach David Patrick. "We didn't have an answer for their best player. He's hard to stop. He's got a unique shot, hard to block and he's athletic. I don't know if we're going to stop him, but we had to stop the other guys. Our turnovers also hurt us, and we've got to learn. When you're 2-0, you're the hunted. And we didn't respond when we got hit in the mouth."

Coach Patrick provided some further perspective on the first conference loss of what remains an historic season for UC Riverside, which reached 12 wins faster than any Highlanders team in the program's Division I history and continues to hold a better winning percentage (.631) on this date of the season than the 2008-09 team, which had a .611 winning percentage (11-7 overall) on this date in 2009. 

"It's still early in the season. No one is going to go undefeated," coach Patrick said. "It's how you respond after a loss. The fans were great and we will be right back at it."
Thursday's loss moves UC Riverside into a second-place tie with CSUN at 2-1 in the Big West Conference. Next up for the Highlanders is a road game at UC Irvine Saturday at 7 p.m.
Notes

UC Riverside recognized two organizations Thursday for their work to support and educate others about autism. Players wore 4ASDKids t-shirts during warmups and the coaching staff wore pins for Autism Speaks during the game. "Autism is close to me," said head coach David Patrick. "Anytime we can give back is huge. If I can bring awareness to it, and if my team can, then we will."

Coach Patrick, pregame, on his young team's potential and pride: "They've bought in to what we've been preaching from day one, which is defending and rebounding It's one thing to say it and another thing to do it. You see their hard work paying off. You've got to control the static. You've got to focus on one game at a time. That's my job, to keep them focused. It's one thing to be the underdog. But when you're getting everyone's best shot, how do you respond? It starts in the classroom and how you carry yourself off the floor. Can't be prouder of them, and they're proud to wear those three letters on their chest.

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