UCRMBB Pickett
Carlos Puma
69
Long Beach St. LBSU 7-15,2-4 Big West
77
Winner UC Riverside UCR 14-9,4-3 Big West
Long Beach St. LBSU
7-15,2-4 Big West
69
Final
77
UC Riverside UCR
14-9,4-3 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Long Beach St. LBSU 29 40 69
UC Riverside UCR 29 48 77

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Highlanders Beat Long Beach State, 77-69, On Career Night From Pickett

Presented by Altura Credit Union


Altura Credit Union
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Highlanders got back to winning ways in conference play Thursday night as Dominick Pickett scored a career-high 20 points to help UC Riverside defeat Long Beach State, 77-69, at SRC Arena.

"We put in a lot of hard work and we've got a lot of belief," said Pickett, who joined the roster in 2017 after serving as team manager. "It paid off today and I couldn't be more thankful. We'll just look to keep things going."

Dikymbe Martin scored 14 and Arinze Chidom and Angus McWilliam both had 11 to join Pickett in the double-digit scoring column Thursday as UC Riverside (14-9, 4-3) moved into third place in the Big West Conference. Khyber Kabellis contributed 7 assists and 9 points. Chance Hunter led Long Beach State (7-15, 2-4) with 20 points and 8 boards.
The Beach came into Thursday night following a win Jan. 22 over conference-leading UC Irvine looking for their third win in Big West play, while the Highlanders came in looking to recover from a two-point loss Jan. 25 at UC Santa Barbara. 

Stingy defense and turnovers kept both teams from getting untracked offensively in the first half, a tempo that appeared better suited for the Highlanders. But UC Riverside allowed LBSU to tie it three times and trailed briefly twice to The Beach, the second time with three seconds to go before Callum McRae tied it for the fourth time in the first half, sending it into the break at 29-29. 
In the second half, UC Riverside continued to deny Long Beach State access to the offensive glass, then Pickett began a stretch of three-point shooting that saw the Highlanders, who entered the game with eight players who have made at least 10 three-pointers this season, go 5-for-6 from downtown in a five-minute stretch to open up as much as a 13-point lead.

Long Beach State would not go away easily with a late second half surge to retake the lead, using a 9-0 run to shrink its deficit to 4 points with 53 seconds remaining, when The Beach used its last timeout following a three by Michael Carter III, who finished with 14 points. But six straight makes from the free-throw line by UC Riverside ensured there would be no comeback, and the Highlanders earned their fourth win in conference play, ending a seven-game losing streak against LBSU.

"I'm just so happy for our students, our alumni and this team," said head coach David Patrick following his team's 14th win of the year and fourth victory in conference play. "I ask a lot them, on and off the court, and they step up every day. Guys are playing sick, playing hurt, and that's what good teams have to do."
Coach Patrick's praise went across the roster and to the opponents following Thursday's win. Of Picket, a redshirt junior, he said, "I'm so proud of him. We challenged him at halftime to guard Chance Hunter. He played great defensively and made some big threes. Long Beach State is also a very good team. They're long and they're a different look. They have some athletes."
Continuing a season filled with rollercoaster big wins and gut-punching defeats, the Highlanders took an exciting step Thursday to rise above the middle of pack in the Big West Conference. Next up for UC Riverside following a six-day rest is a Wednesday, Feb. 5, trip to Cal State Fullerton for a 7 p.m. tipoff. 

"We've got to get fresh," said coach Patrick of the upcoming break. "We've got another lap to go in the season and I think we're going in the right direction."

NOTES
Thursday was the second straight home game for UC Riverside to be aired on ESPN3 from SRC Arena. The Highlanders will remain on ESPN3 when they visit Cal State Fullerton in their next battle in the Big West.

Prior to the national anthem – in the first game for both teams following the Jan. 26 deaths of Kobe Bryant; his daughter Gianna; her teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester; Alyssa's parents, Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and Keri Altobelli; Payton's mother, Sarah Chester; Mamba Academy assistant coach Christina Mauser; and pilot Ara Zobayan – both teams linked arms to observe a video recognition and moment of silence at SRC Arena. The Highlanders also wore T-shirts designed with nine stars around the number 24 and words Mamba Mentality.

"When you play and coach around the world, you know how Kobe is everywhere," said head coach David Patrick, himself the father of two daughters. "When I was playing overseas, the Lakers were the team that were always playing on TV. Since then, I saw him as a father to his daughters. I feel for the whole community, for everyone we lost on Sunday."

Thursday's matchup between UCR and Long Beach was also the Military Appreciation Game at SRC Arena. Said coach Patrick: "We wanted to honor the veterans and those that have serve us locally and around the world. We have the privilege to play this game because of the way they protect us and this country." UC Riverside is recognized as one of the nation's finest universities for student veterans.

Also recognized Thursday during a "Night Out" at SRC Arena were members of the Bourns College of Engineering and the Black Faculty and Staff Association.