Arinze vs UW
57
Winner UC Riverside UCR 1-1,0-0 Big West
42
Washington UW 0-2,0-0 Pac-12
Winner
UC Riverside UCR
1-1,0-0 Big West
57
Final
42
Washington UW
0-2,0-0 Pac-12
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UC Riverside UCR 29 28 57
Washington UW 22 20 42

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Highlanders Handle Huskies In Historic 57-42 Win in Vegas

Presented by Altura Credit Union

Altura Credit Union
Las Vegas, Nev.— In a year of adjustment and constant change it only seems fitting that UC Riverside Head Coach Mike Magpayo's first career-win as a head coach would come in a game arranged less than 24 hours before it was tipped. 
 
The Highlanders (1-1,0-0) earned a 57-42 victory over the University of Washington (0-2,0-0) in the 2020 #Vegas Bubble multi-team event Tuesday afternoon. Magpayo was the architect of UCR's top-10 defense a year ago, so it should come as no surprise that it would remain the cornerstone of this year's squad with him in the lead chair. He missed the first game of the season last week, for another important first, the birth of his son Luka. Sunday, UCR had their first game of the year postponed due to Covid, a matchup with Fresno State slated for Monday.  
 
"I told the guys that they are tough as heck! To turn around in 24 hours and decide to play this game, pack up make the trip on short notice, shows how hungry they were to show what UC Riverside Basketball can do. To see the guys prepare, get locked in and win is just a testament to the work they put in daily." said head coach Magpayo. Tuesday's win represents the first by both a Filipino and Asian DI head coach."I want to hold the door for the next generation that Coach Yenai and Coach Spoelstra and Coach Hironaka opened for me. It's my turn to pay it forward." he added.
 
Jock Perry posted a career-high 21 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting. "Jock Perry was huge, of course. He just was able to find pockets of space against their zone and hit some huge shots to keep the offense going. Hard to shoot in those big empty arenas like T-Mobile." Magpayo said.
 
Washington got out to a 3-0 lead in the first minute of the game, however, that would be the last advantage they would enjoy, as the Highlanders clamped down defensively en route to establishing a seven point halftime margin, 29-22, before continuing on to a 15-point victory 57-42 in which they led for the final 38:14. UCR held Washington to under 30 percent from the field and to 15 percent (3-20) shooting from distance, while allowing just five offensive rebounds. 
 
"We were able to execute a great defensive game plan put together by Assistant Coach Mike Lecak today. I think after Pacific, we had to really lock in on being a very good rebounding team again and we prepared that way this week." said Magpayo. Arinze Chidom pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to go with eight points in helping the blue and gold maintain control of the glass 49-33. "Zyon orchestrated a masterful show, had an excellent all around game... nine assists-one turnover and nine rebounds all while having to guard their best player too. Proud of that kid." Magpayo went on to say.
 
Zyon Pullin on what worked: "Overall just moving the ball worked real well for us. We knew if we were patient and didn't let them speed us up, we could get the shot we wanted. Defensively we knew we needed to limit their transition opportunities and win the rebound battle. Overall we were able to execute both on the offense and defensive end for the whole game which put us in a position to win."
 
Jock Perry on how the coaching staff kept things under control amongst the chaos of cancelations and schedule changes: "From our very first team zoom over the summer our coaches have emphasized staying agile and always being ready to go. This emphasis carried over into our preseason, so as a team we felt 100% ready to compete even though we had such short notice."
 
Newcomers Flynn Cameron and Wil Tattersall made impact plays and sank timely threes to hold off several UW comeback attempts. Dominick Pickett applied his steady leadership throughout the game in which he finished with nine points (2-3, 3pt), three assists and a team-high two steals. "Dom Pickett is our floor general in a lot of ways, what he does for us; hit big shots and keep us organized." said Magpayo.
 
Mid-way through the second half, Washington went on a 9-2 run to cut the UCR lead to six, 44-38. The Highlanders responded with a 5-0 spurt that featured a bucket from Angus McWilliam and a corner three from Tattersall on a possession extended by a Chidom offensive rebound that restored order and made 49-38. The squads traded scores in a stretch that featured an increased pace of play brought on by the desperate Huskies.
 
With two minutes to play and the score 53-42, McWilliam rebounded a miss by Pullin to extend the possession, and with UW scrambled defensively, Cameron nailed a straight-away triple from NBA-range to make it 56-42 with 1:26 left, effectively icing the game. 
 
The Highlanders even their record to 1-1, and are scheduled to visit the University of Denver on Sunday. 
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