UCRMBB Arinze
Carlos Puma
49
Winner UC Riverside UCR 16-15,6-9 Big West
43
Hawaii Hawaii 16-12,7-7 Big West
Winner
UC Riverside UCR
16-15,6-9 Big West
49
Final
43
Hawaii Hawaii
16-12,7-7 Big West
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UC Riverside UCR 24 25 49
Hawaii Hawaii 24 19 43

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Highlanders Snag Victory In Paradise, 49-43, Over Hawai'i

Presented by Altura Credit Union

Altura Credit Union

HONOLULU, Hawai'i  — UC Riverside emerged victorious on Saturday night, February 29, on the road at Hawaii, thanks to the team's ability to persevere and stellar defensive play, enabling the Highlanders (16-15, 6-9) to hold off Hawaii (16-12, 7-7) 49-43, in front of a near sellout crowd at the Stan Sheriff Arena.  
 
With the win, UC Riverside has moved within striking distance of fourth place in the Big West Conference standings with one game to play at home versus the Aggies of UC Davis next Saturday night, March 7, at the SRC.
 
Tonight's win was a culmination of hard work, tenacity and following the game plan Head Coach David Patrick and his staff laid out for this Highlander team which had previously lost to these same Rainbow Warriors just nine days ago at home in the SRC Arena, 56-55..
 
"We had to control tempo," remarked Coach Patrick following the victory. "The score could've been 39-29 and I would've been happy. I'm just so proud of this group, especially for our seniors, Dikymbe (Martin) and Khy (Khabelis)  who played in their last true road game of their collegiate careers. We have improved in every game and even though we may not have won all of them, we have shown our depth and it helped us tonight. We played 10 guys, which helps this team in close back to back games."
 
The first half was a defensive battle as both teams shot just 46% from the field, with the Highlanders going 10 of 22 (45%) and Hawaii shooting just 42% on 11 of 26.  Arinze Chidom had eight points to lead the Highlanders offensively and "The Mountain", Callum McRae added six points and eight rebounds heading into halftime with the two squads deadlocked at 24.  UCR held the up-tempo Warriors in check defensively, holding Hawaii's leading scorer\, Eddie Stansberry, to just three points in the first 20 minutes of play.
 
In the second half the Highlanders continued to thwart the Rainbow Warriors offensive efforts, playing stout defense and holding Hawaii to just 19 second half points on five of 24 (21%) shooting and 0 of 8 from the three-point line in the win. Transition defense was the key for the entire 40 minutes for the Highlanders, as the team consistently covered the offensive threats from Stansberry (holding him to one-for-8 shooting from the floor) and kept point guard, Drew Buggs, to zero assists and eight points during his 36 minutes of play. 
 
Coach Patrick said of his teams success, "To hold Hawaii, who are probably the fastest team in the Big West, to just three points in transition, really just speaks to our team's intelligence. They followed the scout. I don't say this enough about my assistant coaches but I think I have the best in the country. They are young guys who are hungry and roll up their sleeves every night and make sure our guys prepared." 
 
The Highlanders were led by Arize Chidom and Callum McRae who finished with 14 points and 12 points and grabbed 9 and 10 rebounds, respectively, to lead the charge Saturday night. Dikymbe Martin added nine points and went a perfect four-for-four from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory for Highlanders.  UCR shot 19 of 49 (39%) from the field and two of 11 (18%) from beyond the arc, but held the Rainbow Warriors to just !6 of 50 (32%) and two of 13 (15%) from the three-point line.  Samuta Avea was the only Rainbow Warrior to score in double figures for Hawaii with 10 points on the night. The Highlanders dominated the rebounding battle 37 to 27.
 
The Highlanders will be in action again next Saturday at the SRC in their last home game of the season at 7pm versus UC Davis. Earlier this season, the Highlanders defeated the Aggies 65-59 on the road at UC Davis on January 9. 
 
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