MORAGA, Calif. - UC Riverside began the first leg of a testing road trip on Monday evening with a 67-50 loss to Saint Mary's at University Credit Union in Moraga. 

Zyon Pullin led UCR in scoring for the third time this season, putting up 12 points to go along with six rebounds. But in the grand scheme of things, UCR's biggest asset proved to be the ultimate downfall.

"We talked before the game about how rebounding was going to tip the scales one way or the other, and they tipped their way," head coach Mike Magpayo said. 

UCR started the contest with defense and a 5-0 run that included a three from Daniel Mading, his third on the year. The Highlanders took a narrow 7-5 lead into the first media break behind an already-season-high two steals from JP Moorman II and a perimeter defense that held the Gaels to just 1 of 5 from beyond the arc. 

Flynn Cameron knocked down a three from the wing as UC Riverside extended its three-point shooting to 2 of 3 to start the contest. 

Jhaylon Martinez and Moorman II traded back-to-back three-pointers to create separation on the perimeter in the form of an 18-10 lead. Martinez's triple from up top beat the shot clock buzzer for his first connection from deep on the season to cap an efficiently manufactured 6-0 run for UCR. 

In an opening half where rebounds were sparse, UC Riverside used its depth for a 12-1 advantage in bench points at the half, led by four from Quinton Ford. UCR faced a surging run from its opposition as the half wound down for the second game in a row, trailing 30-28 at the interval. 

UCR reclaimed the lead early in the second half with a teardrop jumper from Callum McRae for his first points of the ball game. Minutes later, Pullin hit a jumper from the elbow to push the lead back in UC Riverside's direction with the third field goal in the last four attempts for the Highlanders.

UCR and Saint Mary's went back and forth, including Cameron's third three of the night and Dominick Pickett's second field goal of the night to put UC Riverside back in front at the 10:46 mark of the second half. Pullin and Cameron entered double digit scoring in the second half for the fifth time this season for both. 

The Gaels pulled ahead midway through the second half, opening up a 10-point lead before McRae countered on the other end with a turnaround hook shot with five minutes remaining. 

UC Riverside finishes off its road trip on Wednesday, December 1 with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff at Oregon. The matchup against the Ducks will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network from Matthew Knight Arena, and fans can tune into the audio broadcast at GoHighlanders.com.