University of California, Riverside
6-4,0-0Big West
California Baptist
8-2,0-0WAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| UC Riverside | 37 | 33 | 70 |
Hot Shooting Leads Highlanders to Crosstown Showdown Win
12/12/2021 6:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Presented by Altura Credit Union
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside returned from finals week in style, snapping a two-game skid with a 70-54 win in the Crosstown Showdown against California Baptist on Sunday evening at the SRC Arena.
Both teams came out of the gate firing on all cylinders with a combined 8-of-13 clip up to the first media timeout. The Highlanders' and Lancers' offensive track meet ultimately set the tone for the a game that
"It matters a lot," head coach Mike Magpayo said. "I told the guys before that this is a meaningful and purposeful game. I knew it meant a lot to our staff and our student-athletes. This was huge. Our university is learning about rooting for a good basketball team and you see it on campus. We have a good group of young men - guys you can root for."
UCR's quick start extended past the media break with a 10-2 run over two and a half minutes, led by four from Zyon Pullin, whose first bucket of the afternoon marked 500 career points for the preseason all-Big West selection. JP Moorman II's 2-of-3 start from the field, including 2-of-2 from deep, spurred the Highlanders at the SRC Arena.
Pullin got off to an efficient 4-for-4 start from the field, adding on four assists and three rebounds. The sophomore finished his evening with 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting for his second double double of the season.
Defensively, UC Riverside cooled down the Lancers midway through the half and held them to 1 of 9 from the field while accelerating ahead for a 27-15 lead.
After CBU used a hot stretch of its own to keep the Highlanders on their heels, Flynn Cameron knocked down his third triple of the evening with just under four minutes remaining in the first half to halt an offensive cold stretch for UC Riverside
Cameron's game-high 15 points in the first half helped UCR to 48.3 percent shooting in the opening half, the Highlanders' best through an opening half this season as they closed the half on a strong 5-0 run. UCR held the Lancers to just 1 of 7 from three for the half and 2 of 8 from the free throw line.
Moorman II's aggressive and-1 at the 9:33 mark put him in double figures, as he, Pullin and Cameron made it six games this season with three Highlanders in double figures scoring. The New Zealand native went off for 18 points on a 6-of-10 shooting clip and 5 of 9 from three, including a triple with three minutes left that gave UCR a 10-point cushion.
Moorman II' put up a season-high 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting with 10 rebounds for his second double double of the season and the second game this year with two Highlanders recording double doubles.
Dominick Pickett found his stroke after halftime with seven points out of the intermission through the first six minutes. Pickett helped propel the Highlanders to a team-high 16-point lead at the 13:51 mark of the second half, 47-31. Through eight minutes in the second half, UC Riverside had a 4-0 advantage on second chance points and 7-2 on fast break points.
The Highlanders ended the night with their third-best shooting performance of the season while pulling down at least 40 rebounds for the fifth time this season, grabbing 44 boards on Sunday. UC Riverside's second-half push included a 15-5 advantage on points off turnovers and five of the team's eight offensive rebounds.
UCR is back in action on Sunday, December 19 with a 2:00 p.m. tipoff against Sacramento State. The game against the Hornets will be broadcast on ESPN+ with the audio call available on GoHighlanders.com. Fans can purchase tickets at GoHighlanders.com or by emailing highlandertickets@ucr.edu.
