RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside put their second-best scoring average in the Big West on display on Thursday evening with a resounding 88-39 win over Antelope Valley at the SRC Arena.
After not playing since November 21 due to finals week and a three-game COVID-19 hiatus, Thursday evening was a breath of fresh air that came in the form of returning to the court.
"It was just fun to play," head coach Nicole Powell said. "We did a terrific job of handling this adversity these past few weeks. It's just nice to play against somebody else."
UC Riverside got off to a quick 6-0 start with four points from Daphne Gnago, who made her first appearance since November 9 against Cal Baptist. Jordan Webster made her season debut against UAV on Thursday, garnering a quick five points out of the gate on 2-of-2 shooting as the Highlanders raced out to a 17-2 lead. UCR had five different scorers in the first 10 minutes, leading to a 62.5% shooting clip in the first quarter. Webster and Gnago combined for 13 of the 21 points on 6 of 7 shooting.
UC Riverside only clamped down even more on both ends of the court heading into the half. The Highlanders took a 45-12 lead into the intermission with 24 of the 45 points in the paint and 21 off the bench. Powell's squad shot 54.5% for the first half while holding the Pioneers to just 15.2%. All but one Highlander grabbed a rebound, and every Highlander saw at least six minutes in the opening half.
Gnago kept the pedal on in a third quarter that included four points, an assist and a steal in a minute's span. The senior finished her night with 11 points on a cool 5-of-6 from the floor to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. She was one of 10 different scorers for UC Riverside, including one of three in double figures.
Preseason All-Big West selection Kelanei Cooper registered 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, four threes and seven rebounds in an efficient 22 minutes. After not scoring in the third quarter, Cooper dropped in 11 of her 23 points in the fourth.
UC Riverside clocked in for at least 50% from the floor in a game for the first time since the 2019-20 season, going for 53.8% against UAV to mark the best shooting night in the Coach Powell era. On the other end, UCR held the Pioneers to just 18.8%, marking the first time since the 2018-19 UCR has held an opponent to under 20%.
UC Riverside is back on the floor on Tuesday, December 28 to host UC Davis in the first game of Big West play. The conference opener against the Aggies will tip off at 6:00 p.m. from the SRC Arena, and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting GoHighlanders.com or by emailing highlandertickets@ucr.edu.
