LAS VEGAS, Nev. – UC Riverside men's basketball entered an oddly-empty Michelob Ultra Arena to start its Big West Tournament run in oddly unchartered, yet favorable, waters – carrying the highest tournament seed in program history at three.
On the heels of a three-game win streak to close out one of the most historic regular seasons in program history, UCR's late-game defense was the deciding factor in Thursday night's 62-52 win over Hawaii in the day's final quarterfinal matchup.
"We knew it was going to be a really tough, physical game" head coach
Mike Magpayo said. "Hawaii brought it today in that sense. For us, when we don't shoot it well, we know we can rely on our defense and rebounding, and our defense did the job today."
UCR shared the wealth offensively in the opening 20 minutes as Pullin,
Flynn Cameron,
Jock Perry and
George Willborn III all shared the team scoring lead at six points apiece on a 36 percent clip, but cold feet from both benches prevented either side from exceeding a five-point advantage through the first ten minutes.
Cameron hit a much-needed three midway through the first half though, and
Zyon Pullin's ensuing pull up jumper combined with a strenuous UH scoring drought was the spark UCR needed – the same spark the Highlanders saw on both ends of the floor in the latter stages of its final two regular season games at CSUN.
Big West Hustle Player of the Year
Dominick Pickett was just that in UCR's tournament opener, grabbing a career-high six steals to go along with a team-high 14 points – 12 of which came in the second half. The takeaway that set the new career high was, in true Hustle Player of the Year fashion, a loose ball on the floor that the redshirt senior and former team manager dove on just out of the halftime break.
"The first thing he does is lead by example," Perry said of Pickett. "He's in the gym every day before everyone, getting shots up and he stays late. He's just one of the hardest workers I've been around. He's been through everything in this program. He's seen it all, so we know how much it means him and him just being around, we try to play harder with him out there. It's great having him as a teammate."
For all that's been touted about UCR's game from beyond the arc, Perry's first triple of the game – at the 15:04 mark of the second half – extended UC Riverside's lead to 38-31 heading to a media stoppage. Perry, an All-Big West Honorable Mention alongside Pullin, finished Thursday with 13 points to make it four double-digit scoring efforts in the last five outings.
"We were just following the scout," said Perry on taking away Hawaii's driving lanes. Perry, who came over from Saint Mary's last year, has immediately put his stamp on the program. "We knew it was going to be a tough matchup and we knew we had to take away their tendencies."
Hawaii extended its defensive pressure down the stretch, coming within a field goal at the under-four minute media break. UCR turned the tables on the Rainbow Warriors, putting UH's offense in a hole with lockdown defense.
"Our defense really stepped up to the plate today," Magpayo said. "That's the one thing that we know that we have. We know we can defend, and when it really matters, we can dig in. All we talk about is our fundamental coverages and we try to keep it really simple for the guys."
With just the program's fourth win in Big West Tournament history under their belt, UC Riverside turns its attention to Friday night's semifinal against No. 2 UC Irvine. UCR will play in a Big West semifinal for the first time since 2011.
