FULLERTON, Calif. – UC Riverside made the short trip to Titan Gym on Saturday evening, going up against an evenly matched Cal State Fullerton but falling 57-55 in the final seconds after erasing an 11-point deficit. 

UCR jumped out to a slim 13-12 advantage after the first quarter and continued staying a nose ahead of the host Titans, taking a 29-27 lead into halftime.

Matehya Bryant enjoyed a season-high 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting, her second 10-point game of the season and first since going for 13 on November 16 against Cal Lutheran. Bryant also grabbed 11 rebounds for her second double double of the season.

UC Riverside was outscored 16-6 in the third quarter as Fullerton managed to create separation from, but the Highlanders cut an 11-point deficit down to three after Keilanei Cooper sank three free throws with 30 seconds left in the fourth. 

Jada Holland secured her 18th point of the game with a layup coming with 13 seconds on the clock, UCR's 20th point of the fourth after scoring just six in the third quarter. 

UC Riverside picked up 13 steals on the night and forced 20 turnovers, turning it into 15 points off turnovers. The Highlanders also held an 8-0 margin in points off turnovers in a spirited 20-point fourth quarter. UCR also led 7-0 in second chance points in the final 10 minutes.

The 13 takeaways are the second-highest single-game total this season and the third 10-steal game of Big West play. 

The road trip continues for UC Riverside on Tuesday, February 1 with a 4:00 p.m. tip at UC Davis. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at ucdavisaggies.com.