RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside kicked off year three of the Nicole Powell era on Thursday night at the SRC Arena with a 92-32 exhibition win over Whittier.  

The Poets visited the SRC Arena in exhibition for the second straight season after UCR scored an 83-42 victory last season. 

Whittier stayed on UCR's heels earlier, but UC Riverside pulled away with a 14-0 run in five minutes that set the tone for the rest of the night. The Highlanders ultimately ended the first quarter on a 20-4 run, going up 27-10 after 10 minutes. 

UC Riverside went into the locker room with a commanding 41-16 lead after going on a 10-0 to close out the half. All but two Highlanders got on the scoresheet in the opening 20 minutes, led by 11 points off the bench from Jordan Webster, who finished her night with a game-high 14. Nearly half of UCR's first half points came from reserves with a 20-0 advantage. 

Joining Webster in double figures scoring on the evening were Mele Finau, Rose Morse and Anna Blount, who recorded a double double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. 

UCR also tallied 11 steals in the first half and won the second-chance points battle, 13-0. RyAnne Walters did a bit of everything for UC Riverside in the first half with two points, a rebound, two assists, four steals and a block.

Hanna Hansson checked in for her collegiate debut at the 7:57 mark of the fourth quarter and got on the scoresheet two minutes later with a layup as the 13th Highlander to record a point in Thursday's exhibition. 27 of UC Riverside's 92 points came from newcomers, who make up nearly half of this year's team.

UC Riverside's next time on the court will be for real, as the Highlanders open up the 2022-23 regular season on Monday, November 7 in a return game with Pacific at the SRC Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.