MOSCOW, Idaho – UC Riverside kicked off post-finals week festivities on Sunday afternoon in Moscow, Idaho with a 76-74 at ICCU Arena.
Zyon Pullin busted out late heroics once more, connecting on a jumper from the short corner with one second on the clock. Pullin scored 18 of his team-high 26 points in the second half as UCR completed the reset after having a lingering bad taste following the Crosstown Showdown defeat.
"We were so focused on Idaho all week," head coach Mike Magpayo said. "We'd been watching film and they were good. We had a sour taste in our mouths after losing to California Baptist 11 days ago, so it wasn't hard to motivate the guys in practice. It showed up today and they fought the fight. We always talk about finding a solution and they found a solution."
UCR shook off the finals week cobwebs with an evenly matched game out of the gate, holding onto a close but consistent first-half lead by no more than five points through the afternoon's first 10 minutes and single digits for the majority of the first half.
Idaho flashed their hot hand early but the Highlanders countered a nationally-ranked offense with a 48.3 field goal clip of their own up to halftime. Lachlan Olbrich had 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting and 4-of-6 from the free throw line to pace UCR at the break, while Wil Tattersall grabbed his fifth rebound for the third time this year. Olbrich finished the afternoon with a new season high of 18 points.
UC Riverside turned a 38-35 halftime lead into an 11-point advantage quickly out of halftime with an 11-2 run after the break. UCR refused to miss to start the second half, starting 4 of 5 from the floor and 3 of 3 from the perimeter after a 3-for-10 3-point mark in the first half. The Highlanders would not allow a repeat of their second half against California Baptist, when the Lancers opened the second half hot en route for the win.
Idaho knocked down a three to cut the Highlander lead to single digits, but Niyi Olabode dealt a blow to the Vandals' rotation with a drawn third personal foul on leading scorer Isaac Jones. Pullin accounted for five consecutive Highlander field goals five minutes after halftime as Idaho responded accordingly each time to turn Sunday's matinee into a track meet.
Foul trouble became more prevalent as time went on, with four Highlanders seeing three personal fouls with eight minutes remaining in regulation, and that's when Pullin and Olbrich took over down the stretch as Idaho stayed close behind. UCR went cold offensively though with at least five missed chances in the game's final minutes before Pullin's winner.
UC Riverside will stay in the Pacific Northwest this week with a rematch at Oregon on Wednesday, December 14. Tipoff from Matthew Knight Arena is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks.
