SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC Riverside's first ever 5-1 Big West start could not have happened in a more storybook setting, as Saturday night's gutsy 65-64 win at UC Santa Barbara was the first time in 25 tries the Highlanders had ever tasted victory inside the UCSB Events Center.
Saturday's game was also three days removed from the Highlanders' second 18-point comeback of the season at UC San Diego, and again, it was successfully answering the call that put the Highlanders in a place no other UCR men's basketball team has seen.
"It's the start of an important stretch and the guys answered the bell in a sold out hostile environment," said UCR head coach Mike Magpayo, whose Highlanders handed a Big West foe its first conference loss for the second straight win after last year's nationally-televised home win over Hawaii.
Our guys were courageous and fearless, and again, multiple guys stepped up. We have a lot of games upcoming and we have to stay focused."
Kyle Owens had the hot hand for the Highlanders with 11 of UCR's first 14 points, including just the Calabasas native's eight and ninth triples of the season in the early going. Luke Turner joined the three-point party with a pair of his own, as the Highlanders topped out with a season-high 56 percent three-point clip.
Owens, who finished with a season-high and game-high 19 points and a whopping 15 rebounds, fittingly gave UC Riverside its first lead of the game just before halftime. UC Riverside lit up the three-point line in the first half with a 5-for-8 clip before going into halftime on a 13-2 run that included triples from Turner and Jamal Hartwell II.
The Highlanders started 5 of 7 from the floor to begin the second half in a continuation of earlier shooting strides, but the Gauchos too had a hot second-half start of their own. Lachlan Olbrich, Flynn Cameron, and Wil Tattersall did all their scoring in the second half, combining for 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
Cameron was a point and an assist shy of career double-double number one following a career-high nine assists.
Santa Barbara kept punching, but the Highlanders kept punching back while maintaining close but comfortable leads of one and two possessions. Offensive rebounds and free throws down the stretch, though, were key for locking up a statement victory. UC Santa Barbara had enough time to muster a comeback effort that forced both teams to play the foul game with under two minutes left.
UCR and Santa Barbara traded a final pair of made free throws in the final five seconds, but time ran out, and once again cemented another milestone Highlander victories in a year chalk full of them.
UC Riverside returns to the friendly confines of the SRC Arena on Monday, January 16 for a 5:00 p.m. tipoff against Cal Poly on ESPN+. Tickets are available now at highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com.
