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DAVIS, Calif. – UC Riverside entered Thursday's meeting with UC Davis at 6-1 in Big West play, while the Aggies were riding a four-game win streak. It was another banner set up for the Highlanders. 

UCR pulled out all the stops once more in a last-gasp 74-72 victory that now has UC Riverside off to its best 20-game start in the program's Division I history at 14-6. Zyon Pullin made his return to the rotation for the first time in the calendar year, going for eight points on a 3-of-8 shooting clip that ended with his third game winner of the season. 

"The good news is our team continued to grow, and now with Zyon back, we are becoming harder to guard," Highlanders head coach Mike Magpayo said. "We also have some versatility now and we needed it today. We had to go small with Vlad Salaridze, and he stepped up huge tonight."

The Aggies targeted UCR's bigs all night with Lachlan Olbrich fouling out and Kyle Owens in foul trouble, so the Highlanders went small with Vladimer Salaridze and reaped the benefits with seven points, six rebounds, an assist and a block from the Georgia native. 

UCR got off to a cold start on both ends of the floor with the only points for a good while being a pair of Owens free throws, but Flynn Cameron jolted the Highlanders into gear with a layup out of the under-16 media break. Cameron followed that up with a make from downtown, marking the 17th game this season the Kiwi has connected from the perimeter. 

The Highlanders had finally found their footing at that point, connecting on three consecutive field goals to pull within a bucket after a Jhaylon Martinez easy two. Cameron brought down a defensive rebound and immediately completed a three-point play to pull UCR level, albeit until another punch back from Davis. Owens soon after used the glass from up top to give the Highlanders their first lead of the game, a 17-16 advantage following the under-eight media break. 

Grit and grind began to shape a back-and-forth tempo with momentum favoring the Highlanders, who hit 4 of 5 near the end of the half and jumped out to a five-point lead at the break. 

Jamal Hartwell II didn't open Thursday night with the hot hand he's had as of late, but the Inglewood native still delivered. Hartwell scored all 14 of his points in the second half, including his first three of the night that tied the game at 50 with just over 10 minutes remaining. 

Wil Tattersall checked into Thursday's thriller late after Olbrich exited with his fifth foul and showcased the Highlanders' recent next-man-up mentality, scoring a go-ahead layup at the 1:01 mark of the second half. Pullin missed a sure-to-be dagger three with half a minute to go, but found redemption in the dying seconds with a runner off the glass to push UCR's win streak in Davis to three games. 

The win sets up a marquee matinee on Saturday, January 19 at the SRC Arena, as the Highlanders welcome Hawaii to the Inland Empire for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff on Spectrum SportsNet and ESPN+. Tickets are available now at highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com.