RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside turned it on in the second half on both ends of the floor to bounce back for an 82-67 win over Idaho in Thursday's non-conference finale at the SRC Arena. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Luke Turner returned to action for the first time since December 6, finishing off a fast break to bury a jumper from the corner. Turner's bucket came after Nate Pickens used a nifty up-and-under move to cut into Idaho's early lead. 
• UCR worked up a 6-0 run to get within a field goal of the Vandals, chipping away at the gap with a flurry of high-percentage shots in the paint. Pickens hammered home a dunk before Turner sank the Highlanders' second triple of the night from the wing.  
• Kaleb Smith banked in a three from the wing near the end of the first half, putting UCR just four points back in the redshirt freshman's first career start. Ben Griscti made three of his final four field goals in the opening period, also burying a triple to help the Highlanders close the first half on an 8-3 run.  
• UC Riverside enjoyed a fast start out of the halftime break, setting the tone for a shift in offensive momentum for the rest of the contest. With the early stages of the second half tied at 39, Pickens found a put-back bucket after securing the offensive rebound on Barrington Hargress' three-point attempt at the shot clock buzzer.  
• Kyle Owens sank a pair of free throws following the second half's under-16 media timeout, giving UCR the lead back for two of his seven points in his return to the rotation. Pickens beat the shot clock buzzer from deep on the ensuing Highlander possession in front of his own bench as UCR extended its lead on a 12-2 run.  
• UC Riverside continued to create separation in the second half, clicking from both inside and outside the three-point line for a 12-0 run that opened a 14-point advantage. Wil Tattersall put UCR's lead back up to double digits with a three late in the contest just as Idaho began to close the gap. UC Riverside generated 10 makes from downtown on the night.  

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS 

• Pickens secured his first career double double with 11 rebounds and a career-high 16 points, also registering four assists, three steals and two blocks in a highly productive 37 minutes of work. The sophomore out of Arizona was one of four Highlanders in double figures on the night.  
• Griscti led UCR with 19 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting, scoring 12 of his 19 in the second half and shooting 100% from the field, downtown and free throw line after halftime.  
• UCR shot a season-best 50 percent on the night while producing a 35.7 percent clip from three, its best at the SRC Arena this season. On the other end of the court, the Highlanders clamped down on defense and held Idaho to 43 percent shooting and 32 percent in the second half.  
• UC Riverside has now committed a season-low of five turnovers in back-to-back games.  
• Smith was the second Highlander to reach a career high in scoring, going for 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting.  

UP NEXT 

• With non-conference play wrapped up, UC Riverside will kick off Big West competition on Thursday, December 28 with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff against UC Irvine from the Bren Events Center on ESPN+.