LONG BEACH, Calif. - UC Riverside dropped an 83-75 decision at Long Beach State on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Isaiah Moses took control early in his first trip to Long Beach State with seven of UCR's first 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting and his 20th consecutive made free throw. UC Riverside held the Beach to just 30% shooting at the second media break. 
• The Highlanders had to wait until Barrington Hargress connected with under four minutes to go until halftime for a three to go down, but UCR continued to keep the Beach on its heels while continuing to put up shots. 
• UC Riverside held a 23-16 rebounding advantage at halftime and continued its dominance on the offensive glass with a 12-3 edge at the intermission. 
• Kyle Owens and Kaleb Smith traded threes in a matter of minutes to keep the Highlanders sticking around with just under nine minutes remaining. Smith knocked down nine straight points for UC Riverside - all from beyond the arc - to put some life into UCR down the stretch. 
• UCR held the Beach to 3 of 14 shooting for the remaining 8:19, using Smith's trio of threes to creep back into the contest. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

• Smith put up a career-high and game-high 19 points on Saturday on 6-of-10 shooting while also picking up seven rebounds. The Rancho Cucamonga native was one of four Highlanders in double figures scoring, joining Owens (17), Isaiah Moses (12) and Barrington Hargress (14). 
• UCR outrebounded its opponent on the offensive glass for the second straight game, winning a 20-14 edge over the Beach. 
• UC Riverside also doubled up Long Beach State on bench points, 30-15. Smith's 19 led UCR off the bench. 
• The Highlanders grabbed north of 40 rebounds for the fifth time this year behind a career-high eight from Hargress. 

UP NEXT

• UC Riverside is back in action on Thursday, January 11 as Cal Poly visits the SRC Arena for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on ESPN+.