LA JOLLA Calif. - UC Riverside clinched its spot in next month's Big West Championship with a 63-48 win over UC San Diego on Thursday night at LionTree Arena.  

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• UC Riverside stayed within a point of the Tritons for the majority of the first half, but took a brief advantage on a layup from Matehya Bryant. Bryant grabbed the defensive rebound on the next possession and handed off to Jordan Webster, who knocked down the jumper.  
• Webster accounted for 15 UCR points in the first half, including 11 in the second quarter. UCR outscored the Tritons 21-11 in that second frame with a blistering 64.3% clip from the field. 
• The Highlanders took a commanding 31-23 lead late in the second on a three from Webster. UC Riverside hit three of its final four threes to take its largest lead up to that point at 34-25.  
• The hot hand carried over to after the break, where UCR manufactured a 10-2 scoring run out of halftime to race ahead with a 44-27 lead.  

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS 

• UC Riverside clinched a spot in the Big West Championship with the win and has now won 10 of its last 13 with four games remaining in the regular season. UCR entered Thursday in a tie for the fifth seed in the upcoming Big West Championship.  
• Webster, in addition to her game-high 23 points, tied a career high for the second time in a week with six steals against the Tritons.  
• UCR's 42.9% field goal clip was the Highlanders' highest on the road this season.  

UP NEXT 

• UC Riverside returns to action on Saturday, February 24 to host Cal Poly at the SRC Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+ and fans can purchase tickets now at highlanderstickets.universitytickets.com.