RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside battled Cal State Bakersfield all night inside the SRC Arena down the final shot, a fadeaway from Kyle Owens that gave UCR a 65-63 win on Thursday night in Riverside. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Nate Pickens was the go-to Highlander early with half of UCR's points early on, going perfect from the field with a pair of field goals and threes in addition to a 1-for-2 foul line clip. 
• Owens hit a turnaround hook shot at 5:55 to bring the Highlanders to within a point. The Montana transfer checked in at 7:41 and immediately grabbed a defensive rebound a few minutes before recording his first points of the night. 
• Ben Griscti ended the half hitting three of his final four field goals to help UCR go into halftime tied with the Roadrunners. 
• UCR and CSUB were neck and neck to begin the second half and the Highlanders pulled ahead with a pair of technical free throws from Isaiah Moses. Moses later sped through traffic down the lane for an and one and completed the three-point play from the foul line to give UCR the 60-58 lead. 
• UC Riverside used a 14-3 run in the second half to pull ahead midway through the frame. 
• Owens put the dagger into the win with a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to give UCR the season split. 

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

• Thursday's buzzer beater gave UCR its fourth straight home win over the Roadrunners and fifth out of seven overall. 
• UCR tied a season high with four double-digit scorers on the night, paced by a game-high 18 points from Griscti. 
• UC Riverside pounded the offensive boards on Thursday with a 16-4 edge, limiting Bakersfield to just one offensive rebound after halftime. The Roadrunners' 30 rebounds were the second fewest allowed by UCR against a Big West opponent this season. 

UP NEXT

• UC Riverside returns to action on Saturday, February 10 to host UC Irvine. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the SRC Arena on ESPN+.