UC Riverside
3-0,0-0Big West
San Jose State
1-2,0-0Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Riverside | 36 | 44 | 80 |
| San Jose St. | 37 | 38 | 75 |
11/12/2026 9:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tony Duckett scored a team-high 22 points as UC Riverside men's basketball rallied from an early 16-point deficit to defeat San Jose State 80-75 Thursday night at the Provident Credit Union Event Center, improving to 3-0 on the season.
Duckett led the Highlanders (3-0), shooting 7 of 11 from the field, including two 3-pointers, while converting 6 of 7 free throws. Easton Reagan added 15 points, knocking down three 3-pointers, while Ben Waller contributed 14 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting. Tyus Parrish-Tillman finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
San Jose State (1-2) opened the contest with a 13-0 run and extended its advantage to 16 points midway through the first half. UC Riverside responded with a strong offensive effort, shooting 59.1% from the field and connecting on six 3-pointers before halftime to cut the deficit to 37-36.
The Highlanders carried that momentum into the second half, scoring 44 points while shooting 51.7% from the field. UC Riverside built a six-point advantage with 8:31 remaining, but San Jose State continued to battle, setting up a back-and-forth finish.
With the game tied at 65 and just over five minutes remaining, San Jose State regained control and eventually took a 73-69 lead with 2:50 left. Reagan responded with a crucial 3-pointer at the 2:29 mark to bring the Highlanders within one.
After the Spartans extended their lead to 75-72, Devon Malcolm converted two free throws to cut the deficit to one with 1:44 remaining. Duckett then delivered the go-ahead jumper with one minute left, putting UC Riverside ahead 76-75.
Duckett followed with three free throws in the final minute to extend the lead to four, while Malcolm added another from the line with five seconds remaining to secure the 80-75 victory.
UC Riverside finished shooting 54.9% from the field and 45.8% from beyond the arc, connecting on 11 3-pointers. The Highlanders also capitalized on San Jose State's 24 turnovers, converting them into 30 points while recording 14 steals.
The Highlanders received 40 points from their bench, including contributions from Reagan, Waller and Dallas Washington, who added eight points, four assists and a team-high four steals.
The victory keeps UC Riverside unbeaten heading into their road game this Saturday, November 14th against the Fresno State Bulldogs at 3:00pm.
