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UCR men’s basketball falls short against the UCI Anteaters

KEVIN CONTRERAS

Sports Editor

The Highlanders were on the road on Feb. 10, 2022 against UCI. They were hosted by the Anteaters at the Bren Events Center last Thursday where they lost 56-66. With their loss, the men’s basketball team is now ranked fifth in the Big West Conference with a 6-4 record.

The arena was filled with hundreds of people as they came to watch the much-awaited game against the two teams. The Anteaters were favored in the match-up, but the Highlanders did not shrink from the challenge. Junior guard Zyon Pullin started off the night with two free throws, in which graduate student guard Dominick Pickett followed with a jumper to put the visiting team up 4-0. With the two teams eventually tied with 10 points each, senior forward Daniel Mading stepped back to perform a jumper at the 8-minute mark to take the lead.

The visiting team kept the momentum going as redshirt freshman center Jhaylon Martinez silenced the crowd with a shot from downtown to give them a 7-point lead with 19-12. Pullin continued to put pressure on the home team as he performed back-to-back jumpers, finishing the first half with 6 out of the 10 points under his name. They finished the first half with a 2-point lead over the Anteaters at 25-23, but the team struggled to maintain the pace going into the second.

The game resumed with a lead change within the first minute as the home team went on a 7-0 run to put the score at 25-30. Despite the loud cheers for the opposing team, the visitors did not waver as Pickett stepped back to score a jumper and quickly followed it with a shot from beyond the arc, tying the score with 30 on both sides. They were down by 11 points with 3:05 left on the clock, but sophomore guard Wil Tattersall sank a 3-pointer to cut their lead.

The intense atmosphere continued as the game had three lead changes within the first eight minutes, until the Highlanders were unable to catch up. They were down by as much as 13 points during the game, but a 3-point shot by redshirt junior guard Fynn Cameron in the final 14 seconds ended the game with 56-66.

Despite their loss, the Highlanders had an overall amazing performance. Although they ended the night with a 36.7% field goal percentage, they did well on the free throw line, shooting 100% from the charity stripe. Pickett led the team with 14 points, followed by Pullin, Tattersall and redshirt junior guard Callum Mcrae with 10 points each. The team scored 26 points in the paint and 7 points came from the bench.

The Highlanders will have their second game on the road at the RIMAC arena on Feb. 12, 2022. They will be going up against the UC San Diego Tritons for another chance to move up in the Big West Conference and improve their record. ■ H

THE HIGHLANDERS ARE NOW FIFTH IN THE BIG WEST CONFERENCE AFTER LOSING TO UCI.

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

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in a 1-point lead. A jumper from senior guard Keilani Cooper in the final seconds of the quarter left the Highlanders ahead 11-8.

Despite a solid first quarter, UCR was met with a wave of Tritons in the second quarter. Both teams traded baskets in the first few minutes of the quarter leaving the score 14-12 in favor of the Highlanders. UCSD then kicked into a higher gear and went on an 11-2 run, putting them in the lead 23-16. UCR was then awarded two free throws, made good by Holland, to which the Tritons replied with a layup. The Highlanders were awarded another two free throws, this time sunk by Ryanne Walters. Both teams scored a basket each to close out the half. Sophomore guard Parker Montgomery from the Triton squad scored a 3-pointer for her team, and freshman forward Esther Matarranz scored a layup. The Highlanders ended the half down 22-28.

The Highlanders opened up the second half with a 3-pointer, courtesy of junior guard Mele Finau, which prompted an impressive 16-2 run from the Highlanders, leaving the Tritons behind with a lead of 44-30. Their remarkable run took up the bulk of the third quarter, leaving just over three minutes left on the scoreboard. UCSD was then awarded two free throws, sunk by senior guard Sydney Brown. Both teams then traded 3-pointers to end the quarter 47-35.

UC Riverside carried the momentum generated in the third quarter into the final 10 minutes of the game. The Tritons opened up the board with a lay up. West responded with a 3-pointer of her own, and Matarranz aided the charge with a solid jumper. The Tritons were then awarded with two free throws which they scored. UCR then went on a quick 5-0 run leaving the score 57-39 with over 7 minutes left in the game. UCSD responded with a 3-pointer which started a 7-0 run for the Tritons. With well over three minutes left in the first half, UCR finds it within themselves to go on an 11-2 run to close out the game 68-48, Walters scoring the last points of the game with a 3-pointer.

UCR returns the court on the road against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners. ■ H