► SEE SUPER BOWL 2022

SportS

THE LEAD CREATED IN THE FIRST HALF WAS ENOUGH TO KEEP THE HIGHLANDERS IN CONTROL.

UC Riverside’s men’s basketball team emerge victorious against CSU Bakersfield

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

KEVIN CONTRERAS

Sports Editor

The Highlanders faced off against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners on Thursday night, Feb. 17. The SRC arena roared with excitement as a multitude of Highlanders came out to support the men’s basketball team in their effort to climb to the top of the midfield in the Big West Standings.

The game got off to a rough start with the Roadrunners catching on to an early lead. CSUB opened up the scoreboard with a jumper from junior forward Cameron Smith. This prompted the Roadrunners to embark on an early 6-0 run in the first few minutes of the game. UCR, unwilling to be shown up on their own court, embarked on an impressive 18-0 run to grant them the lead. During the impressive run, UCR graduate student and guard, Dominick Pickett, shot two solid 3-pointers, and sophomore guard Will Tattersal also sank a 3-pointer of his own. With just over nine minutes left to go in the first half, the scoreboard was 18-8 in favor of the Highlanders. The Roadrunners embarked on a quick 6-2 run of their own to place them within a 5-point reach from UCR. The Highlanders, unwilling to let go of their lead, went on an 8-2 run of their own, to keep CSUB at bay. Within that run, both Tattersal and Pickett scored another 3-pointer each, the score 28-17 with 4:08 left on the clock. In the final minutes of the game, both teams went back and forth trading baskets, Tattersal and Pickett, again showcased their amazing talent from downtown, scoring another 3-pointer each. The Highlanders ended the half in the lead by 11, 32-25.

Going into the second half, the comfortable lead UCR had created themselves foreshadowed not only what was to come for the rest of the game but for the rest of the week. UCR opened up the half with another solid 3-pointer from Pickett. CSUB was then awarded two free throws, made good by sophomore guard David Walker. As a response, junior guard Zyon Pullin managed to retrieve the ball and dunk it in a show of force. Both teams, eager to score, traded baskets for the rest of the game. UCR was unwilling to relent in control of the game, and CSUB was desperate to cut the deficit. The 11-point lead generated in the first half led the Highlanders to victory over the Roadrunners. UCR managed to close out the game 79-69 after a hardfought second half.

Tattersal and Pickett led the charge throughout the game, earning 20 and 21 points respectively. Both performed exceptionally well from deep range, scoring four and five 3-pointers. Pickett earned himself a new season high, beating his previous high of 18 points. His new season high is just one point under his career high. Redshirt junior center Callum Mcrae and Pullin also aided with points, earning 16 and 14, and returning to the court for the first time this season after being injured, was Angus McWilliams, earning his first 2 points of the year.

The momentum generated from their win over the Roadrunners, led the Highlanders to carry it over to their matchup against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. UCR returned to their home court for the second time this week on Saturday evening. UCR once again generated a very early lead, closing out the first half, 40-28 and ultimately closing out the game with a whopping 20-point lead, 7858.

The Highlanders return to the SRC arena once again on Thursday Feb. 24. The men’s team only has four games left before the post-season tournament in Las Vegas.■ H

► FROM SUPER BOWL 2022

Cooper Kupp completed one of the greatest wide receiver seasons of all time and cemented himself as a top-three wide receiver in the league.

The 2022 Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp had a record-breaking season. In the 2021-2022 regular season, Kupp achieved the Receiving Triple Crown, a feat where a player led the league in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, which hasn’t been achieved since Steve Smith did it in 2005. Kupp amassed 145 receptions, 1,947 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in this regular season. Kupp’s 1,947 single-season receiving yards are the second highest ever in NFL history only below Calvin Johnson in 2012. Cooper Kupp was then awarded 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and three days later won Super Bowl MVP. The only other player in NFL history to earn a Triple Crown, Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP was Jerry Rice. However, it took Rice his whole career to achieve those awards while Kupp achieved all those feats in a single season. With all the records that Kupp broke along with the accolades that he achieved this season, this is easily the greatest season from a wide receiver in NFL history.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are the new Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.

In a season where everyone thought the Cincinnati Bengals were going to finish last in the division with a poor record, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase singlehandedly turned the franchise around and led them to a Cinderella run to the Super Bowl. In his rookie season, Chase hauled in 1,455 receiving yards, the secondmost by a rookie in NFL history. After a gruesome leg injury last year with Joe Burrow, Burrow came back better than ever, logging up 4,611 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns. Both Burrow and Chase had record-setting games this season. Burrow threw for 525 yards in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens, which was the fourth-highest ever in NFL history. Chase in Week 17 against the Kansas City Chiefs broke the rookie single-game receiving yards record with 266 yards. The connection between Burrow and Chase is one of a kind, dating back to their days at Louisiana State University. The only other quarterback-wide receiver duo with this type of connection is Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. The way Burrow and Chase find each other is similar to the way Rodgers is able to find Adams with ease. The fact that Burrow and Chase are so young into their careers and are able to work so well with each other is a scary sight for the league.

The Rams prove that there are multiple ways to win a championship.

winning a Super Bowl is to stock up on high draft picks and develop young players, hopefully finding a generational talent to turn the franchise around and lead them to success. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals are prime examples of franchises that found generational talents and developed young players to lead them to success. However, the Los Angeles Rams proved otherwise this past Super Bowl. The Rams traded all their future first round picks until 2024 in order to get quarterback Matthew Stafford and linebacker Von Miller, as well as signing superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr to build a superteam alongside Cooper Kupp, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Trading their whole future to go all in for a Super Bowl was a big gamble that was heavily criticized upon, but the Rams winning the Super Bowl this year proves that there are other methods to build a Super Bowl winning team. ■ H

In this time and age, the blueprint for success to