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(March 5, 2008) –
Senior Larry Cunningham led all scorers with 18 points but
the hot-shooting performance by Pacific (21-9, 11-5 Big West)
proved to be too much for the Highlanders as they dropped
a 65-58 decision at the Student Rec Center Wednesday night.
UCR (7-20, 3-12 Big West)
had three players finish in double-figures and shot 50% (11-for-22)
in the second half. The Tigers answered the Riverside shooting
production by knocking down nearly 66% (27-41) of their shots
throughout the night, including 16-of-23 (69.3 %) in the second
half.
The Highlanders played
very well in the first half, using their defense yet again
to lead the way. The Riverside fourth-ranked Big West defense
held the Tigers scoreless for over five minutes before an
Anthony Brown layup ended the Pacific cold-streak at the 7:01
mark with the Highlanders up 15-14. A three by junior Severin
Gates in the final seconds capped an 11-5 Riverside run that
closed the first half and gave them a 29-24 lead at the break.
Gates led all scorers with 10 points through the first 20
minutes but the developing story was the shooting by Pacific
who shot 11-for-18 (61.1%) to keep the game close.
Pacific opened the second
half by making eight of their first nine shots from the floor,
including seven in a row, to open up a six-point 43-37 lead
just under seven minutes in. UCR answered minutes later with
a 10-2 run, capped by a baseline runner from sophomore Sean
Cunningham that tied the game at 49-49 with 7:40 remaining.
The Tiger's shooting gave
them the lead right back, using a 10-2 run of their own to
open up a 59-51 lead at the 4:04 mark. UCR followed with junior
Aaron Scott's tip-in, off of a Sean Cunningham miss, to keep
it close 59-53 with three and half left on the clock.
That would be as close
the Highlanders get, as each UCR shot down the stretch seemed
to hit every part of the rim before bouncing out. With the
shots not falling in the final minutes, Riverside could not
complete the comeback and Pacific held on to pick up the 65-58
Big West Conference victory.
Gates and Sean Cunningham
finished with 14 points and 11 points, respectively, for the
Highlanders who turned 13 Tiger turnovers into 25 points.
Scott brought down a game-high five boards for Riverside.
UP also had three players score in the double-digits with
Steffon Johnson leading the way with a team-high 11.
With the loss, the regular
season finale against UC Davis at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday will
now serve as a one game playoff for the Highlanders. Simply
win, and their in.
Prior to Saturday's tip-off,
UC Riverside will acknowledge UCR's All-time leading scorer,
senior Larry Cunningham who will be playing in his final home
game.
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