UC Riverside men’s basketball (7-16, 5-7) fell short in a 55-56 nail-biter against Cal State Fullerton (12-12, 6-5) on Thursday, Feb. 16. The game came down to a last second 3-point attempt by senior Secean Johnson that fell short.
The Highlanders struggled in the first half, shooting just 34.6 percent from the field. However, UC Riverside stayed competitive on the hinges of a 16-4 point run in the middle of the second quarter. Sophomore center Menno Dijkstra and junior forward Alex Larsson played simultaneously for much of the game, a coach’s strategical effort to take advantage of Fullerton’s smaller lineups. “We had to find a different defense to accommodate playing the both of them playing together,” stated Head Coach Dennis Cutts after the loss. “I think it’s been effective, and we’ll keep using it.” The continued success of the big man tandem will allow UC Riverside to implement bigger lineups against smaller foes in future outings.
Dijkstra had a breakout game as he finished with 17 points on 8-10 field goal shooting. Cutts noted, “he was playing with a little more confidence. He wanted the basketball, he’s a very skilled kid. Sometimes those European kids take a little time to click in, I think you’re seeing everything we’re seeing in terms of skill and his ability to go make plays.” With the conference playoffs looming in, it’s pivotal for the bench to make significant contributions with their opportunities.
The Big West Conference’s points per game leader Tre Coggins was held to just five points on 1-8 shooting. Cutts explained the impact of Gentrey Thomas, stating, “He took a lot of that responsibility on. I thought he did a great job in terms of chasing him down, I was really pleased with that.” The defense overall was impressive for much of the game, holding the opposing team to just 38.7 percent field goal shooting.
Riverside had one final attempt at the win when the score was resting at 56-55 in favor of Fullerton. A wild tip that led to a scramble ended with a wide open 3-point attempt for Johnson, however he could not get the potential game-winner to fall. Cutts took us back to the final play, saying, “The kid made a good play on Gentrey, just didn’t quite get the shot. We wanted something going towards the basket, and we were heading there, and they did a pretty good job of closing him down (…) That’s something we like to run and do, and just didn’t quite execute to the level we needed to.” Late game execution will be critical as the conference playoffs approach, although Cutts is confident in the effectiveness of their play calling.
The Highlanders take on the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (4-21, 2-11) at Santa Barbara on Thursday, Feb. 23 beginning at 5 p.m.
