November 21st, 2012
Huskies 61 – Highlanders 52
The UC Riverside men’s basketball squad traveled north to take part in the Great Alaska Shootout tournament and finished in sixth place. The Highlanders’ first opponent was against the Northeastern Huskies from Boston. UCR eventually erased a 21-point deficit but was unable to complete the comeback, losing 61-52.
An early 12-0 run in the contest propelled the Huskies to a 19-9 lead that would be extended to 38-20 when the Huskies went on another 7-0 run in the final minutes of the first half.
Things looked bleak for the Highlanders as the Huskies built their lead to an insurmountable 42-21 in the opening moments of the second period. However, hope would flow its way back into the Highlanders, as UCR slowly chipped away at the deficit.
Chris Harriel’s three-point shot with 1:04 remaining made the score 57-52 and put the Highlanders in position to pull off a comeback of historic proportions.
The Highlanders, however, did not score a single point in the final minute and sent themselves into the consolation bracket, with the opportunity to fight for fourth place.
November 23rd, 2012
Seawolves 66 – Highlanders 65
After nearly pulling off a great comeback in their previous game against the Northeastern Huskies, the UC Riverside men’s basketball team squandered an 11 point lead late in the second half. The 65-66 loss thrusted them into a seventh place game in the Great Alaska Shootout.
The Seawolves took an early 37-32 lead at halftime, but both teams shot well in the period. The Highlanders converted 50 percent (13-26) of their shot attempts and the Seawolves not far behind at 48 percent (12-25).
The Highlanders scored the first six points to start the second half, stole the momentum away from the Seawolves; eventually developing a 56-45 lead with 8:56 to play.
Missed basket after missed basket, the Highlanders’ offense hit a massive brick wall in clutch time and enabled the Seawolves to steal a come-from-behind victory, leaving the Highlanders (1-5) to search for answers to their numerous struggles in this young season.
November 25, 2012
Bobcats 81 – Highlanders 69
The UC Riverside men’s basketball team had a rough performance in the Great Alaska Shootout, where three straight losses in the tournament placed them into a disappointing eighth place finish.
Against the Texas State Bobcats in the seventh place matchup, the Highlanders had a chance to at least finish with a win.
The result was a double-digit loss.
By the end of the first half, the Highlanders found themselves down 47-35, courtesy of superior shooting by the Bobcats, who converted on 60 percent (18-30) of their field goal attempts. The Highlanders shot 43.3 percent (13-30) by comparison.
A 7-0 run at the start of the second half cut the Bobcats lead to 47-42, but the Highlanders reverted back to their traditional ways this season and yet again could not complete the comeback.
