The UC Riverside Highlanders men’s basketball team traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to face the UNC Tar Heels this past Friday. This is part of their preseason schedule which sees them play four Power Five teams on the road as they prepare for the Big West regular season.
Coming into the game the Highlanders were 1-2 with their win coming in their home opener versus UC Merced. The Highlanders only had white jerseys on hand as they dealt with “supply chain issues” with their new manufacturer, Nike, resulting in UNC wearing light blue jerseys at home for the first time since they played Duke in 2020.
In the early stages of the game, UC Riverside found themselves in a deadlocked battle with the nationally-ranked Tar Heels, standing at 4-4 when the first media break hit. It was Ben Griscti who momentarily propelled the Highlanders ahead with a well-timed triple, finishing the first half as the team’s leading scorer with nine points.
UCR did their best in the first half stifling the Tar Heels on the offensive glass, limiting them to just five offensive rebounds. Additionally, the Highlanders clamped down defensively, holding North Carolina to a mere 18 percent shooting from beyond the arc. This was especially impressive given the Tar Heels’ level of talent and late surge saw them blanking the Tar Heels in their final seven attempts while converting 7 of their last 12 field goal attempts. This surge allowed the Highlanders to head into halftime with a sense of momentum despite being down 11.
Out of the break, UNC scored the first 19 points of the second half but the Highlanders continued to demonstrate resilience midway through the second half, initiating an 8-0 run that saw consecutive three-pointers from Griscti and Barrington Hargress. Despite these flashes of brilliance, the North Carolina squad proved too formidable to overcome. They ultimately secured the victory behind 21 points and seven rebounds from Armando Bacot.
Noteworthy performances for the Highlanders included Griscti and Hargress, who both reached double digits in scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively. The duo combined for 9 of 25 from the field, showcasing their offensive contribution against a tough Tar Heel defense. Wil Tattersall also showcased an impressive performance, coming within one point and three rebounds of achieving his first career double-double. Tattersall’s tenacity on both ends of the floor did not go unnoticed, contributing to the Highlanders’ efforts in Chapel Hill.
The Highlanders now look to continue their preseason with a game at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday, Nov. 21. They are still yet to face Power Five schools UCLA and Washington State before the end of the preseason as well. They’ve done well in the face of adversity given the loss of many of their star players in the past offseason and hope to come together as a more cohesive unit going into the Big West regular season which begins in one month.
