This past Tuesday, the city of Riverside stood still and watched the California Baptist University (CBU) men’s basketball team host the University of California, Riverside (UCR) at the Fowler Events Center. With home-court advantage, the Lancers were looking to make it three in a row against the Highlanders.
Boasting a strong roster led by senior guard Dominique Daniels Jr., the Lancers headed into this game undefeated with a pair of home wins. Standing at just 5 feet, 10 inches, Daniels Jr. is an explosive scorer and one of the best in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Despite an injury that cut Daniels Jr.’s 2023-2024 season short, the senior guard still earned All-WAC Second Team honors.
The injury hasn’t seemed to slow him down. Daniels Jr. picked up Preseason All-WAC Team honors as the Lancers won their opening two games of the season.
Meanwhile, UCR has its own star guard in redshirt sophomore Barrington Hargress. The 2023-2024 Big West Freshman of the Year has picked up where he left off this season with a pair of strong performances against Oregon and BYU.
The Highlanders suffered a heartbreaking defeat at last year’s game against CBU, losing 70-69. However, Hargress had extra motivation after he missed the potential game-winning shot. A complete toss-up, this year’s game could go either way.
Still figuring out rotations, UCR head coach Mike Magpayo put out his third different starting lineup in as many games. By bringing in senior forward Niyi Olabode into the starters, Magpayo looked to slow down CBU’s electric offense. Nevertheless, the Lancers got out of the blocks quickly.
A Daniels Jr. 3-pointer put the Lancers up by six points early on. Then, CBU’s junior guard Martel Williams dribbled past redshirt freshman guard Parker Strauss before elevating over senior forward Joel Armotrading for a powerful one-handed dunk. Williams let out a huge roar and got the Fowler Events Center rocking.
The Highlanders could have easily been flushed out by the crowd noise, but the team showed their resilience once again by keeping their cool in such a hostile environment. Magpayo praised his team’s efforts during the tough times: “[CBU] has [physically outdone] us the last two years, and that’s how it looked in the first half. But our guys showed a lot of fight and grit, and [I’m] just really proud of them.”
After Williams’s dunk, redshirt junior guard Isaiah Moses checked back into the game. With Hargress already on the floor, the Highlanders now had two playmakers on the floor. With the UCR guards carrying the burden of running the offense, the Highlanders were able to find their feet in the game. Considering how the game started, UCR was lucky to find themself only down by seven going into halftime.
The Lancers got a quick couple of buckets to start the second half, but the Highlanders refused to stay down. They did a good job of not rushing to get it all back. Instead, UCR slowly and meticulously cut into the CBU lead by getting high percentage looks. After an acrobatic 3-point play from Hargress brought UCR within three, the Fowler Events Center drew quiet. The Highlanders were on a roll and the possibility of a UCR comeback started becoming a reality.
After a Moses jumper gave UCR their first lead of the game, the two rivals kept trading the lead until the final moments. With a little over a minute left, a stepback mid-range shot from Hargress gave the Highlanders a three-point lead. Then, a pair of free throws from Daniels Jr. made it a one-point game again. UCR failed to score on their next possession and gave the Lancers a chance for a game-winning bucket.
With the game on the line, CBU called a timeout and put the ball in the hands of Daniels Jr. Following the game, Magpayo shared what went through his mind during the final play, “Don’t let Daniels draw a foul. Make him shoot a shot.”
Met by Hargress at the center court logo, Daniels Jr. called for a high pick and roll. Armotrading switched onto him and redshirt sophomore Kaleb Smith brought the help defense, but left junior guard Sam Silverstein alone in the corner. The Highlanders didn’t foul Daniels Jr., but he kicked it out to a wide-open Silverstein.
The crowd stood and watched Silverstein’s shot fall just short. Hargress swallowed up the rebound and launched the ball forward for a leaking Moses. He dribbled the clock out as the Highlanders escaped with a huge 70-69 win.
Hargress’s 25 points were vital, but it was his confidence in the clutch moments that was key. He made big shot after big shot and helped the rest of the team throughout the tough moments that come with a rivalry game.
On Thursday, the Highlanders played their first home game against La Sierra University, winning 79-51. Smith led the team with 21 points as UCR attempted a whopping 44 3-pointers.
Later today, UCR will have a tougher test on the road against Santa Clara University. The Broncos have lost their last three games and will look to get back on track against the Highlanders. It’s important that UCR doesn’t take their opponents too lightly, but tonight’s game presents a great opportunity to extend the win streak to three games.
