Heading into last Sunday’s game against Alcorn State, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) Highlanders were coming off an overtime win against the talented Colorado State team. Thanks to a game-tying half-court shot by redshirt sophomore guard Barrington Hargress, they avenged a major 42-point loss against Santa Clara on the road. Their win against Alcorn State, who has not won a single game during their season, cemented their ability to get things right.
“Individually, we all just started thinking about how to make the game a lot easier, which is obviously going to make it easier for us,” commented Hargress. “In Santa Clara, we just fell in love with taking some tough shots … so we definitely found a way to lock in and really make each other better.”
UCR head coach Mike Magpayo appears to be using a different starting five combination for each game. In this game against Alcorn State, the Highlanders forced them into long possessions with redshirt sophomore forward Kaleb Smith and senior center Joel Armotrading playing strong interior defense.
For most of the first half, Alcorn State and UCR remained within a few points of each other. This scoring only changed when junior guard Nate Pickens knocked down back-to-back threes to extend the UCR lead to double digits. Alcorn State used dead ball situations to make some aggressive plays, including the use of full-court presses multiple times during the period.
Coming out of halftime, Alcorn State increased their intensity with a dunk from senior forward Djahi Binet. With the score being 35-29 at the beginning of the second half, both teams amp up their physicality and hustle to widen the gap between the teams.
The Highlanders knew it was going to be a physical game. After the game, Smith noted, “[Alcorn State is] an aggressive team, a high-energy team. So, us being able to come out and match their energy from the ground and be able to stay within the whole game. On top of the preparation we had, I feel like we’re confident off the win.”
Coach Magpayo rotated his players on the court frequently, allowing many players to get minutes. Alcorn State and the Highlanders played aggressively, with UCR shooting double the amount of 3-pointers as Alcorn State, ultimately winning them the game. On Saturday, the Highlanders lost to Idaho, 80-68. This coming week, the Highlanders will kick off the Big West Bold Week against California State University, Northridge on Dec. 5.
