On Thursday Jan. 29, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) men’s basketball hosted California State University, Long Beach (LBSU) and delivered a strong second half performance to earn a 71-61 victory in conference play.
LBSU’s leading scorer, Gavin Sykes, did not play after going through team warmups, so the offensive duties shifted to players like Isaiah Lewis and Shaquil Bender.
The game opened as a physical, low-scoring battle, with both teams struggling to find an early rhythm. UCR scored first on a layup from BJ Kolly, but LBSU responded quickly as the team’s strong defense led to missed shots, blocks and turnovers from the Highlanders, keeping the score close throughout the first half.
LBSU gained some momentum midway through the half, taking a small lead behind a handful of pull-up midrange shots and crafty layups from Isaiah Lewis. UCR stayed within reach by scoring inside and making free throws. At halftime, the Highlanders trailed by just three points after Ben Waller closed out the first half with a steal and slam as the Highlanders snatched momentum from LBSU heading into the locker room.
With their newly-found momentum, UCR came out stronger in the second half, and began to close the gap. Andrew Henderson hit several key shots to keep the Highlanders in the game. With just under ten minutes remaining, Henderson knocked down a three-pointer to give the Highlanders a 48-47 lead, their first lead of the second half.
From that point on, UCR controlled the game. The Highlanders played strong defense, forced turnovers and limited Long Beach State’s scoring chances. Kolly and Osiris Grady scored important baskets near the rim, while Jailen Daniel-Dalton added a big three-pointer with four minutes to play to extend the Highlander lead to eight.
Long Beach State made an effort to come back in the final minutes, but UCR stayed calm and made free throws to protect the lead. Henderson sealed the win with a deep three-pointer in the final minute, helping the Highlanders pull away for the 71-61 victory.
Following the win, UCR’s Ben Waller spoke about the importance of the relationship between the team and the students section, highlighting how the crowd’s energy played a key role in their second-half surge. Waller pointed to the first half as an example of how that connection and rhythm can spark momentum on the court, explaining how feeding off the students’ enthusiasm helps elevate both his own energy and the energy of his teammates.
Waller added, “I love it. You probably saw it in the first half. I was yelling, ‘you’ve got to give them something to come back for!’ and I think if I can get my team going with an energy play like that, I mean I’m all for it. It gets me hyped and I get involved. I absolutely love it.”
UC Riverside returned to their home court on Saturday night to play a Cal Poly team that features the leading scorer in the conference, Hamad Mousa. Both teams needed a win badly, and Cal Poly pulled away late to secure a 94-87 victory despite a season-high 39 points from Henderson. UCR fell to 3-8 in conference play and will need a strong finish to the season to get to the Big West tournament.
