Coming off of a win against California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo on Feb. 22, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) defeated the University of Hawai’i (UH) by ten points this past Thursday. The Highlanders, currently seventh in Big West conference standings, pulled off an outstanding upset against UH. Hawaii boasted a 14 game win streak and are currently no. 1 in conference standings. In their last match up in early January, UCR lost by 14 points.
From the beginning of the first quarter, energy levels were high on both sides. UCR went in knowing they were fully capable of ending the win streak, and that they did.
“I think we had a better scout and I think we were more prepared than last game. We had a good scout on them, and we focused on how we could be better than last game. We watched our last game and made sure that we did better than that,” shared guard Hannah Wickstrom, who was instrumental in securing this win for Riverside.
Once again, the Highlanders played consistently and aggressively beating a team much higher in the conference standings. The same scenario played out when UCR beat UC Davis just a few weeks ago, 55-53.
“We have something to prove. I think that sometimes we might be a little overlooked, but I think we shouldn’t be,” commented guard Makayla Rose. “I feel like this team has a lot of fight, we have a lot of skills, we have a lot of talent, we have a lot of weapons and I feel like we just want to show everyone that and send a message to the league.”
UCR and UH were tied at the end of the second quarter, causing both teams to make some explosive plays during the second half.
In the third quarter, UCR made five out of six field goals, tightening the lead between the teams. After a couple three pointers, UCR overcame any deficit in points to win the game. Wickstrom and guard Shelley Duchemin combined for 32 points, working seamlessly with Makayla Rose for a strong offensive punch.
The Highlanders will play their last away game of the season on Thursday, March 6, against Cal State Northridge.
