RIVERSIDE, Calif.— The UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team closed out its non-conference slate on a high note Friday night as the Highlanders extinguished the Bethesda Flames 112-47. UCR came out strong and set the tone early in the first half with stellar defense and a potent offensive attack, never allowing the Flames to chip away at the lead that grew to 65 at is highest.
"You know I think the team really responded well to what we preached after the road trip, which was rebounding and finishing inside," Head Coach David Patrick. "We didn't shoot it great from three like we usually do so getting those second chance opportunities and finishing with contact showed our staff a lot of growth."
This victory will land itself in the Highlander history books as team's 31 assists, 112 total points, 42 three point attempts, three turnovers, and 45 made field goals all set new Division I program records. UCR's 25 offensive rebounds also tie for 2nd in the D1 era.
The Highlanders preyed on the Flames' 11 first half turnovers turning them into 17 points and the offensive glass was a similar story as UCR cashed in 10 second chance opportunities for 11 points. The aggressiveness of the Highlanders was too hot to handle even for the Flames as the team jumped out to a 27-3 lead and never looked back.
Freshman forward Zac Watson led the early Highlander surge going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field to collect 15 points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Jordan Gilliam provided a spark off the bench shooting 4-for-4 and adding nine points, six assists, and five rebounds. UCR would head to the locker room up 55-20.
"Zac has really come on and has found comfort playing with contact," Patrick said. "He has worked on his game a lot with our bigs coaches and it is starting to show. Being a freshman takes time and I think his labor is starting to show up on the score sheet."
Watson would finish with a career high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds and three assists. The freshman forward shot 11-for-13 from the floor adding a three point bucket and two free throws.
The second period was a similar story with UC Riverside getting out to an aggressive start, forcing turnovers and looking to get to the basket. They would total 60 points in the paint on the night.
In addition to breaking program records, several Highlanders topped their personal best marks with senior Menno Dijkstra collecting a career-high 13 rebounds and sophomore Ajani Kenedy grabbing 11 of his own. Jordan finished near a triple double with 17 points, eight rebounds, and a career high nine assists.
UCR shot 45-for-85 (.533) on the night and went 10-for-15 from the stripe.
Every Highlander on the active roster made an appearance for UCR with senior Ryker Pierce and sophomore Mateen Hirbod combining for 40 minutes. Pierce added 6 points and Hirbod went for eight.
"It feels good to take this performance into conference," Patrick said. "We are playing a great team with a great coach so it will be a tough challenge for us. Luckily we have them at home first so we're looking forward to our fans and students coming out to support us."
UC Riverside will open up Big West Conference play this Wednesday hosting CSUN at 7 PM.
Tickets are available at gohighlanders.com/tickets.
