Feb. 4, 2012

Final Stats

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - - Host UC Riverside used a late-game surge to hold off UC Davis in the second tight game between the teams this season, off-setting 21 points and a career-high tying five three-pointers by the Aggies' Josh Ritchart, for a 59-54 Big West Conference men's basketball win on Saturday night.

The Highlanders, who edged UC Davis 60-58 in the teams' matchup at The Pavilion on Jan. 5, were led by B.J. Shearry's double-double effort of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Bradshaw added 12 and guard Robert Smith had 11 as UC Riverside improved to 11-12 overall and 5-5 in the league.

Ritchart, who has hit five treys four times this season and seven times in his career, fell to 1-21 overall and 0-10 in the Big West. It was another single-digit loss in the Big West for UC Davis which has dropped six games by an average of less than four points per game.

Saturday was another nailbiter for UC Davis which tried to overcome a 14-0 UC Riverside run in the first half, and then six minutes without a point in the second, both times relinquishing leads to the Highlanders.

Shearry scored six consecutive points for UC Riverside near the midway point in the second half and Smith scored in the paint for another bucket as the Highlanders took a 43-38 lead with 8 minutes, 5 seconds left after trailing by five earlier in the half.

Ritchart's fifth three-pointer later made it just a one-point deficit at 47-46 with five minutes to go but Kevin Bradshaw's three-point play started six straight points near the two-minute mark, made it 52-46 with a minute to go, and UC Davis wasn't able to get closer than five points the rest of the way.

Ritchart was 6 of 11 from the field overall and 5 of 8 from three-point while twice drawing fouls outside the arc that resulted in six free throws. He made four of them and added a team-high eight rebounds.

"I think Josh did play well," said Aggie coach Jim Les. "I thought he was the one guy that was aggressive, looking to score. They ended up pulling a smaller guy on him and he did some good things.

"I thought he sought opportunities, was way more active, and therefore (became) tougher to guard," Les added.

The Aggies were victimized by 20 turnovers, their highest total in their last 10 games, while the Highlanders owned a 34-12 advantage in the paint.

UC Davis took a 28-26 halftime lead but endured nearly six minutes without a point and almost eight without a field goal after going up 18-9 behind four early three-pointers. The teams were tied 7-7 in the opening minutes but a layup from Alex Tiffin and a trey from Tyler Les put the Aggies in front 12-7.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Les and Ritchart staked UC Davis to an 18-9 lead at the 11:56 mark but UC Riverside climbed back and took the lead with 14 straight points over the next six minutes to go up 21-18. Elliott Berry had six points in run, including the final four, while Smith had four.

A pair of free throws from guard Tyrell Corbin and three by Ritchart ended the scoring drought for UC Davis while a baseline jumper from Harrison Dupont gave the Aggies their first field goal since Ritchart's three-pointer earlier in the half, tying the game 25-25 with 3:13 left.

Ritchart's third three-pointer of the half put UC Davis into the 28-26 lead it took into the break. The Aggies shot 38.1 percent from the field in the first half but were a strong 50 percent (6 of 12) from beyond the arc.

Ritchart hit another three-pointer to start the second half, scored five of the Aggies' first seven points and UC Davis later took a 37-32 lead nearly five minutes in. But DuPont's jumper that gave them that lead was their last field goal for more than seven minutes while the Highlanders scored 11 of 12 points to take their 43-38 advantage.

DuPont added seven rebounds and Les had six as UC Davis outrebounded its second straight opponent. The Aggies had 38 on Saturday, nearly nine more than their average and one more than UC Riverside.

DuPont had nine points and Les had eight. UC Davis shot 36 percent from the field and held the Highlanders, who were without leading scorer Phil Martin who missed for personal reasons, to 37.7 percent.

UC Davis had nine three-pointers in the game.

The Aggies, who have lost 18 straight games, will return home for two games next week, hosting Cal State Northridge on Thursday and Long Beach State on Saturday. Thursday's game, which will be televised by Comcast Sportsnet California, tips at 8 p.m. while Saturday's matchup starts at 4.