The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Basketball
sure we’re hunting Magpayo said.
Vladimir Salaridze recorded his first doubledouble of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action for UCR, which now has won seven consecutive games against Northridge
“I was happy to see Vlad get on the scoresheet, contribute early and finish with a double-double. That was big,” Magpayo said.
The Highlanders’ performance spoiled the return to the region of firstyear CSUN coach Andy Newman, who led Cal State San Bernardino to four consecutive winning seasons, three NCAA Division II tournament appearances 3s.’ ” and a trip to the national semifinals last season before taking over at Northridge in the spring.
Northridge (13-6, 4-3) grabbed an early 7-0 lead but UC Riverside fired back with three consecutive 3-pointers to take the lead.
Salaridze came off the bench and supplied a spark in the first half for the Highlanders, grabbing seven rebounds and drilling 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Kyle Owens continues to find his groove in his return from last year’s season-ending knee injury and had nine points and seven rebounds, and Jhaylon Martinez added seven points and five rebounds.
“If we can get some of our vets back to playing well that will really, really help us,” Magpayo said.
Moses got hot in the second half, hitting a pair of 3s from the left side as UCR led by as many as 26 points.
“This is the type of performance we knew we could bring out, both offensively and defensively,” Moses said. “We knew we were in for a game where we brought it all together.”
Ben Griscti made 2 of 3 from beyond the arc to help neutralize Northridge’s man defense, as the Highlanders made 12 of 17 3s during the second half and 17 of 32 overall.
The Highlanders squeezed every second from their final possessions, held the Matadors to a season-low 36.7 percent shooting and kept a large lead until the final minutes.
De’sean Allen-aikems led Northridge with 17 points. That Matadors have not won in Riverside since 2020.