Riverside Upsets No. 15 Saddleback in Conference Play

It was a critical game for the Riverside City College men's basketball team as they played host to the No. 15 Saddleback College Gauchos in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action Wednesday night. Riverside rode a strong offensive performance highlighted by a 50 percent shooting clip from three-point range leading to an 85-75 win.

It was a back-and-forth affair for the majority of the game as seen in 12 lead changes and six ties. Riverside held a lead as large as 14, but Saddleback was pesky and pulled to within six points in the final two minutes of play. However, the Tigers remained poise and broke the Gaucho press with ease, thus working their way to the free throw line to seal the deal down the stretch.

Riverside minimized turnovers and capitalized from downtown. Encompassed in a 52.6 shooting percentage from the floor was a 50 percent mark from downtown (11-for-22). Freshman guard Otto Taylor highlighted the grip of sharp shooters by dropping for of his six shots from downtown leading to 21 points. Sophomore guard CJ Clark followed by hitting a trio of three pointers, backed by two each from freshman tandem Tyree Winborn and Cam'Ron Wilson.

Clark put together a well-rounded performance as seen in 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to tease the thought of a triple double. Taylor was the main catalyst to the offense as he recorded a game-high 21 points (7-for-11) to go along with five rebounds and three assists.

Riverside (18-9, 7-4 OEC) will round out regular season action on Friday, February 22 at home by hosting the Copper Mountain College Fighting Cacti at 5 p.m.