Men’s Basketball Sweeps Ventura Crossover Play  

Men's basketball got off to a strong start at the Ventura Crossover Tournament last Thursday and continued to carry a hot hand into the final two days of the tournament. Riverside continued to score at a high rate leading to victories over the Pasadena City College Lancers and the Palomar College Comets.

GAME ONE
Riverside 88
Pasadena City 63

It was their largest margin of victory so far this season despite the small sample size of contests. It was a virtually even contest on the offensive end in terms of shooting percentage and three-point percentage. However, the Tigers dominated paint play by outrebounds the Lancers 45-28 and bucketing 46 points in the paint.

It was an evenly dispersed offensive attack as five players landed in double-digit scoring. Freshman Keylin Vance was the team-leader with 14 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. He went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc to put him over the double-digit scoring threshold.

Freshman tandem Amir Davis and Edwyn Collins each flushed 11 points. Davis added five rebounds, two steals and two blocks, while Collins hauled in four boards and facilitated on three buckets.

Freshman Kevin Nze Mba earned the start and strung together quality minutes with eight points and nine rebounds. Freshman Sammy Richardson followed with 10 rebounds and four boards off the bench.

GAME TWO
Riverside 77
Palomar 73

The Tigers faced a five-point deficit at the half to put them in an early hole. Despite trailing, the Tigers outscored the Comets by nine points in the second half leading to the victory. It was a close down the stretch as the Comets were within three points of the lead with under a minute to go. Two free throws by Collins seeled the deal.

Freshman Xavier Ford emerged as a viable option on the offensive end as seen in 14 points in 20 minutes off of the bench. He went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc to highlight a 5-for-8 effort from the floor. In addition, he hit two of his three free throws.

Vance and Collins each recorded 13 points. Collins hauled in five board and dished out three assists, while Vance snatched three boards.

Sophomore Darius Ware filled in for the injured Justin Motely and dominated the paint. He hauled in 14 rebounds for a career-high mark. He added two assist and two steals.

Riverside (3-0) will kick off home action on Wednesday, November 6 against the Venture College Pirates at 6 p.m.