Offensive Woes Hand Tigers Tough Non-Conference Loss  

A shooting effort of below 30 percent led to the lowest offensive output of the season as the Riverside City College men's basketball team fell victim to the Long Beach City College Vikings, 61-51, on Saturday afternoon.

Riverside held an early advantage as they halted the Vikings to a mere four points through the opening eight minutes of action. However, a 9-0 Long Beach run that stretched into the ladder half of the first frame changed the course of the contest. Long Beach grabbed the lead with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter and never looked back.

The Tigers hovered within five or less points of the lead, but a staunch Long Beach defense made it difficult for the Tigers to gain any true ground leading. Riverside led in one category; rebounds. They out rebounded Long Beach 46-39 and scored four more points in the paint.

Riverside displayed an uncharacteristically timid offense with their starting five shooting under 35 percent contributing to the team's 29.4 percent clip. The mark featured a 5-for-26 night (19.4%) from downtown while only making it to the charity stripe 10 times.

Sophomore guard Edwyn Collins made his first start of the season and dropped a team-high 15 points which included a trio of triples. Sophomore forward Robert Ayala and freshman Zekiah LoVett flushed seven points each, while Ayala hauled in eight rebounds.