No. 13 Riverside Upsets No. 5 Hawks Behind Collins & Davis Combined 56 Points

There were four games remaining on the Riverside City College men's basketball schedule prior to tonight's tip off. The Tigers will play three of their final four conference games on the road against top-ranked teams in hopes of hauling in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) title. First, they must start with the state's fifth-ranked Santiago Canyon College Hawks.

The Hawks bested Riverside in their first meeting by 10 points, but the Tigers slapped down the reverse card and defeated the No. 5 Hawks, 82-72.

It was the Edwyn Collins and Amir Davis show as the duo tag-teamed the Hawks for a combined 56 points. Collins bucketed 29 points and Davis followed with 27 points. The two accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Tigers' offense.

The pair shot a combined 81.4 percent from the floor and they only missed a combined three shots. Furthermore, they were 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. Collins hit four three pointers, while Davis did all his damage in the paint.

Not only did they get it done on the offensive end, but they wreaked havoc on the defensive front. Collins was the main weapon as he pocketed a career-high seven steals and one block. Davis snatched two steals and swatted one shot.

If the other four Tiger scorers, which included Melvin Walker, Zekiah LoVett, Jalen Monroe, and Julian Alvarez, pooled their points, they would not outscore either Collins nor Davis.

There were three ties and three lead changes in the game, but it was all Riverside the entire contest. The Tigers shot 52.5 percent from the floor including a 35 percent mark from distance. The Tigers were outrebounded, but they scored a total of 40 points in the paint versus Santiago Canyon's 34. Additionally, they turned the ball over seven fewer times than the Hawks.

The victory pulls the Tigers into sole possession of second place in the OEC. They have a big game ahead on the road Wednesday night as they take on first-place No. 2 Fullerton on the road at 5 p.m.