Sixth-Seeded Riverside Hosts No. 22 Copper Mountain in SoCal Regional Round Two

After hauling in their second-consecutive Orange Empire Conference (OEC) Co-Championship, the Riverside City College men's basketball team has punched yet another ticket to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern Regional Playoffs.

The Tigers earned the sixth overall seed awarding them a first round bye. They will host the No.22-seeded Copper Mountain College Fighting Cacti at home on Thursday, March 3 at 5 p.m.

This is a CCCAA sponsored game and will be a ticketed event. General admission is $12 and students with a valid ID, faculty, staff, veterans, seniors and children under 17 will be $8. All fans are required to provide full proof of vaccination and be masked at all times. Failure to do so constitutes grounds for removal from the venue.

If you are unable to attend the game, you are able to watch live on Riverside Athletics YouTube channel and follow live stats on www.rccathletics.com

Riverside and Copper Mountain faced off in the Fourth Annual AIDS Healthcare Foundation Holiday Classic in early December. The Tigers bested the Fighting Cacti, 78-62, behind a 21 point outburst from sophomore guard Zekiah LoVett. Freshman big man Robert Ayala dropped 15 points in the victory.

The Fighting Cacti, a former OEC foe, defeated LA Southwest on Tuesday night by the final score of 80-77 to advance to the second round. It will be a tall task for Copper Mountain as they run into a red hot Riverside squad that is riding an 11 game winnings streak. They finished the season by sweeping conference play during the second rotation.

Head Coach Phil Mathews was named the OEC Co-Coach of the Year for the second-straight season after earning his second-consecutive title. During it all, he tallied his 150^th win at RCC.

He saw five of his players earn All-Conference recognition highlighted by sophomore forward Amir Davis being named the Co-Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year.

Davis has been the most dynamic weapon for the Tigers by getting it done on both ends of the court. Offensively, he averages 11.5 PPG which includes a team-high eight RPG. Additionally, He boasts marks of 3.5 APG, 2.3 SPG and one BPG. He has tallied 15 multi point games highlighted by a 27 point effort in a win over No. 5 Santiago Canyon.

Sophomore point guard Melvin Walker has been the gears to the offense by leading the team with 3.7 APG. Both he and Ayala rank third on the roster with 11 PPG.

Sophomore guard Edwyn Collins has been a lights out scorer for the Tigers with a team-high 12.9 PPG featuring 16 double-digit scoring games. He has scored 20 or more points in four games highlighted by a 29-point showing in a win over No. 5 Santiago Canyon. LoVett follows with 12.9 PPG.