Big West Conference Tournament Recaps

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Josh Ritchart netted 21 points and hit 5- of-6 from 3-point range to lead his top-seeded UC Davis Aggies past the eighth-seeded Cal State Northridge Matadors, 71-67, in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Conference Tournament at the Honda Center.

Corey Hawkins chipped in with 15 points, and J.T. Adenrele added 11 for UC Davis (25-5), which advances to the semifinal round of the tournament Friday.

Aaron Parks came off the bench to score 21 points to pace Cal State Northridge (9-24), which lost for the second consecutive time. Stephen Maxwell added 19 points, and Stephan Hicks contributed 15 points with eight rebounds in the loss.

Northridge started the game exceptionally well, shooting 57.9 percent from the floor with an 11-of-14 mark from the free-throw line in the opening period. The Matadors took a 36-28 lead into the intermission after UC Davis connected on 45 percent of its shots in the frame.

The Aggies were the ones who came out hot in the second half. UC Davis buried 66.7 percent of its field goal attempts in the period, and made 5-of-9 from beyond the arc to gain the lead. The Matadors made 40.9 percent of their tries, but went just 2-of-8 from distance, allowing the Aggies to make the comeback.

UC Davis held a 24-18 advantage in points in the paint, and outscored Northridge from 3-point range, 24-15, in the win.

Final Score: Hawaii 79, Long Beach State 72

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Garrett Nevels netted 17 points as his fifth-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors edged out the fourth-seeded Long Beach State 49ers, 79-72, in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Conference Tournament at Honda Center.

Aaron Valdes chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds for Hawaii (21-12), which will advance to the semifinal round of the conference tournament Friday. Isaac Fleming added 11 points, and Quincy Smith tallied 10 in the victory.

Mike Caffey scored a game-high 27 points, adding in six rebounds with six turnovers to lead Long Beach State (16-17), which ended its three-game win streak. David Samuels notched a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyler Lamb collected 10 points. Travis Hammonds brought down a team-best 11 boards in the defeat.

Hawaii was red hot in the first half, as the Warriors connected on 56.7 percent of their shots from the field to take a 47-41 lead into the intermission. Long Beach State hit on 37 percent of its tries in the period, but added a 16-of-21 mark from the free-throw line to stay close.

The Rainbow Warriors dipped to 46.4 percent shooting in the second half, while the 49ers stayed pat at 37 percent, though they missed all eight of their tries from beyond the arc, allowing Hawaii to keep up its lead.

The Warriors held a 21-13 advantage in points off turnovers, and edged out the 49ers in terms of bench scoring, 33-7, in the win. LBSU outscored Hawaii from the free-throw line, 27-13.

Final Score: UC Irvine 63, UC Riverside 54

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Will Davis II recorded a double-double consisting of 17 points and 10 rebounds as the UC Irvine Anteaters defeated the UC Riverside Highlanders, 63-54, in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference Tournament at the Honda Center.

Also scoring in double figures for third seed UCI (19-12) was Luke Nelson with 14 points as he converted 3-of-7 shots behind the 3-point line.

With the victory, UCI advances to the semifinals on Friday against an opponent to be determined after the surviving teams from the round are re-seeded.

UC Riverside (14-17), the tournament’s sixth seed, was paced by Taylor Johns who had a double-double of his own with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Steven Thornton, Alex Larrson and Austin Quick all deposited eight points in the setback.

The Highlanders managed to move out to a four-point lead in the first two minutes of the contest, but the squad ended up shooting only 29.4 percent from the floor in the period, which included a dismal 1-of-10 behind the 3-point line, en route to a 24-23 deficit at the break.

In the second half both sides connected on just under 43 percent from the floor, but again UCR suffered beyond the arc (1-of-7), while the Anteaters converted all but two of their 16 chances at the free-throw line in the frame to seal the win.

In a game that featured nine ties and 11 lead changes, UC Irvine outscored the Highlanders by a 15-8 margin at the charity stripe.

Final Score: UC Santa Barbara 54, Cal Poly 50

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Alan Williams scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds as the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos slipped by the Cal Poly Mustangs, 54-50, in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference Tournament at the Honda Center.

Michael Bryson and John Green added 14 and 11 points, respectively, for the second-seeded Gauchos (19-12) who advance to the semifinals on Friday.

The seventh-seeded Mustangs (13-16) were led by Brian Bennett with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor, followed by Maliik Love and Joel Awich with 10 points apiece.

Both teams made just eight field goals in the first half, but thanks to a trio of 3-point conversions and 8-of-11 at the free-throw line, UCSB was able to pull out to a 27-22 advantage at the break.

In the second half the lead for the Gauchos grew to eight points just over three minutes into the period, but down the stretch the lead dwindled to just two on a number of occasions, with a pair of free throws in the final seconds by Bryson giving UCSB a little breathing room.

The Gauchos managed to overcome 13 turnovers and a mere 3-of-12 shooting beyond the arc to pull off the win.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball