That roar! was the 91直播 basketball team producing a statement-making 93-74 victory Thursday over UC Riverside at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Before 3,440, the Rainbow Warriors remained in a first-place tie with UC Irvine and clinched a double bye into the semifinal round of next week’s Big West Tournament in Henderson, Nev.
The ’Bows also earned a week-long stay at the MGM Resorts, the reservation for the tournament’s top two seeds.
If the ’Bows defeat Long Beach State during tonight’s senior night, they will clinch at least a share of their first Big West title since 2016, Eran Ganot’s first year as UH head coach.
“It’s a great feeling,” said wing Dre Bullock, who scored 17 points for the ’Bows. “Just worried about Saturday now (and) focused on Long Beach.”
Ganot said: “I have a lot of respect for (the Highlanders) coming off a big win against a good Northridge team. They have two top scorers and a presence inside. It only gets harder, not easier. … We were struggling early. But we managed foul trouble and our depth paid off for us.”
The game was decided in the paint … and with the reserves.
UCR has two dynamic three-level scorers in Marqui Worthy and Andrew Henderson. While Henderson, who played most of the second half with four fouls, conjured 26 points, he could not help the Highlanders finish drives at the rim. The Highlanders missed 15 of 24 layup attempts against a refurbished UH post. The ’Bows made 16 of 26 layups and finished with a 50-30 advantage in paint points.
“The biggest thing was we couldn’t finish at the rim enough tonight,” UCR coach Gus Argenal said. “I thought they just finished stronger at the rim, whether it was size or not. … We couldn’t convert like they did. They do a great job getting to the paint, two-foot finishes, and going strong through contact. We didn’t do that.”
With UH’s starting posts Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson and Harry Rouhliadeff in foul trouble most of the game, Gytis Nemeiksa came off the bench to provide an offensive spark. Nemeiksa hit seven of nine shots, including a wide-open 3, for a team-high 19 points. He also bullied Osiris Grady into missing five of eight shots.
“Gytis brings a lot of toughness,” said Gibson Johnson, who coaches UH’s bigs. “In our opinion, he’s the obvious Sixth Man of the Year in our conference. He’s a starter on a lot of teams in the country, not just this conference. When he steps up, it’s huge for us.”
Nemeiksa said: “I’ve got to be ready to come off the bench and bring that spark. … We play as a team. Everybody can score. Everybody can play good. As long as we win, we’re cool.”
And Yacine Toumi contributed reserve power. He scored four points — two on a cross-over move — but repeatedly abbreviated Highlanders’ drives. Toumi blocked Worthy at the rim, leading to a breakaway to Bullock. Soaring off a 44 1/2-inch vertical jump, Bullock finished the sequence with a monstrous dunk. It was his Bullock’s second jam of the game. He dunked off Hunter Erickson’s inbounds pass.
“That’s been a trend lately,” Gibson Johnson said of Toumi. “That’s been five games (in a row) where Yacine has impacted winning at a high level. We’ve been preaching all year that bench. It’s hard to stay locked in. But we preach ‘your moment’s going to come,’ and Yacine was ready, and it’s been paying off.”
Bullock and Isaac Finlinson finished with 17 points apiece.
The ’Bows were shorthanded in the post when Johnson and Rouhliadeff were assessed their fourth fouls midway through the second half. After Johnson swished a 3 to widen the ’Bows’ lead to 65-56, he turned to the crowd and made his signature arm-chomping motion. But the referee interpreted that gesture as taunting and whistled Johnson for a technical, his fourth personal foul.
The Highlanders committed 12 fouls in the first half, 10 of which resulted in free throws. The ’Bows finished 27-for-35 on free throws; the Highlanders made 27 of 35.
