Like clockwork, the UC Riverside basketball team is on a roll.
“One of the pillars of our program since I’ve been head coach is we do finish strong,” said Mike Magpayo, whose Highlanders have won five of six entering today’s game against Hawaii at SRC Arena on the UCR campus. “We play our best basketball down the stretch.”
In 2020-21, Magpayo’s first season as head coach, the Highlanders won their final three regular-season games. The next season, they closed with a 4-2 run. Last year, they won five of the last six.
With a bye on Thursday, Magpayo told his team, “Let’s recharge and maintain the standard of playing the best basketball at the end of the season.”
Each at 8-9 in league play, UH, UCR and UC Santa Barbara are tied for the fifth seed for this month’s eight-team Big West Tournament in Henderson, Nev. Under the new format, the top two seeds earn two byes. The third and fourth seeds have one bye. The fifth through eighth seeds have to play in the opening round on Oct. 13 in the Dollar Loan Center.
UH, UCR and UCSB are a half-game behind 9-9 Cal State Northridge, the fourth seed.
“We ignored the standings since, I would say, last month,” Magpayo said. “We focused on our growth. It’s too much to decipher right now. You have to play the games and see what happens.”
In their last meeting, the Rainbow Warriors used a 2-3 zone to deny the Highlanders. After that, the Highlanders lost four of the next five games.
Last season, UCR constructed an offense that relied on post-up guards. But Zyon Pullin transferred and Flynn Cameron completed his NCAA eligibility. With 6-foot Barrington Hargress and 6-1 Isaiah Moses leading this year’s offense, the UCR coaches decided adjustments were needed. Magpayo said the goal was for forwards Kyle Owens and Kaleb Smith to get more touches in the post.
“What you’re seeing is the usage of other guys,” Magpayo said. “When it was really heavy Barrington and Isaiah, now you’re starting to see it shared with Kaleb Smith and Kyle Owens. As Barrington is starting to learn, you’ve got to get everyone involved and get the ball moving. That makes it hard to guard.”
Hargress, who redshirted last season, has 78 assists against 28 turnovers in 17 league games. “He’s a phenomenal young guard who’s thriving in our offense,” Magpayo said.
In the six-game stretch beginning with the UH game, the Highlanders averaged 16.0 paint points. The past six games, they are averaging 29.0 paint points. The Highlanders also appear to have solved their problems against zones.
“Our guards are little as opposed to the offensive play against the zone with bigger guards like 6-5 Flynn and 6-4 Zyon,” Magpayo said. “We had to create different penetration opportunities (for Hargress and Moses). I thought we handled that really well since Hawaii.”
After Thursday’s loss to UC Davis, the ’Bows stayed overnight in Northern California and then traveled to Riverside on Friday. Center Bernardo da Silva led the ’Bows with 20 points against UCD. But the ’Bows were undone by the Aggies’ 8-0 run to start the game and guard Elijah Pepper’s nine unanswered points in the second half.
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At SRC Arena in Riverside, Calif.
HAWAII (16-13, 8-9 BW) VS. UC RIVERSIDE (13-16, 8-9 BW)
>> When: Today at 3 p.m. HT
>> TV: None
>> Radio: 1420-AM, 92.7-FM
>> Streaming: ESPN+
