Riverside Snaps Two-Game Skid with Win over Bakersfield

The Riverside City College men's basketball team returned to action on Thursday afternoon by facing off against the Bakersfield College Renegades in the 2017 Hemet Valley Kiwanis Hoops & Crops Tournament hosted by Mt. San Jacinto. In a contest that saw eight lead changes and nine tied scores, the Tigers utilized a 10-1 run to push ahead in the early stages of the second half after facing a 10-point deficit en route to a 79-72 win.

The Tigers boasted a 46.8 shooting percentage from the floor which included a 38.9 three-point shooting mark. Strength in the paint was the difference for the Tigers as they outscored the Renegades 40-16 under the hoop. Furthermore, Riverside's bench chipped in 28 points to Bakersfield's 15 off the pine.

It was a thriller from the get-go as no team had a true advantage early.  Both teams traded leads up until the three-minute mark when Bakersfield rode a seven-point run in the closing minutes of the first half. This faced the Tigers with a 42-36 deficit leading into the second frame.

Sophomore guard Andre Wilson (Corona, CA), who was sidelined for the past two contests with an injury, returned with ease and regained form quickly as he accounted for 13 points in the first half which included a flawless 3-for-3 from downtown.

A strong battle continued to brew in the second half as the Tigers began to chip away at the Renegades' lead. Freshman forward Jordan Robinson (Riverside, CA) got the ball rolling by hauling in his own miss and rising up for a put-back layup. Sophomore guard Brae Ivey (Huntington Beach, CA) began to make an appearance with a layup, backed by a pair of free throws and a layup from Wilson to trim the deficit to five early in the second half.

The Tigers began to pull away nearing the midway point of the second half after freshman forward Brandon Dorsey (Hesperia, CA) tied the game at 51-all by kissing two points up and in off the glass. Robinson followed with a set of layups to provide a bigger cushion. Ivey turned defense into offense by pocketing a steal and taking it coast-to-coast for an easy two. He followed shortly after with a triple leading to a nine point, 62-53 advantage with eight minutes remaining.

The Tigers played solid following their scoring spurt with strong play on both ends of the hardwood. Freshman guard Rico Tate (Memphis, TN) located Robinson for a bucket and then followed with a bucket of his own to continue the scoring trend. Ivey hit another three-pointer late in the half to seal the deal en route to a 79-72 win.

Wilson was a pair of rebounds shy of recording a double-double after finishing with a team-high 21 points and eight boards. He dished out three assists as well. Ivey followed with 20 points to mark his seventh-consecutive game in double-digit scoring. He facilitated the offense for five assists to go along with seven rebounds.

Robinson earned a double-double by hauling in 11 rebounds and scoring 18 points. Dorsey chipped in eight points off the bench.

The Tigers (5-2) snapped a two-game skid and will face off against Chaffey College on Friday, December 1^st at 7 p.m.