Photo by Bobby R. Hester
Photo by Bobby R. Hester

Tigers Topple Orange Coast for Third-Consecutive Conference Win

Riverside utilized a 49.3 shooting percentage leading to a season-high 92 points en route to dominating the Orange Coast College Pirates in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) action. The Tigers saw five players land in double-digits in the victory to prove their offensive dominance.

With the victory, the Tigers sit atop the OEC standings after defeating the bottom three teams in the league. They will continue action against Irvine Valley and Saddleback the next week – two of the  top four teams in conference.

The Tigers saw one of their strongest shooting nights from downtown as they carted a 40.7 mark (11-for-27). They shared the ball well with 28 total assists leading to 48 points in the paint. Furthermore, the bench amassed 43 points which was nearly half of the Tiger's offensive output.

Freshman guard Zekiah LoVett was the top scorer for the Tigers with 13 points highlighted by a trio of threes. He added a pair of rebounds and two assists. Freshman duo Keylin Vance and Edwyn Collins came off the bench to combined 24 points. Sophomore Justin Motley was a bucket shy of a double-double after hauling in 12 rebounds and eight points.

Freshman guard Xavier Ford started his ninth-consecutive game and dropped 11 points which ties for his second-highest output. He dished out three assist and two rebounds. Freshman forward Sammy Richardson had a well-rounded game with 10 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals.

Freshman Jerod Elliot clocked his first true minutes of the season and nearly landed in double-digits. He finished with nine points in 19 minutes of action.

Riverside (8-7, 3-0 OEC) will take on the Cypress College Chargers (9-5, 0-2 OEC) on Wednesday, January 8 at 7 p.m.