No. 6 Riverside Boat Races No. 22 Copper Mountain, Advances to Southern Regional Round Three

The Riverside City College men's basketball program lives and breathes playoffs. For the fifth-consecutive season, the Tigers played in the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern Regional Playoffs. They earned the sixth overall seed and hosted the 22^nd seeded Copper Mountain College Fighting Cacti on their home court.

The Fighting Cacti stayed true to their name in the first half as they fought to keep the game close despite the Tigers holdinga 34-26 advantage at halftime. However, from then on out, it was all Riverside as they routed Copper Mountain by the final score of 88-59.

Riverside started the second half on an 18-6 run that nearly lasted for the opening five minutes. After both teams traded buckets to begin the final frame, the Tigers hit consecutive threes compliments of sophomore guards Zekiah LoVett and Edwyn Collins. LoVett followed two possessions later by hitting another triple after freshman big man Robert Ayala kissed two points off the glass. Sophomore point guard Melvin Walker got in on the action by capping the run with a three pointer, handing the Tigers a 52-33 advantage.

Riverside ran the table from that moment on as the Fighting Cacti were gassed leading to a 29-point victory.

Riverside shot an impressive 47.1 percent from the floor despite a sluggish offensive start. They picked it up in the second half leading to a 48 percent mark from long range. The Tigers dominated in every category as they hauled in more rebounds, dished out more assists, finished on second chance opportunities and relied on better bench production.

Collins finished with 23 points to mark his seventh-consecutive double-digit scoring game. He hit four three pointers contributing to his eight buckets from the floor. He flirted with a double-double after hauling in eight rebounds and dishing out three assists.

LoVett continued to play well by notching his third-straight game in double digits with 16 points. He, too, hit four three pointers. Walker followed with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Ayala bucketed 11 points and five rebounds.

Riverside (23-6) will continue to the CCCAA Southern Regional Round Three and face off against the winner of Cypress and san Bernardino on Saturday, March 5 at a time TBD. Stay tuned to www.rccathletics.com for all information.