Riverside Edged in Final Possession to Drop Final Non-Conference Contest

In came down to the final two possessions for both teams as the Riverside City College men's basketball team and the Ventura College Pirates were gridlocked at 74-all with under 20 seconds remaining. The Pirates drew a foul on a made layup to tie the game and followed with a successful three-point play, ultimately handing the Tigers a 75-74 loss.

Riverside held a four-point lead with just under one minute remaining. Sophomore Jalen Monroe blocked the ensuing Pirates attempted shot and drew a foul on the opposite end to work his way to the chairty stripe. He followed by drawing a foul on Riverside's next possession and hit one of two free throws. However, they succumbed to Ventura's five-point run to end the game leading to the loss.

Riverside trailed by eight points entering into the second half and trimmed the lead significantly. Freshman duo Tomi Adesiji and Reggie Ward carried the load as they both dropped 20 points. Ward hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds to record a double-double. Six of his rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor.

Monroe was the spark off the bench Riverside needed, especially in the second half of the game. He finished with 10 points, three rebounds and a block. Sophomore Courtland Moffatt chipped in 12 points and dished out four assists.

The Tigers shot 46 percent from the floor, but an abysmal 14.3 percent from distance (2-for-14). They limited turnovers to only seven, while forcing the Pirates the surrender the ball 10 times. Additionally, Riverside got to the line 24 times and hit 16 shots for a 66.7 clip.

The loss marks the Tiger's sixth-consecutive loss.

Riverside will continue with a full conference slate continuing on Wednesday, January 4 against the Orange Coast College Pirates at home. Tip off is set for 5 p.m.