Stubborn Riverside Falls to Long Beach

Fueled by the outside shooting and dominating play of guard Ron Johnson, Long Beach State defeated UC Riverside, 69-64, Wednesday night before 1,778 at UC Riverside Student Recreation Center.

The Highlanders had plenty of opportunities to tie the score in the final 38 seconds but made only one of four three-point shots in that time. Trailing by three points, Trenell Eddings gave UC Riverside its final opportunity to score with six seconds left when he cut off a long inbounds pass, but Johnson picked up the loose ball, was fouled and made two free throws to clinch the victory.

“He said get on my back and they did,” said Coach Wayne Morgan of Johnson, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half.

UC Riverside is in its final year of a Division I transitional period that will make them eligible to be the 10th member of the Big West Conference next season. And its performance against Long Beach (11-8, 4-2) showed that they’re almost ready to compete with the better teams, said Coach John Masi.

“People are saying we should be happy with a moral victory,” Masi said. “But we still lost and we have to do a lot more to be able to compete with the better teams.”

The Highlanders (7-12) took a 34-32 lead on a three-point basket by guard Mark Miller with 19:12 left. Miller, who scored a game-high 22 points, kept UC Riverside close with his long-range shooting, but it didn’t help that 6-foot-8 center Viliamu Morton, Riverside’s only true big man, got in foul trouble and played sparingly in the second half.

Ramel Lloyd scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half for the 49ers, and Travis Reed added 15 points and 13 rebounds.