PG Mason Biddle had 22 pts and SG Corey Walker had 20 as #13 Riverside moved into second place in the Orange Empire Conference with a 67-53 win at Fullerton Wednesday night.
It was a huge game with playoff implications for not just these teams but most of the rest of the OEC. Fullerton entered the night tied for second place but with an overall record of just 8-13, and the Hornets present a blockade for any team that finishes behind them to get into the postseason.
Wednesday night, Riverside (12-8, 6-2) went on a 16-3 lead to take a lead in the first half and, after Fullerton pulled within three points in the second half, pulled away in the final nine-plus minutes to get the win.
Fullerton (8-14, 5-3) jumped out to a 6-0 lead on 3-pointers by SG Chris Nelson and SF Greg Bewernick to start the game, and opened an 8-point lead at 13-5 after a free throw by PG Isiah Johnson Robinson with 13:01 left in the first half. The Hornets also led by 8 at 17-9 and 19-11.
Then came Riverside's 16-3 run. Walker hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 22, and when Walker missed a 3-pointer Ctr Stephan Shepherd was there to score on the stickback to give the Tigers a 24-22 advantage. SF Bernard Ireland made a free throw and SG Dominique Lanier scored on a baseline drive to make it 27-22.
Though another Nelson 3-pointer stopped the run, Riverside gradually expanded its lead as the first half concluded. A driving lay-up by Biddle made it 32-26 with 1:54 left in the half. He was fouled on the play but missed the free throw; Ireland, however, grabbed the offensive rebound for Riverside and Walker scored on a baseline drive to make it 34-26. A single free throw by PF Reggie Kindle Power made it 35-26 at the break.
After Biddle score to push Riverside's lead to 11 at 37-26 in the opening seconds of the second half, Fullerton rallied to cut into the deficit. Bewernick hit a jumper to make it 42-36, and then he followed with a 3-pointer to make it 42-39 with 13:30 left in the game.
But then Riverside gradually pulled away again. Walker converted a 3-point play off a baseline drive with 9:03 left to make it 51-43. Then he scored on a lay-up after a steal to push the lead to 10 at 55-45 with 5:38 left. A basket by Ireland made it 57-45. Two free throws by Walker with 2:38 left made it 61-47, and a steal & lay-up by Biddle made it 63-47 with 1:55 left, and Riverside led by double digits the rest of the way.
Biddle finished with a team-high 22 pts despite fouling out with 1:18 left (there was some confusion on one of his early fouls - which was really on #15 Shepherd but was announced an apparently recorded as being on #5 Biddle - resulting in the foulout). Walker had 20 pts, including a pair of three-pointer, plus 7 rebs and 2 steals. No other Tiger reached double figures but Ireland had 8 pts and 9 rebs.
For Fullerton, Bewernick led the way with 21 pts, including 3 three-pointers. But no other Hornet reached double figures, and Fullerton shot just 34% from the floor and 44% from the free throw line. And the Hornets were outrebounded, 52-36. Robinson had 7 pts, 3 asts and 2 steals, and PF Kunnu Shofu had 6 pts, 5 rebs, 5 blocks and 3 steals.
With the win, Riverside moves into second place in the OEC, a game behind Saddleback. Fullerton falls to third place but is still a game ahead of Irvine Valley, which at 17-6 would be a shoo-in for the postseason but must finish ahead of Fullerton to have a chance at the playoffs.
box score
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 - 7:30 pm
at Fullerton College - South Gym - Colleen Riley Court
Orange Empire Conference
Riverside Tigers 67:
3-Corey Walker, SG - 6/14 fg, 6/9 ft, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 20 pts
5-Mason Biddle, PG - 8/14 fg, 6/7 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 5 pf, 22 pts
10-Solomon Singer, PF - 1/9 fg, 1/2 ft, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 3 pts
21-Bernard Ireland, SF - 3/11 fg, 1/2 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 8 pts
22-Jacob Straley, C - 1/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 3 pf, 2 pts
1-Reggie Kindle Power, F - 0/2 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 2 pf, 1 pt
0-Dominique Lanier, G - 2/4 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 5 pts
15-Stephan Shepherd, C - 2/7 fg, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 4 pts
32-Maurice Johns, F - 1/2 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 2 pts
2-Joses Franklin, G - 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 7
Totals: 24/65 fg (.369), 15/22 ft (.682), 52 reb, 11 ast, 4 blk, 8 stl, 25 pf, 67 pts
3-pt fg (4): Walker 2, Ireland, Lanier
Fouled Out: Biddle 1:18 left
Turnovers (20): Singer 6, Biddle 4, Ireland 2, Straley 2, Shepherd 2, Johns 2, Walker, Franklin
Fullerton Hornets 53:
2-Chris Nelson, SG - 2/11 fg, 1/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 7 pts
10-Kunnu Shofu, PF - 3/8 fg, 0/4 ft, 5 reb, 2 ast, 5 blk, 3 stl, 4 pf, 6 pts
11-Isiah Johnson Robinson, PG - 1/7 fg, 5/7 ft, 1 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 7 pts
21-Khalfani Williams, C - 1/2 fg, 2/5 ft, 4 reb, 3 blk, 4 pf, 4 pts
23-Greg Bewernick, SF - 8/18 fg, 2/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 21 pts
3-Matthew Franklin, G - 2/4 fg, 1/4 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 4 pf, 5 pts
35-Rico Garrett, F - 0/1 ft, 1 ast, 0 pts
24-Tyler Deliman, C - 1/1 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 blk, 4 pf, 3 pts
12-Cody Harris, F - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 1 blk, 0 pts
1-Jee Klankwandee, G - 0/1 fg, 0 pts
25-Art Gonzalez, G - 0 pts
team rebounds: 6
Totals: 18/53 fg (.340), 12/27 ft (.444), 36 reb, 11 ast, 10 blk, 9 stl, 22 pf, 53 pts
3-pt fg (5): Bewernick 3, Nelson 2
Technical Foul: Nelson
Turnovers (19): Robinson 7, Nelson 5, Shofu 2, Williams, Bewernick, Garrett, Harris, Klankwandee
Halftime Score: Riverside 35, Fullerton 26
Updated Records: Riverside (#13-South) 12-8, 6-2 in OEC; Fullerton 8-14, 5-3 in OEC
Fullerton led by 9 several times in the 1st half.
Riverside went on a 16-3 run to lead, 27-22 later in the 1st half.
Fullerton got within 3 at 42-39 with 13:30 left but then Riverside pulled away.
