UC Riverside jumps out early, cruises past Valparaiso 73-60

Dec 21, 2017, 05:15 am

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Dikymbe Martin scored 14 of his career-high 30 points in the first half and UC Riverside rolled to a 73-60 victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday night.

UC Riverside (4-7) jumped out to a 20-5 lead and cruised the rest of the way. Martin set the pace, scoring 10 points with two rebounds and an assist. His 3-pointer with 2:11 left before the break made it 34-13.

Valparaiso (9-4) began 2 of 8 from the field, committed five turnovers and never recovered. The Highlanders had a 19-point lead with 4:15 left in the game.

Martin, a freshman, was 7 of 12 from the field and made 14 of 16 free throws. Chance Murray chipped in 16 points for UC Riverside.

Max Joseph scored 15 points to lead the Crusaders, who have lost four of their last five games. They shot 21 of 63 (33 percent) from the field and missed 28 of 32 from long range.

It was the first meeting between the schools.