STOCKTON, Calif. -- Kyle Austin scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead UC Riverside to a 62-53 victory Thursday over Pacific.
Baskets by Austin twice gave Riverside a 10-point advantage in the second half, but Pacific rallied to take a 47-45 lead with 6:40 remaining.
Austin then answered with four free throws and a driving layup, and the Highlanders (12-15, 5-9 Big West) led the rest of the way.
Sam Willard had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Pacific (17-10, 9-4), which shot just 33 percent from the field.
The Tigers got within 51-50 with three minutes to play, but Lateef McMullan then made a 3-pointer and scored all of his eight points as Riverside ended the game with an 11-3 run.
Riverside shot 50 percent from the floor and made 4 of its 6 3-point attempts in the second half to hold off the Tigers, who beat the Highlanders 72-57 in Riverside last month.
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