Preview: Irvine Valley Looks to Extend Win Streak at Riverside

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Interstat) — A surging Irvine Valley men’s basketball team will look to continue its climb in the California community college standings when it visits Riverside on Friday night.

The Lasers (11-4) have won three straight games, including a narrow 67-65 road victory over Saddleback last Friday. Riverside (8-7), meanwhile, seeks to rebound from an 80-64 home loss to Fullerton on the same night.

Irvine Valley’s recent success has been fueled by consistency, particularly from guard Matt Mowers. Over his last four games, Mowers is averaging 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. He scored 13 points with four rebounds in the win at Saddleback, following an 18-point, eight-rebound performance in a Dec. 30 victory over Los Angeles Valley.

The Tigers will counter with their own high-scoring guard in Kollen Murphy. Murphy has been a bright spot, averaging 21.3 points over his last three contests. He dropped 21 points in both the loss to Fullerton and a dominant 83-56 win at Orange Coast on Jan. 7.

Team trends favor the visitors. Irvine Valley has shown resilience in close games, winning its last two by a combined four points. Riverside’s season has been marked by volatility; its eight wins are often decisive, but its seven losses have come by an average margin of 22.7 points.

In their most recent action, Irvine Valley’s Sam Meza-Tallada and Santos Cordero provided crucial all-around contributions alongside Mowers against Saddleback. For Riverside in its last outing, Jabari Harris added nine points and eight rebounds, while Kavon Ray scored 13 points in support of Murphy’s 21.

This matchup begins a critical stretch for both teams in conference play. The Tigers will need to defend their home court to stay above .500, while the Lasers aim to solidify their position among the region’s top teams. The teams will meet again at Irvine Valley on Feb. 10.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. PST at Riverside City College.