UC Riverside defeats Houston Baptist 78-67

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) Taylor Johns posted his third double-double of the season, scoring 28 points and grabbing 17 rebounds to lead UC Riverside to a 78-67 victory over Houston Baptist on Saturday.

Johns hit 9 of 22 from the field overall. He also sank 10 of 12 from the line. Jaylen Bland added 13 points and five rebounds for the Highlanders (6-4). Alex Larsson had 10 points and seven rebounds. The Highlanders dominated the boards, outrebounding Houston Baptist 47-28.

UC Riverside went up by 10 on a Bland 3-pointer late in the first period and led 37-25 at the break.

In the second period, Houston Baptist battled to within six points, 49-43, with 11:04 remaining before the Highlanders opened it up again with a 9-2 run punctuated by an Austin Quick 3 to lead 58-45 with 7:51 left.

Anthony Odunsi led the Huskies (4-5) with 17 points.