UC Riverside cruises to 81-71 win over Cal State Fullerton

FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) Taylor Johns scored 22 points and Jaylen Bland added 20 more to lead UC Riverside to an 81-71 win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night.

Malik Thames contributed 15 points, hitting all three of his shots from long range, and Secean Johnson had 13 points for Riverside (13-11, 4-4 Big West), which has won three straight. Bland sank all 10 of his free throws and Johnson was 7 for 7 as the Highlanders dominated at the foul line, hitting 30 of 34 compared to Fullerton's 12 of 19.

Trailing by five in the second half, Riverside overtook Fullerton for good during an 11-0 run that included two 3-pointers from Thames and made it 47-41 with 11:55 to play. Bland's 3-pointer with 4:22 left made it 63-53 and the Highlanders led by double digits the rest of the way.

Jamar Akoh and Tre Coggins led Fullerton with 13 points apiece.