University of Denver
0-2,0-0WCC
UC Riverside
2-0,0-0Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 29 | 31 | 60 |
| UC Riverside | 22 | 42 | 64 |
11/7/2026 7:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Pioneers will host Wyoming in their home opener next Saturday in Hamilton Gymnasium.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of Denver men's basketball program's defense clamped down in the first half, but UC Riverside exploded from beyond the arc in the second to defeat the Pioneers 64-60 on Saturday evening inside SRC Arena.
LEADERS:
UC Riverside's Tyus Parrish-Tillman led all players with a 30-point double-double to provide the difference on Saturday.
Kam Martin led Denver with 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field but was limited to just 18 minutes due to foul trouble in both halves. Shaun Wysocki and Carson Johnson rounded out the Pioneers that finished in double figures, finishing with 13 and 11, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Half:
Denver knocked down three of its first three from the field to race out to an early 8-2 lead in the opening two minutes. Kam Martin and Carson Johnson connected from beyond the arc to get the scoring started, and Charlie Dimmock capped the run with a slam. Dimmock picked up two quick fouls though and had to check out before the under-16.
The Pioneers offense went cold in the second segment and UC Riverside went on a 5-0 run of its own to cut the Pioneers lead down to one with 13:56 to go. Harry Bates got back-to-back layins to stop the run, but a James Evans Jr. triple sent the game to the second media break at 12-10.
Logan Threatt knocked down his first triple as a Pioneer to extend the advantage back to five on the first possession out of the under-12. Denver pushed its lead back out to six, leading 17-11 at the under-8.
Both defenses turned up the intensity, and the offenses shot a combined 2-of-15 in the middle of the half, with Denver maintaining an 18-14 lead as the game crossed the six-minute mark. Buckets from Shaun Wysocki and CJ Hyland were canceled out by back-to-back buckets on the block from Tyus Parrish-Tillman to send the teams to the bench for the final media timeout of the opening half with Denver up 22-18.
A Hyland three-point play out of the media got Denver's lead to its biggest of the day at seven with 3:04 to go before intermission. A cold-shooting first half for the 2025-26 Summit League Player of the Year ended with a Johnson' step-back jumper to send Denver into the locker room up 29-22.Â
Bates had six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench to lead the Pioneers in the opening 20. Denver's bench outscored UC Riverside's 14-2 in the first half and held a 7-2 edge in second-chance points.Â
Second Half:
UCR's Devon Malcolm scored five of the game's first seven out of the intermission to cut Denver's lead to 31-27 in the opening minute of the frame. Johnson hit a fadeaway, and Martin had a jumper of his own and a triple to push Denver's lead to 38-32 at the under-16.
Wysocki's first bucket of the second half pushed Denver's lead to nine for the first time, but Parrish-Tillman had the answer on the other end, kick-starting a 9-0 Highlanders run tie things at 42-42 with 12:25 to go.
Denver's defense held UC Riverside scoreless over the next 3:43 but could only get a Wysocki transition lay-up to go on the other end, holding a 44-42 lead with under nine minutes to play. Johnson found his spot on the elbow to get to nine in his scoring column and the lead to four with 8:18 to go.
A three-point play from Parrish-Tillman gave the Highlanders their first lead at 47-46 with 6:41 to play in regulation. Coming off the bench with three fouls, Martin got a layup on the next possession to quickly put Denver back in-front. UCR responded with five-straight to take a 52-48 advantage with just over five minutes to play.
Martin connected on a jumper out of the under-4 media, but Parrish-Tillman hit back-to-back triples to make it 58-52 Riverside with 3:23 to go. Denver's offense continued to struggle, and Easton Reagan connected on another Highlander triple to extend the home team's lead to 61-54 with under a minute to play. Â Â
Denver got it back down to four with 16 seconds left, but UCR held on for the 64-60 win.Â
NOTES:
Kam Martin finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Martin finished in double figures for the first time this season and the 22nd time in his career.
Shaun Wysocki finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Wysocki finished in double figures for the first time this season and the 22nd time in his collegiate career.
Carson Johnson finished with 11 points.
finished in double figures for the 22nd-straight game and the 52nd time in his career.Â
UP NEXT:
Denver will host Wyoming in its home opener next Saturday (November 14) at 1 p.m. MT. The game will be Denver's home debut on ESPN+.Â
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for the 2026-27 campaign are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
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