Riverside—UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team got a record-setting 13-for-13 performance from the free throw line and 27 points from Big West Player of the Year candidate Taylor Johns Saturday evening as the Highlanders upended visiting CSUN, 66-62.

Johns, who entered the game shooting 65.2 percent from the charity stripe, broke UC Riverside's program record for most free throws attempted in a game without a miss, originally set by Jason Labagh in the 1999-2000 season and later tied by Javon Borum in 2010-11.

UCR struggled from the floor throughout the first half making just 29.6 percent of its field goal attempts including two of 12 from long distance in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Highlanders trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, but thankfully they kept up the intensity on the defensive end of the floor. UCR forced the Matadors into 11 first-half turnovers which they turned into 16 points. The Highlanders also outscored CSUN 11 to 4 from the free throw line in the first as Johns made seven of seven on his way to a 13-point first half.

UC Riverside trailed 31-29 at the intermission, and Stephan Hicks drained a jumper to open the second half to put the Matadors up four. Jaylen Bland connected on a three-pointer on UCR's next offensive possession to start the Highlanders on a 7-0 run giving them just their second lead of the game.

Austin Quick helped UC Riverside take the lead midway through the second scoring seven straight points as the Highlanders used a 9-2 run to turn a one-point Matadors advantage into a six-point lead they would never relinquish. UCR took advantage of the free throw line again in the second, outscoring CSUN 13-4. Overall, the Highlanders took 19 more free throw attempts on the night than the Matadors.

Charles Standifer joined Johns in double digits scoring 10 points on the night. Landon Drew paced CSUN with 16 while Stephan Hicks added 15 and Stephen Maxwell scored 10. Both Maxwell and Aaron Parks fouled out of the game, while Drew finished with four personals.

The Highlanders hit the road next week traveling to Long Beach State on Thursday, February 5 at 7 pm PT and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, February 7 at 5 pm