13/11/2026 6:15 PM
Aussies in NCAAM
Ben Waller sparks Highlanders' climb out of 13-0 hole
UC Riverside's Ben Waller. Photo: Instagram
UC Riverside trailed 21-5 at San José State before Ben Waller's 14 off the bench fuelled a comeback.
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UC Riverside sophomore guard Ben Waller came off the bench for 14 points on 6-from-9 shooting as the Highlanders recovered from 21-5 down to beat San José State 80-75 at the Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose.
Seven Australian men had a game, and their teams went a combined 6-1.
All box scores are below in a searchable table. Games played Thursday, November 12 US time, Friday, November 13. All times AEDT.
Waller, from Victoria, checked in with UC Riverside down 13-0 inside the first four minutes, assisted on a three 11 seconds later and went on to score seven points in each half. His driving layup with 12:55 left put the Highlanders ahead 50-49, his three at 10:18 put them back in front at 56-55, and he finished with two steals, a rebound and an assist in 26 minutes. San José State had led 37-36 at the break.
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Cal State Bakersfield senior forward Tom Koppens, from Melbourne, had 13 points, a team-high seven rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes as the Roadrunners came from 38-32 down at half-time to win 91-83 at Western Hall in Macomb. The former Melbourne United development player scored 10 of his 13 after the break, as Cal State Bakersfield put up 59, among them the two free throws that made it 65-61 and six of the Roadrunners' last eight points, the final two from the line with 25 seconds left.
Cal State Fullerton had two Australians in double figures in a 101-71 win over Lincoln (CA) at Titan Gym in Fullerton. Junior guard Tiernan Stynes, from Melbourne, started and scored 10 on 4-from-9 shooting with two threes, eight of his points coming in the first half, while senior guard Bailey Nunn, also from Melbourne, had 10 points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench on 3-from-4 from the field.
Maryland Eastern Shore senior forward Alvin Cole, from the Gold Coast, scored 10 on 5-from-15 shooting with four rebounds in 34 minutes, but the Hawks trailed 32-28 at half-time and lost 67-47 at Rhode Island.
George Mason sophomore Emmett Adair played three minutes in a 76-68 win over Kansas City at the McArthur Center in St. Petersburg, and Canisius graduate student Nate Deer played two minutes in an 86-81 win at Brown, where freshman teammate Abu Riak did not play.
Mercer freshman Harrison Lyttle did not play in a 75-61 loss at West Virginia, Bradley junior Josh Ibukunoluwa did not play in a 56-54 win over Coppin State in St. Petersburg, and West Florida freshman Oluwatomisin Ayodele-Osho did not play in an 85-83 overtime loss at Alabama A&M.
Follow every Australian in college basketball on our Aussies in the NCAA hub, our NCAA page and the NCAAM Top 20 Power Rankings.
