RIVERSIDE, Calif. – SIUE men's basketball dropped a 69-51 decision Friday at UC Riverside.

The Cougars dropped their fourth consecutive game and fell to 2-6. UC Riverside improved to 6-2.

UC Riverside connected on 26-51 shots (51 percent) for the game and out rebounded SIUE 33-20.

"You have to bring your defense and your rebounding on the road," SIUE Head Coach Brian Barone said. "We came out early we were very aggressive and we didn't sustain it."

The Cougars played neck and neck with the Highlanders for the first half of the first period, even twice building a three-point lead. Iziah James knocked down a three-pointer at 11:59 to put the Cougars up 12-9. A Brandon Jackson jumper at 10:53 made it 14-11 SIUE.

Riverside's Dragan Elkaz drained a pair of three-pointers to put the Highlanders up 21-14 at 8:32 forcing SIUE into a timeout.

"We started the game with three assists to one turnover and we were sharing the ball," Barone said. "We took two bad shots and they capitalized. It got to a seven-point game in a matter of seconds."

UC Riverside built a 10-point lead before a pair of free throws from James with four seconds left in the half cut the lead to 35-27 at the break.

SIUE never led in the second half, only pulling as close as six points (38-32) after a Kenyon Duling three-pointer with 17:45 to play. The Highlanders outrebounded the Cougars 17-8 in the second half alone.

SIUE turned the ball over just 11 times, but UC Riverside turned those miscues into 20 points.

"We're not a team right not that can veer from the game plan. It's not selfishness, it's just an eagerness to do what they are capable of doing," Barone said. "Guys are trying to believe and trying to turn the corner. We just aren't there yet. That's where the rebound disparity is. You get outrebounded by 13 on the road and that's hard to overcome."

James led SIUE with a career-best 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He was 2-4 from long range, added two assists and a steal while committing just a single turnover.

"Iziah is getting more and more acclimated to what we're trying to do," Barone said. "He is a different kind of player from Ty. He had a good statistical game and his effort was there and now we just have to bring it all together. We have a lot of different lineups going on right now and it is hard to get used to one another."

James played nearly 30 minutes despite not starting. He was forced to take over for Ty Williford, who left the game early in the second half after taking a fall on a foul.

"He is a tough kid," Barone said of Williford. "We have to go with the next man up while caring for him depending on what his injury is."

Zeke Moore added 10 points. Duling scored nine points on three three-pointers.

Elkaz and Khy Kabellis led Riverside with 11 points each. Dominick Pickett scored nine points.

The Cougars return home to face Chicago State Wednesday at First Community Arena.