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Mike Magpayo posts 1st D-I win for Asian-American coach with UC Riverside upset of Washington

UC Riverside didn’t just score a big upset over a Power Five team on Tuesday.

It made college basketball history in the process.

The Highlanders posted a 57-42 win over the Washington Huskies, who entered the game in Las Vegas as 10-point favorites. With his first win as a college head coach, Mike Magpayo became the first coach of Asian descent to win a Division I basketball game.

Magpayo’s parents were born in the Philippines and moved to California. Magpayo, 41, was born in Los Angeles and went to school at UC Santa Barbara.

Magpayo’s ascent to head coach

He has worked as an assistant coach or college basketball administrator with Columbia, Campbell, San Francisco and UC Riverside since 2010. He was named UC Riverside’s acting head coach in July when former head coach David Patrick took a position on Eric Musselman’s coaching staff at Arkansas.

Magpayo missed last week’s season-opening loss to Pacific as his wife gave birth to their first child. Tuesday was his first game as head coach as his Highlanders held the Huskies to 29.6 percent shooting from the field. Senior center Jock Perry led the way with 21 points.

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