Lehigh men’s basketball traveled to UCLA on Nov. 15, for their fourth game of the season.
Despite a long day of travel and a three-hour time difference, the team kept their eyes set on securing their first win of the season.
In their last two games, the Mountain Hawks lost to Georgetown by eight points and Columbia by one point.
Senior guard Ben Knostman started off the UCLA game with a three-point jumper, giving Lehigh an early spark.
The Mountain Hawks were scoreless for the next five-and-a-half minutes, until senior guard Keith Higgins Jr. hit a pull-up jumper in the paint, which made the score 15-5 with UCLA leading.
Following this play, Lehigh heated up and scored eight points to make the game 15-13.
UCLA continued to make fast breaks for the next eight minutes and finished the first half with a 28 point lead, 44-16.
In the second half, UCLA kept their intensity on defense and offense, while Lehigh struggled to keep possession and hit their shots when they had scoring opportunities.
Higgins Jr. scored the first points of the half with a layup, followed by another layup from senior guard Tyler Whitney-Sydney, making the score 46-20 with 18 minutes remaining in the game.
Despite efforts to turn the game around, Lehigh continued to turn over the ball and miss crucial shots.
Whitney-Sidney hit two three-pointers in the second half, and sophomore guard Cam Gillus and Knostman both drained a three-pointer before the end of the second half.
UCLA’s consistency throughout the game led to a decisive victory, with a final score of 85-45.
Lehigh shot 6 for 24 in three pointers and 9 for 27 inside the paint. However, the team faced difficulty capitalizing on their opportunities on offense.
Coach Brett Reed said he thinks the Mountain Hawks over dribbled during the game.
“We would come off some of the screens on the ball, and we’d maybe take an extra dribble or two, instead of just getting it out of our hands and then playing and letting the ball play fast out on the perimeter,” Reed said.
The top scorers for Lehigh were Higgins Jr. with 18 points, Whitney-Sydney with 10 points and Knostman with six points.
The Mountain Hawks will take the court at Stabler Arena for their first home game on Nov. 20 against Valley Forge.
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