Friday, November 15
Los Angeles, Calif.
10:00 PM
Lehigh University
0-4,0-0Patriot
45
at
85
UCLA
3-1,0-0Big Ten
1
2
F
Lehigh
16
29
45
UCLA
44
41
85
Photo by: Rich Schmitt
Mountain Hawks Fall To UCLA In Final Game Of Road Swing
11/16/2024 2:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Lehigh men's basketball played its final road game prior to next week's home opener on Friday evening at historic Pauley Pavilion against the UCLA Bruins. The Mountain Hawks dropped an 85-45 decision to the Bruins to conclude the team's four-game road swing.
"I thought we were moving the ball well and making quick decisions on the offensive end of the floor," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They hurt us mostly in the open floor, and I thought our halfcourt defense was rather solid. Unfortunately, when you're not posting a lot of points it's hard to keep up with a team of this caliber."
Friday night's contest was the first-ever meeting between Lehigh (0-4) and UCLA (3-1). The Bruins were the third power conference team and second Big Ten opponent that the Mountain Hawks have faced on the year, as Lehigh played Northwestern and Georgetown in the opening week of the season. Lehigh was the second Patriot League opponent of the year for UCLA, as the Bruins defeated Boston University on Monday.
The first half began strongly for UCLA, who opened the frame on a 15-3 scoring run. However, Lehigh responded well, scoring ten points unanswered to cut the Bruins' lead to two. From this point on, UCLA locked in defensively and embarked on a massive run to swing the momentum back in their favor. The Bruins held Lehigh scoreless for 8:02 of game time and kept the Mountain Hawks without a field goal for the remainder of the opening period. UCLA held a 44-16 advantage headed into the locker room.
The Mountain Hawks got off to a better start in the second half, outscoring the Bruins 12-6 in the first six minutes. UCLA then opened another run of their own to extend their lead to 30 at the halfway point of the frame. Despite not shooting the ball well from outside the three-point line, the Bruins used efficient shooting at the rim and the charity stripe to continue to grow their lead. When it was all said and done, UCLA outscored the Mountain Hawks 41-29 in the final 20 minutes.
"It was a positive sign that despite some disappointment of being down at the half, they could get focused in on what they needed to do and end up making a fairly solid run in the beginning of the second half," said Reed. "We ended up getting a little bit of a rhythm and fighting and battling in the second half, which is exactly what we like to see from our young men."
Lehigh finished the night shooting 29.4% (15-51) from the field to UCLA's 55.4% (31-56). The Mountain Hawks did hold the advantage from beyond the arc, as Lehigh made six threes as opposed to UCLA's three. The Bruins also enjoyed a 47-18 rebound advantage in the contest.
In his homecoming back to southern California, senior Keith Higgins Jr. scored a game-high 18 points to go along with a team-high three assists and three rebounds.
"When [Keith] gets to some of those spots, he has the athleticism and the lift to be able to create just enough separation to get that ball off," said Reed.
Senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney joined Higgins in double figures with ten points and a team-high six rebounds. Whitney-Sidney has scored 10+ points in every game this season.
Senior Ben Knostman added six points on 2-3 three-point shooting while first-year Edouard Benoit, sophomore Cam Gillus and sophomore Joshua Ingram also scored for Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks will play their first game of the season at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem on Wednesday, November 20 against Valley Forge. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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"I thought we were moving the ball well and making quick decisions on the offensive end of the floor," said head coach Dr. Brett Reed. "They hurt us mostly in the open floor, and I thought our halfcourt defense was rather solid. Unfortunately, when you're not posting a lot of points it's hard to keep up with a team of this caliber."
Friday night's contest was the first-ever meeting between Lehigh (0-4) and UCLA (3-1). The Bruins were the third power conference team and second Big Ten opponent that the Mountain Hawks have faced on the year, as Lehigh played Northwestern and Georgetown in the opening week of the season. Lehigh was the second Patriot League opponent of the year for UCLA, as the Bruins defeated Boston University on Monday.
The first half began strongly for UCLA, who opened the frame on a 15-3 scoring run. However, Lehigh responded well, scoring ten points unanswered to cut the Bruins' lead to two. From this point on, UCLA locked in defensively and embarked on a massive run to swing the momentum back in their favor. The Bruins held Lehigh scoreless for 8:02 of game time and kept the Mountain Hawks without a field goal for the remainder of the opening period. UCLA held a 44-16 advantage headed into the locker room.
The Mountain Hawks got off to a better start in the second half, outscoring the Bruins 12-6 in the first six minutes. UCLA then opened another run of their own to extend their lead to 30 at the halfway point of the frame. Despite not shooting the ball well from outside the three-point line, the Bruins used efficient shooting at the rim and the charity stripe to continue to grow their lead. When it was all said and done, UCLA outscored the Mountain Hawks 41-29 in the final 20 minutes.
"It was a positive sign that despite some disappointment of being down at the half, they could get focused in on what they needed to do and end up making a fairly solid run in the beginning of the second half," said Reed. "We ended up getting a little bit of a rhythm and fighting and battling in the second half, which is exactly what we like to see from our young men."
Lehigh finished the night shooting 29.4% (15-51) from the field to UCLA's 55.4% (31-56). The Mountain Hawks did hold the advantage from beyond the arc, as Lehigh made six threes as opposed to UCLA's three. The Bruins also enjoyed a 47-18 rebound advantage in the contest.
In his homecoming back to southern California, senior Keith Higgins Jr. scored a game-high 18 points to go along with a team-high three assists and three rebounds.
"When [Keith] gets to some of those spots, he has the athleticism and the lift to be able to create just enough separation to get that ball off," said Reed.
Senior Tyler Whitney-Sidney joined Higgins in double figures with ten points and a team-high six rebounds. Whitney-Sidney has scored 10+ points in every game this season.
Senior Ben Knostman added six points on 2-3 three-point shooting while first-year Edouard Benoit, sophomore Cam Gillus and sophomore Joshua Ingram also scored for Lehigh.
The Mountain Hawks will play their first game of the season at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem on Wednesday, November 20 against Valley Forge. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Like Lehigh men's basketball on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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Team Stats
Lehigh
UCLA
FG%
.294
.554
3FG%
.250
.231
FT%
.600
.769
RB
18
47
TO
11
8
STL
2
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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