UCLA Men’s Basketball Puts it All Together, Beating the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 85-45
The UCLA Bruins (3-1) soared above the rim on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion, paying homage to the distant remnants of the “Lob City” Clippers. The athleticism among the Bruins’ forwards was put on full display as they exploited the prominent height advantage against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (0-4).
The Bruins relentlessly attacked the glass, accumulating 47 total rebounds while holding the Mountain Hawks to 18. Creating opportunities off the glass, the Bruins finished with 46 points in the paint.
Sophomore Forward Eric Dailey Jr. particularly excelled in this department, finishing the game with 10 rebounds to supplement his 17 points for his first double-double of the season.
Sophomore Center Aday Mara also had a breakout game for the Bruins, using his 7’ 3’’ frame to enforce his will in the paint. He finished the game with a career-high 16 points and 6 rebounds. He capitalized on two alley-oops dished out by Dailey Jr. and Sophomore Guard Sebastian Mack which energized the Bruin Faithful in the stands as the first half came to a close.
In the first six minutes of the game, the Bruins went on a 15-3 run, but the Mountain Hawks responded with their own run to cut the Bruins’ lead to 15-13 with ten minutes remaining in the first half.
However, the flames of a brewing comeback were immediately extinguished by the Bruins, who went on a 29-3 run to close out the first half, leading the Mountain Hawks 44-16 going into the locker room. The Bruins’ defense was able to shut down the Mountain Hawks’ shooting after a worrisome start, holding them to a shooting percentage of 29.4% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc.
The Bruins never looked back after their early struggles in the first half, exacerbating the Mountain Hawks’ nightmarish stay in Westwood by maintaining persistence on defense and viciously attacking the glass throughout the second half. Their lead swelled to 40, and the Bruins struck the Mountain Hawks down from the air with a final score of 85-45.
Despite putting together a near perfect performance, the Bruins continue to struggle from beyond the arc, converting only 23.1% of their three-point shots against the Mountain Hawks. Senior Guard Dominick Harris, who was prized as the best shooter in college basketball last season at LMU, hit nylon from the three-point line for the first time in his tenure at UCLA. He has gone 1/11 from three to start the season.
To hash out the issues that they’ve encountered, the Bruins feel that the work they put in at practice will allow them to reach their ambitious goals.
The Bruins will face the Idaho State Bengals (2-2) on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion, hoping to further establish their identity before the gauntlet of elite non-conference teams that they will face.
