Rubbie Chavez
Staff Writer
The men’s basketball team fell short to Lewis and Clark, 79-75, Nov. 21 at Frantz Athletic Court.
In the first half of the game, the Leopards opened with energy, pushing tempo and attacking the rim early.
The Leopards built a slim lead until about half way through the first half where the energy began to shift.
Lewis and Clark College answered back with offense attacking the Leopards defense closing the gap.
La Verne junior guard James Christian said he felt confident about how the team competed, even in the loss.
“I think I did pretty well on both ends,” Christian said. “I could’ve been a little more aggressive on defense, but overall I think I did pretty good.”
He added that the team gained something valuable despite the outcome.
“I think this was a game that helped us get closer, helped us figure out how to play with each other. We just have to figure out how to finish games and put them away.” Christian said.
Christian put up 16 points against the River Otters.
The Leopards scored 10 fast break points in the game.
The first half ended, 39-35, in favor of the Leopards. In the second half, they fought to keep the winning pace.
The River Otters began to pull away with consecutive three-pointers midway through the half, but La Verne kept battling.
The Leopards tied the game at 62 before the River Otters responded again with a decisive run.
Senior guard Carlos Bedolla said the team didn’t lack effort.
“I feel that we played hard. We played pretty good,” Bedolla said. “In the second half, we’ve got to stick together and learn how to close it out. We just gotta work on that every day at practice.”
Bedolla said he expects the Leopards to establish their identity as they clean up details.
“We have a solid team, we can score the ball,” Bedolla said. “We just gotta do more defensively…more effort.”
Bedolla had eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Leopards continued to attack the Lewis and Clark defense with their offense in the second half.
That quickly changed when the Lewis and Clark offense started to attack the Leopards’ defense.
Lewis and Clark College had a 14-1 run in the last minutes of the game that led them to victory, 79-75.
Junior forward Julian Daaboul echoed the theme of inconsistency, saying his own performance reflected the team’s night.
“I had a slow first half,” he said. “In the second half I came out strong, then I didn’t keep that going toward the end. We always have a strong start. We just have problems finishing games.”
Still, Daaboul said he’s optimistic about where the Leopards are headed.
“I have really high hopes for the team. We have a deep squad,” Daaboul said. “Once we bring it all together, I think we’ll be a great team.”
Senior guard Cody Aquino said the group needs to tighten up small but costly habits.
“We did good,” Aquino said. “We just have to clean up certain things preventing us from being great.”
Despite the loss, Aquino said the Leopards’ potential remains clear.
“Once we clean up certain things like rebounding and playing defense, we could be a great team,” Aquino said. “We have all the pieces,”
On Nov. 25 the La Verne Leopards beat the Linfield Wildcats, 80-67, at home.
The Leopards traveled to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday and fell to the Stags, 77-68.
Next up, La Verne will hit the road again to take on Occidental at 2 p.m. Dec. 13.
Rubbie Chavez can be reached at rubbie.chavez@laverne.edu.
Rubbie Chavez is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, and a staff writer for the Campus Times. She is also a dedicated photographer for La Verne Athletics, and her passion for storytelling and sports through dynamic visual content. Her work can also be found on Instagram or at gfxbyrubbie.myportfolio.com
CC Flaherty is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine, and a junior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is also a broadcast announcer for La Verne Athletics and has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times.
