Led by senior guard Jake Vieth, the University of La Verne posted its fifth win in the last seven outings by defeating UC Santa Cruz 82-70 in non-conference men's basketball action Saturday evening at Frantz Athletic Court.
Vieth poured in a career-high 31 points against the Banana Slugs, connecting on seven three-pointers while finishing 6-7 from the free throw line to pace the Leopard attack.
The Leopards enjoyed a strong shooting night, hitting 57.1% of their shots from the field. Additionally, the Leos made 64.1% of their three-point attempts.
La Verne jumped on the Slugs early by racing to a 22-10 lead in the first nine minutes. The Leos led by as many as 14 points in the first half on a pair of Vieth free throws with 4:33 remaining to go up 32-18. UCSC closed the half on a 16-4 run to narrow the deficit to 36-34 at intermission.
The second half began much like the opening frame as the Leos outscored the Slugs 12-2 in the first four minutes to open a 48-34 lead.
Vieth later sparked the Leopards with triples on three straight possessions to stretch the advantage to 18 points at 59-41 with 13:12 left to play. Though UCSC closed to within 11 points at the nine-minute mark, the Leopards maintained a double-digit advantage over the next six minutes, leading by as many as 17 points at 69-52 during that stretch.
A jumper by UCSC forward Austin Steadman got the visitors within nine at 70-61, but the Leopards padded their lead as Weston Newell would hit a three-pointer followed by a pair of free throws to boost the advantage to 77-63 with 1:35 left to help close out the Slugs.
The Leopards received a strong outing from forward Alex Wolpe who narrowly missed a double-double by collecting 16 points and nine rebounds. Vince Bauer added 10 points while Ronn See delivered a game-high eight assists.
Trent Reeves led UCSC (6-14) with 25 points while Jared Ponce and Spencer Wells added 11 points each.
La Verne (6-12, 4-5 SCIAC) steps back into conference play when it travels to Redlands to face the conference leading Bulldogs (13-5, 8-1) Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
