La Verne, CA - The University of La Verne men's basketball team started off their weekend of action with an early afternoon home contest as they welcomed the visiting UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs to The Tents.

The first half of action would be closely contested, as both teams were quick to score on the offensive end and gritty on the defensive side of the court. La Verne established an early inside presence, as they looked inside to 6'9 sophomore center Brandin Ziegler. Ziegler went to work, scoring in the post and establishing a post presence early in the first half. With both teams trading leads throughout the half, the first-half buzzer would sound with La Verne trailing 37-34.

Ziegler would continue his dominant inside play by scoring the Leopards' first bucket of the second half, cutting the lead to one, 37-36. Not finding the hoop for the first minutes of the second half, La Verne was able to neutralize UC Santa Cruz by not allowing them to score to keep the game tight. A late run by UC Santa Cruz would put the Banana Slugs over the top, as they defeated La Verne by a final score of 84-72. 

Tavares James led all scorers with 18 points in the game. The Leopards are in action at home tomorrow as they take on Lake Forest at 2:00 PM.