Broncs crumble in Los Angeles, start season 0-1

By Benjamin Shinault

Rider men’s basketball tipped off regular season play by taking on the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins on Nov. 4. 

The nationally broadcast game against No. 22 UCLA was part of a West Coast road trip to open the year for the Broncs, and they started the treacherous trip with an 85-50 loss. The game was the first time these two programs have ever met.

‘We did not play well’

At 10:30 p.m., the Broncs, fully charged and energized after adjusting to the time difference with multiple days spent in California, won the starting tip-off and got a good layup chance immediately. However, graduate forward Tariq Ingraham could not finish at the rim.

After the Broncs’ missed a layup opportunity, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run that was brought to a stop after a three-pointer from graduate student T.J. Weeks Jr. At the end of the game, Weeks finished with Rider-leading 15 points, 12 of those points from beyond the arc. The lights were not bright enough for the veteran guard.

UCLA did a stupendous job at locking down the painted region, as the Broncs only totaled 22 points in the paint the entire game. The Broncs did not score a single point in the paint until an Ingraham jumper about halfway through the first half.

“Their pressure was effective,” Head Coach Kevin Baggett said to Rider Athletics. 

Rider’s field goal percentage was also poor. As a team, the Broncs shot 28% from the field in the first half, improving slightly in the second half to 34.2%. 

The negatives kept pouring in as the game continued, and the crowd noise helped UCLA toy with Rider. The Broncs lost the rebounding game, having 38 rebounds to the Bruins’ 45 as well as the turnover and foul battle. 

“We did not play well. They forced us into some early turnovers. Second opportunities off the glass,” Baggett said.

In his first regular season game with the team, junior center Alaaeddine Boutayeb handled the offensive end of the floor well, finishing with a career-high 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting. He scored 10 of those 14 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Few other Broncs could stuff the box and score, as the next highest scorer was senior forward Jay Alvarez, with five points.

During the course of the game, the Broncs did not take the single lead, and UCLA’s lead swelled until Rider was down 35.

Rider will stay in California for a few more days, taking on San Diego State for the first time on Nov. 6 at 11 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.