UCLA Bruins Put Complete Game Together to Crush Cougs, 76-52
UCLA Bruins Put Complete Game Together to Crush Cougs, 76-52
UCLA finished strong after leading Washington State by nine at the half.
This evening, the #9 UCLA Bruins basketball team did something they have done much of since Pac-12 play began this season. They played a complete game of basketball.
The Bruins started slower than they have recently and it seemed like they might have problems stopping the Cougars. They led for just 30 seconds through the first nine minutes of the game. Indeed, they seemed to be struggling until Jaylen Clark hit a three-pointer with 12:37 left in the first half. That shot put the Bruins up, 16-15, and they didn’t give the lead up again.
But, at that point in the game, no one knew what would happen as the game progressed, much less the rest of the half. Over the next eleven minutes, UCLA grew their lead and, by the time Clark fed Adem Bona on a dunk with 1:33 left in the half, the Bruins had stretched their lead to ten points, 35-25.
Following a foul from Kenneth Nwuba with 46 seconds to go, Wazzu would add a free throw and the teams went into the locker room with UCLA ahead by nine, 35-26.
Given how the Bruins have played, having just a nine-point halftime lead may have concerned a lot of fan because UCLA has seen their leads shrink by more than that in the second half a lot lately.
But anyone expecting the Bruins to falter in the second half of this one was sadly mistaken.
Instead, UCLA came out and actually increased their lead. After Mouhamed Gueye scored the first bucket of the second half for the Cougs to cut the lead to seven points, the Bruins responded by doubling their lead to 14 in the next two minutes.
With 14 minutes left in the game, Washington State managed to cut UCLA’s lead back down to eight points, 46-38, and it was starting to feel like a bad Hollywood movie that Bruins fans have seen before.
But the next five minutes of this game had a markedly different script than recent UCLA games as the Bruins went on a 13-0 run to increase their lead to 21, 59-38.
With just under five minutes to go, UCLA had increased their lead to 24 on a Jaylen Clark three, putting the Bruins up, 69-45.
And, UCLA didn’t falter in the final five minutes either. They managed to match the Cougars point-for-point down the stretch to close out the game with the 76-52 win.
Jaime Jaquez, Jr. led all scorers with 24 points and he grabbed 15 rebounds for a double-double. Jaylen Clark was second for the Bruins with 12 points while Amari Bailey added 10 more.
TJ Bamba led the Cougs with 19 and Justin Powell added 17 more.
The Bruins took advantage of Washington State’s 30.9% field goal percentage by grabbing a total of 40 rebounds including 27 defensive boards. UCLA shot 48.4% overall and 40.9% from beyond the arc which was indicative of their most complete game in some time.
The home sweep is bound to also result in UCLA climbing in the polls next week as four Top Ten teams stumbled already this weekend before UCLA had won.
Overall, this is the kind of win that the Bruins can use to build on as they head into next weekend’s Oregon road trip. UCLA travels to Corvalis to take on the Beavers on Thursday before taking on the Ducks in Eugene on Saturday.
Go Bruins!!!
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Did I miss something on McClendon? Not even garbage time in this game?
Hi folks, we got back home from Pauley amid heavy freeway traffic on 405 all the way till we exited on 210 in Pasadena. For a change, missus drove the entire way. That gave me the chance to read all your comments posted during the game. They are more or less what I would have said too - except one thing. None of you mentioned about how sharp Cronin looked in his form fitting light grey suit and brownish dress shoes. In fact, some of us jokingly teased him in the waning minutes of a victorious home game. Still focused on his players, he obviously heard the lady's voice, several seats away behind us. I can tell you a good coach can be good in feigning not to hear things too. Nothing showed on his face.
Man oh man, LOL !!!
Anyway, when we left, Westwood befits Belinda Carlisle's 80's hit " Heaven is a place on
earth ". Everyone was joyful, happy , high fiving. I did it to the young kid at the exit booth. He quipped
" I wanna tequila ! " and missus asked swiftly. " You're old enough ? ", to which everyone laughed. My all time bruin idol, Bill Walton, said it well. There is nothing a good win would not cure. And since it is the case, the order in the universe has been rightfully restored. These are his memorable words.
Everything clicked this afternoon at Pauley.. We were firing on all cylinders both offensively and defensively. The players, to a person, is back to their best form. Some good steals, some good passes, and those beautiful high arching three pointers delighted us. As the student band played the rousing UCLA fight song with the clock winding down, everyone cheered and clapped.