Balanced Scoring Leads UCLA Men's Basketball to Win Over LBSU
The Bruins utilized a full team effort to hold off the Beach on Friday night.
No. 8 UCLA men's basketball (2-0) took care of business against Long Beach State (1-1), cruising to a 93-69 win at Pauley Pavilion. Three of the last five times the Bruins have exceeded 90 points in a single game have now come against the Beach, and it took a well-rounded offensive performance for them to reach that mark this time around.
Point guard Tyger Campbell led the way with 18 points, while guard Jaylen Clark dropped 16 and guards David Singleton and Amari Bailey scored 14 apiece. It wasn't smooth sailing for UCLA from start to finish, though, as it took them a bit to build up a lead and bury Long Beach State for good.
As was the case in both their scrimmage and their season-opener, the Bruins started slow and actually let the Beach build an early lead. Long Beach State led 8-2 through two minutes, with UCLA missing its first two shots and committing a turnover in that time.
That's when Clark – Monday night's do-it-all hero – came through to spark some life into the Bruins on both ends of the floor.
Clark drained a 3-pointer to end the Beach's run, then he sank both of his tries at the line after drawing a foul on a fast break. Clark flew down the court for a dunk following his second steal in 40 seconds, gifting UCLA its first lead of the night.
That Clark-centric explosion sparked a 21-3 run for the Bruins, with Campbell stepping up next to hit a scoop layup and a 3-pointer on the left wing. Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. sank a turnaround jumper on the right elbow right before drilling a triple from the same spot as Campbell.
Singleton and Campbell knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers not long after, then Bailey sped up the floor for a couple of layups.
Bailey, who led UCLA with 10 points in the first half, spent a brief stretch as the centerpiece of the offense, swishing a smooth jumper and then cutting the the hole for his first dunk of the season. The Bruins' lead grew to as many as 21 in the first half, all while the Beach struggled to get shots to fall.
Although UCLA only led 48-33 at the half, a good chunk of Long Beach State's points came from the free throw line.
The Beach had a stretch where 12 of their next 24 points came from the charity stripe, preventing the game from devolving into a blowout for the time being. Those chances came to be thanks to the Bruins' constant fouls, which kept all three of their post players – as well as Clark and Campbell – for long stretches.
The foul calls continued into the second frame, with the first three minutes of the half alone featuring seven whistles.
Those calls kept things relatively within reach for Long Beach State, at least through the first eight minutes of the second half. Singleton opened up a 16-4 run with his fourth 3-pointer of the half, while Clark brought the lead all the way up to 29 points with an and-1.
With eight minutes to go, the Beach were shooting just 15-of-52 from the field – good for a 28.9% shooting percentage. The Bruins allowed them to hit their next five shots after that, however, and the lead was cut down to 20.
Campbell, Clark and Bailey hit shots in the paint to put things back out of reach once again, and it was all on the walk-ons from that point forward. Forward Logan Cremonesi drew a foul with five seconds left on the clock, and he hit 1-of-2 to pick up his first career point early in his third year in the program.
UCLA's three leading scorers were also aided by Jaquez's 12 points on top of their collective big night. Singleton unexpectedly led the team with nine rebounds, while Jaquez had eight and Clark had seven.
Center Adem Bona pulled down eight rebounds to go along with eight points and a steal on 4-of-4 shooting, impressing in his collegiate debut after he was held out of the season opener, in accordance with the NCAA.
UCLA rounds out its three-game season-opening homestand with a contest against Norfolk State on Monday. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m., and it will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
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