Late Surge Leads UCLA Men's Basketball to Big Win Over Washington
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The Bruins had control for most of Sunday's game in Seattle, but they really took things to the next level in the second half.
No. 11 UCLA men's basketball (13-2, 4-0 Pac-12) came away with a 74-49 win over Washington (9-6, 1-3), completing a rare conference road sweep in the process. The Bruins trailed for a mere 70 seconds, and they held a lead for the final 35 minutes of the contest.
Freshman center Adem Bona had a career night, scoring 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting to go along with three blocks in just 26 minutes of action. Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 17 points of his own, while point guard Tyger Campbell finished with 15 points and 11 assists and guard David Singleton dropped 14 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
It was a top-heavy night for UCLA, though, as the other seven Bruins contributed just 10 points between them. Guard Jaylen Clark went just 1-for-9 from the field with two points, although he did lead the way with 11 rebounds and three steals.
Neither team shot particularly efficiently to start the game, with UCLA shooting 41.7% in the first half compared to Washington's 34.5% mark. A barrage of triples from Singleton and Campbell created separation for the Bruins heading into the break, despite the fact that the Bruins didn't get to the line a single time before the half.
Bona set the tone coming out of the locker room with a couple of slams, and UCLA's lead never dipped below double digits from then on out. The former McDonald's All-American came through with a one-man 6-0 run in the final few minutes to further close things out, before Mac Etienne entered the game and for the Bruins their only bench points of the second half with some late layups.
Of UCLA's 29 field goals on the night, 20 were assisted, and they outscored Washington 28-14 in the final 15 minutes.
On the other side of the ball, the Bruins stepped it up in the second half as well. The Huskies scored just 22 points after the break, shooting 34.6% from the field and 9.1% from deep in the second.
Center Braxton Meah did manage to put up some serious numbers, finishing the night with 20 points, but he was the only Husky who hit more than one shot in the second half after going 6-for-6.
Washington went just 2-for-25 from beyond the arc, continuing to jack up 3-pointers in an attempt make up the gap. They never did, and the Bruins ran away with the 25-point victory as a result.
UCLA will return to action Thursday against USC. The rivalry matchup will tip off at 6:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion, and it will be televised on ESPN.
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