UCLA Men's Basketball Handles UC Davis in Nonconference Finale

The Bruins have rounded out their nonconference slate with yet another win.

No. 13 UCLA men’s basketball (11-1, 2-0 Pac-12) took care of business against UC Davis (7-5, 0-0 Big West) at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday, cruising to an 81-54 victory. The Bruins and Aggies traded blows for the first 15 minutes of the matinee contest, but the blue and gold took complete control on both ends of the floor from then on.

Guard Jaylen Clark led UCLA with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, and he put up 13 points and seven boards in the first half alone. The senior duo of point guard Tyger Campbell and guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., meanwhile, combined for 31 points, 19 of which came in the second half on 8-for-11 shooting from the field.

As efficient as that star trio was, the Bruins did struggle coming out of the gates.

Missed layups cost UCLA early on, with the team only managing to get on the scoreboard when center Adem Bona flushed home a dunk nearly three minutes after the opening tip. A 3-for-12 shooting stretch to open the game had the Bruins trailing at the second media timeout.

Clark hit a couple of shots to finally put his team ahead, then Jaquez sank two layups to extend the lead. Big man Kenneth Nwuba played a big part in helping UCLA create a bit of breathing room in this stretch, making moves in the low post and drawing charges at the other end.

The Aggies weren’t going away just yet, though, knocking down a couple of jumpers and a 3-pointer that cut the deficit back down to five.

That’s when UCLA came through with a 13-for-17 hot streak from the field that lasted from the middle of the first half until early in the second. The Bruins also turned up the heat on the other end, holding one of the most potent offenses in the West to just two points in the final five minutes of the opening half.

Despite taking double the 3-pointers UCLA did, UC Davis only hit one more than the home team.

The Bruins stayed ahead by a healthy margin for the entire second half, with their lead never shrinking to less than 15 points. With 1:25 left on the clock, UCLA went up by 29 thanks to a 3-pointer by guard David Singleton.

UCLA will return to action Dec. 30 on the road against Washington State. Two days later, the Bruins will face off against Washington to wrap up their road trip.

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