UCLA Basketball: Bruins Demolished By Huskies, Fall To .500
A career-high 22 points (on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 shooting from deep, plus 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line) from junior transfer Lazar Stefanovic and a stellar 21-point performance (on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe) in 39 minutes, along with 11 assists, were not nearly enough to stop the 16-13 Washington Huskies from obliterating your 14-14 UCLA Bruins on Thursday night, to the tune of a 94-77 victory.
Outside of sophomore center Adem Bona's 16-point, 11-rebound double-double, no other Bruin scored more than six points.
The lack of a balanced offensive attack once again proved fatal for your Bruins. Notably, bench guard Will McClendon, playing far more minutes (28) than ostensible starter Brandon Williams (13), couldn't do much on either end tonight.
The Huskies pack one of the highest-scoring offenses in the Pac-12, and made quick work out of what was supposed to be the Bruins' biggest strength, their defensive speed and acumen. Led by 6'7" senior forward Keion Brooks Jr.'s 32 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field (including a bonkers 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, representing a career-high sum of made triples) and 10-of-13 shooting from the foul line, along with five rebounds and an assist, Washington outclassed UCLA in its shooting from the field (55.6% to the Bruins' 44.6%) and from deep (an eye-popping 62.5% on 24 attempts to UCLA's 31.8% on 22 tries).
The three-point shooting really was the difference, as Washington scored 24 more points off triples than UCLA did. There was a bit of flukiness to some of the triples, a few of which were desperation heaves, but at the end of the day, they went in.
Washington also enjoyed advantages in rebounds (35-29) and assists (23-18).
Next up for UCLA is a matchup Saturday against the 22-7 Washington State Cougars, hot off a surprise comeback win over the USC Trojans tonight.
