UCLA Defeats Chico State 100-61 in Exhibition Play

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team defeated Chico State, 100-61, in an exhibition game Thursday evening at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.

In front of home fans for the first time in 613 days, Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 23 points to lead the Bruins. Johnny Juzang added 19 points, making three of four shot attempts from 3-point range. Jules Bernard contributed 12 points and Myles Johnson nearly posted a double-double, totaling 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

P. Watson, Postgame Pac-12 Networks Interview

UCLA came out of the game's first timeout with seven straight points to build a 16-7 lead. An emphatic slam dunk by Peyton Watson sparked an 8-0 run that brought the advantage to 24-9. Chico State cut its deficit to single digits with a Joshua Curls triple at 5:12, but the Bruins answered with a 13-4 run – including an 8-0 spurt to close the half. Johnson rejected a pair of Wildcat shots and saw Juzang finish each of the ensuing positions with a fast-break layup. For good measure, Watson took his defender off the dribble and delivered a two-handed dunk to send UCLA into the break with a 41-23 lead.

Jaquez scored 12 first-half points for the Bruins, matching Malik Duffy of Chico State. Duffy finished with a 18 points to lead three Wildcats in double figures.

A Juzang 3-pointer to open the second half proved a sign of things to come, as the Bruins would make 10 of 12 attempts from distance over the game's final 20 minutes. Bernard scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half, highlighted by a four-point play with 7:11 remaining.

UCLA begins its regular season Tuesday, Nov. 9, when it welcomes CSU Bakersfield to Pauley Pavilion at 8 p.m. PT. Pac-12 Networks will provide television coverage for the contest, which can also be heard on the radio on AM 1150.