UCLA Defeats North Florida, 98-63
LOS ANGELES – The No. 2-ranked UCLA men's basketball team clinched an unbeaten record in its season-opening four-game homestand after defeating North Florida, 98-63, on Wednesday evening at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
The Bruins (4-0) had five players finish in double-figures, led by junior forward Jaime Jaquez's game-high 20 points. Junior guard Johnny Juzang added 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while redshirt junior guard Tyger Campbell went a career-best 4-for-4 from beyond the arc en route to 13 points (he added six rebounds and a team-high five assists).
UCLA outshot North Florida 50% to 37% and dominated the Ospreys (0-5) on the boards, out-rebounding the visitors by a margin of 54-24. The Bruins were particularly effective on the offensive glass, as their 24 offensive rebounds were their most since a Jan. 19, 2008 contest against USC at Pauley Pavilion (25).
Redshirt senior Myles Johnson had 13 rebounds to pace the Bruins on the glass, but five separate UCLA players had at least five boards. Jaquez Jr. finished two rebounds short of a double-double, and freshman guard Peyton Watson established a new career-high with eight of his own.
The Bruins and Ospreys were relatively close for the first 10 minutes of game action, but UCLA used a dominant 15-0 run, starting after a media timeout at the 7:26 mark of the first half, to pull away for good.
An emphatic slam dunk from redshirt junior Kenneth Nwuba – set up by a Campbell spin move and a deft pass down low from sophomore guard Jaylen Clark – sparked the rally, which also featured a near-range jumper from Nwuba and five consecutive points from Jaquez Jr. A Juzang 3-pointer from atop the point capped the run and gave the Bruins a 20-point lead, at 46-26, with 4:09 left in the first half.
Jaquez Jr. led all players in scoring (14 points) and rebounds (six) in the first half. All eight UCLA players who entered the game in the first half scored at least one basket. Campbell did most of his damage in the opening 20 minutes, connecting on a trio of 3-point shots for 10 points.
UCLA continued to apply pressure in the second half, shooting 50% from the field as a team with Juzang and senior guard Jules Bernard chipping in nine points apiece.
UNF got a three-pointer from Carter Hendricksen to open the second half to get the Ospreys within 19, but a pair of free throw makes from Bernard at the 19:01 mark pushed UCLA's margin above 20 for good. UCLA ultimately reeled off 11 consecutive points after that Hendricksen trey to make it 66-36 at the 16:15 mark.
Hendricksen posted a team-high 11 points for the Ospreys. Emmanuel Adedoyin added eight points and a team-high four assists.
Over the four-game homestand, the Bruins averaged 94.8 points of offense and a 25.5-point margin of victory.
UCLA returns to action at the Good Sam Empire Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., facing Bellarmine (Nov. 22) and top-ranked Gonzaga (Nov. 23) on back-to-back days at T-Mobile Arena. Both games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.