An early Saturday afternoon start didn’t bother the 19th-ranked UCLA men’s basketball team, which rolled to an 87-64 non-conference victory over Denver at Pauley Pavilion.
Junior guard Jaylen Clark scored a career-high 24 points and senior forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 18 to lead the Bruins (8-2), who have won five in a row. Off the bench, freshman guard Dylan Andrews chipped in a season-best 11 points for the first double-digit scoring performance of his collegiate career.
UCLA collected 31 points off 24 Denver turnovers thanks to an effective full-court press.
The Pioneers (8-3) were paced by forward Touko Tainamo, who had team highs of 16 points and seven rebounds.
UCLA will now prepare to head back on the road next week for a pair of tough nonconference games at No. 13 Maryland (Wednesday) and on a neutral court against No. 16 Kentucky (Saturday) in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Bruins are 0-2 against ranked opponents this season.
Turning point of the game
It wasn’t so much a specific turning point as it was the effectiveness of the Bruins’ full-court press defense. The Pioneers never got comfortable, trailing 16-4 to open the contest and turning the ball over 12 times in the first half that UCLA converted into 15 points.
The Bruins, who led 44-35 at the halftime break, opened the second half on a 17-0 run and were never threatened.
Bruins standout on offense
Clark had his best performance in more than two weeks since missing the Nov. 27 win over Bellarmine with flu-like symptoms.
The 6-foot-5 guard was back to being a pest on defense and running the floor for some easy transition baskets. Clark also made multiple 3-pointers for the first time since connecting on five in a win over Norfolk State in mid-November.
As a team, the Bruins overcame a 6-of-25 effort from beyond the arc.
Bruins standout on defense
Individually, it was Clark after collecting three of his four steals in the second half.
As a group, the pressure bothered the Pioneers, who were never able to settle into a rhythm and get in the game.
Within the game’s first 2 1/2 minutes, the energy was apparent as Jaquez Jr. came flying in for a help-side block, Tyger Campbell sprawled out on the floor for a loose ball and the Bruins forced a shot-clock violation.
After made baskets, UCLA put on a full-court press to disrupt Denver. By the under-16 media timeout, the Bruins had forced three turnovers to ignite a 10-0 run and jump out to the early lead. That energy trickled down to the bench, as Abramo Canka had a layup, steal and assist within his first minute on the floor.
After shooting 57.1 percent in the first half, Denver made just 11 of 25 shots after the break.
UCLA play of the game
The Bruins’ unselfish play and tremendous defensive effort were showcased all in one sequence. Amari Bailey collected a steal and pushed the ball ahead to Jaquez Jr., who dished to Andrews, who then gave it up to a trailing Clark for the easy dunk and a 33-25 lead to force a Denver timeout with 4:01 left in the first half.
Why UCLA won
The Bruins continued to click defensively. Even as UCLA was struggling with its shot, missing seven consecutive at one point in the first half, the defense remained consistent and Bruins players had their hands active in the passing lanes.
The Bruins also got some nice production off the bench from Andrews. The freshman guard had three of his five assists in the opening half and finished 5 of 10 from the field to go with four rebounds in 21 minutes. His early play also earned him the start in the second half over Campbell, who head coach Mick Cronin was unhappy with after his head started to drop after the start of another rough shooting night.
UCLA stats
Starting five
PG Tyger Campbell: 7 pts on 3/10 shooting (0/5 3-ptrs), 4 rebs, 2 asst
G Amari Bailey: 4 pts on 2/9 shooting (0/3 3-ptrs), 4 rebs, 2 stls
G Jaylen Clark: 24 pts on 10/13 shooting (2/4 3-ptrs), 4 rebs, 4 stls
G/F Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 18 pts on 9/11 shooting (0/1 3-ptrs), 2 rebs, 1 asst, 1 stls, 2 blks
F/C Adem Bona: 8 pts on 3/6 shooting, 3 rebs, 1 blk
Bench
G David Singleton: 6 pts on 2/7 shooting (2/4 3-ptrs), 4 rebs. 2 asst, 3 stls
F/C Kenneth Nwuba: 2 pts on 1/1 shooting, 1 reb, 1 asst
F Mac Etienne: 0 pts on 0/1 shooting, 1 asst
G Dylan Andrews: 11 pts on 5/10 shooting (1/2 3-ptrs), 4 rebs, 5 asst
G Will McClendon: 3 pts on 1/6 shooting (1/4 3-ptrs), 2 rebs, 1 asst
G/F Abramo Canka: 4 pts on 2/2 shooting, 1 reb, 1 asst, 1 stl
F Evan Manjikian: 0 pts on 0/1 shooting (0/1 3-ptrs)
G Russell Stong: 0 pts on 0/1 shooting (0/1 3-ptrs), 1 reb
F Logan Cremonesi: DNP (coach’s decision)
G Jack Seidler: DNP (coach’s decision)