UCLA cruises to easy win over Weber State

LOS ANGELES -- The momentum generated from Weber State's 71-point win over St. Katherine on Dec. 17 didn't last very long against UCLA.

That stands to reason. While St. Katherine is a first-year program out of the San Diego area, the Bruins are still considered to be one of the better programs in the country.

Kyle Anderson helped put UCLA back in the win column by scoring a career-high 23 points, leading the Bruins to a 83-60 win over Weber State, Sunday night at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins (10-2) were coming off a 17-point loss to No. 8 Duke but improved to 10-0 at home.

Weber State took an early lead thanks to some hot shooting but the Wildcats cooled down quickly. UCLA used a 22-5 run in the first half to build a 33-21 lead, and were never threatened again.

Anderson, one of six players with a triple-double this season, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Anderson settled for his sixth double-double of the season, and the 14th of his career.

Things didn't always go the Bruins' way. UCLA started off slowly, connecting on just three of its first nine field goals. The Bruins turned that around quickly enough, hitting on eight of their next 10.

Weber State (2-5), meanwhile, did the opposite. The Wildcats scored on four of their first six shots before converting just two of their next 12.

That led to a 22-5 run by the Bruins that turned a 16-11 deficit into a 33-21 lead.

Anderson was the catalyst in the opening half, scoring 15 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Weber State did everything it could to return to its 2012-13 form, in which it won 30 games. But this version of the Wildcats is considerably younger with two freshmen starting.

The Bruins led by as many as 15 points in the first half before two baskets and two free throws by Richaud Gittens trimmed the deficit to seven points.

Anderson pushed the lead back to 10 points at the break with a 3-point basket at the buzzer.

Kyle Tresnak got the Wildcats back to within nine points early in the second half but the Bruins went on a 22-5 run to take a 70-44 lead.

Zach LaVine was even given a mulligan of sorts during the run. He missed on a dunk shot but moments later made amends for it when Weber State's Royce Williams missed a short jump shot. Tony Parker grabbed the rebound and the Bruins went on the attack. This time LaVine was able to slam the ball home, extending the Bruins' lead to 68-44. Another miss by Williams led to a layup by Parker and a 70-44 advantage.

Parker finished with 15 points, and Bryce Alford finished with 10.

The Wildcats were led by Gittens and Davion Berry, who scored 15 and 14 points, respectively.