The No. 9 UCLA Bruins left no doubt in an 106-37 win against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Wednesday for their second consecutive win at the Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins win was their third of the season and it was a dominating performance as the Golden Lions were left in the dust as soon as the game tipped-off. UCLA‘s head coach Mick Cronin’s crew won their second game of a five-game homestand with their next game coming against Long Beach State on Monday, Nov. 16. Here were five takeaways from UCLA’s protection of their den.
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The Bruins dominated on defense for the entirety of the game, as they held the Golden Lions to just nine points in the first half. According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, it ties the fewest amounts of points that the Bruins have given up in a half since the 1975-76 season. How’d they do it? With a ferocious determination at attacking the ball and creating turnovers. UCLA forced 21 turnovers in the first half and allowed Arkansas-Pine Bluff and consistently contested the Golden Lions field goal attempts to allow the Bruins to lead 51-9 at the half and make some history.
Freshman forward Nikola Kusturica continued to stamp his dominance on the Bruins program as he led UCLA and the game with 17 points with just two misses from the field. The 17-year-old’s pinpoint precision was on full display, but he’s defense was just as impressive with two steals, a block and three defensive rebounds. He was constantly a threat on the court and the Golden Lions needed to be aware of his presence at all times. The Bruins have themselves a star and it’s up to Cronin to get the most out of him before he heads into the NBA.
Last game Kusturica had a breakout performance, but this time, the breakout performance goes to Texas Tech sophomore guard transfer Jaylen Petty. The shooting guard was an offensive spark plug for the Bruins with 16 points, the second most points in the game. He made 50 percent of his field goal attempts and was 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. The new Bruin also made plays on defense with three steals and two defensive rebounds.
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Senior forward Eric Dailey Jr.’s level-headed play and leadership was on full display as he rushed around the court, made plays and snatched rebounds. On top of that, Dailey Jr. led the team in steals with four steals and he racked up 13 points, six rebounds and a block. In the backcourt, junior guard Trent Perry was a terrific distributor with 11 assists and 11 points to help his team offensively and two steals for his defensive statistics.
As previously mentioned, the Bruins made history with the lowest amounts of points allowed in the first half in nearly half a century. However, they ended the game just as strong with a 69-point margin of victory, which was the largest margin of victory in UCLA men’s basketball history. This Bruins team put the college basketball world on notice after their win against No. 5 Arizona in their season opener, but they showed that they won’t play down their opponent. We shall see if the Bruins can turn a historic performance into a historic run as they keep stacking up wins.
