Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 15 points, Cody Riley added 14 points and No. 7 UCLA rode a stifling defensive effort to an 81-57 rout of Pac-12 counterpart Cal on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Trailing 11-9 early, the Bruins (15-2, 7-1 Pac-12) went on a 10-0 run to build a lead they never relinquished for the rest of the night. Another first-half run of 8-0 coincided with a Cal scoring drought of 3:30.
UCLA’s lead never dipped below 11 points after that run, and the deficit swelled to as many as 26 points, with the Golden Bears enduring scoreless spells of 3:42 and 3:10 in the second half.
The Bruins forced 17 turnovers that they turned into 16 points, while committing just nine on the other end.
A balanced scoring effort complemented UCLA’s defense, with five Bruins scoring in double figures. Jules Bernard scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, Peyton Watson came off the bench for 12 points and a team-high six rebounds, and Jake Kyman scored a season-high 10 points, including 2-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
Russell Stong, who had scored two points combined in the previous three seasons, closed out the Bruins’ scoring with a 3-pointer to cap UCLA’s 8-of-18 night from deep.
Cal (9-11, 2-7) shot just 6 of 21 from beyond the arc, with Sam Alajiki’s 3 of 5 accounting for half of the Golden Bears’ 3-pointers. Alajiki was the only Golden Bear to score in double figures, reaching 11 points with 1:16 remaining in regulation.
Jordan Shepherd scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, and Andre Kelly recorded six points with a game-high seven rebounds. The loss was Cal’s sixth straight and fourth over the current skid in which it failed to reach 60 points.
For UCLA, Thursday marked the fourth time in its last seven games in which the Bruins held an opponent to fewer than 60 points. UCLA beat No. 3 Arizona 75-59 on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
