No. 17 UCLA will conclude a six-game, 11-day grind on Monday when it visits Washington for a Pac-12 Conference showdown in Seattle.
The Bruins (21-6, 13-5 Pac-12) rebounded from a 68-63 loss on Thursday at Oregon with a 94-55 blowout of Oregon State on Saturday.
Tyger Campbell shot 8 of 10 from the floor and 4 of 6 from 3-point range en route to finishing with 20 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. posted 17 points to buoy UCLA with season-long leading scorer Johnny Juzang sidelined due to an ankle injury.
Juzang hobbled to the sidelines in the first half at Oregon and returned to the bench in street clothes for the second half.
Jaquez’s output was his most since scoring 27 points in the Bruins’ triple-overtime loss at Arizona State on Feb. 5. He endured three straight games scoring no more than five points, including four points in UCLA’s previous matchup with Washington on Feb. 19, a 76-50 Bruins win.
“Part of our run (to the Final Four) last year was, we made sure we made Jaime a big part of our offense, an adjustment late in the season,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin told the Los Angeles Times following Saturday’s win. “Because of his injuries, he hasn’t practiced and we got away from that and I said, ‘As long as he’s out there, I’m going back to him.'”
Despite being slowed by an ankle injury sustained Jan. 29 against Stanford, Jaquez remains one of four Bruins averaging at least 12 points per game, along with Juzang, Campbell and Jules Bernard.
Jaylen Clark has provided Cronin with an additional offensive option in recent outings. He scored a career-high 25 points when UCLA and Washington last met.
The Huskies (14-13, 9-8) scored a season-low at UCLA, and the loss was a part of a four-game losing streak that ended on Saturday with a 78-70 defeat of rival Washington State.
Washington lost to the Cougars by the exact same score on Wednesday when Pac-12-leading scorer Terrell Brown Jr. finished with just 11 points. Brown returned to form on Saturday with 25 points.
The Huskies also welcomed Daejon Davis and Emmitt Matthews Jr. back to the lineup on Saturday. Matthews missed the first matchup with Washington State due to a concussion, while Davis last played Feb. 6 when he exited a loss to Stanford early with a shoulder injury.
Washington coach Mike Hopkins told The Seattle Times that Davis complained of some soreness prior to tip, but rallied to play 27 minutes.
“It’s funny what adrenaline does when you see a crowd like we had, especially in a rivalry game,” Hopkins said. “It’s funny what it does when it becomes competitive. We got competitors, but Daejon is one of the best competitors. He wanted to play and he was a big difference in the game tonight.”
Davis recorded nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and seven rebounds. He was one of five Huskies to score at least nine points.
Monday’s game is the second of four straight at home for Washington, all of which will be played in just a week to conclude the regular season.
–Field Level Media
