Five UCLA players scored in double figures to lead the Bruins past Washington State, 91-61, in a Pac-12 men's basketball game in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Thursday.
The Bruins (10-2, 6-0 Pac-12) improved to a perfect 7-0 at home this season, remaining as the only Pac-12 team unbeaten in conference play.
Johnny Juzang scored a career-high 17 points and added five rebounds. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell each finished with 16 points. Cody Riley had 12 points and six rebounds, while Jake Kyman netted a season-best 10 points.
Washington State (9-3, 2-3 Pac-12) received a team-leading 23 points from Isaac Bonton.
The Bruins shot 54% from the field and never trailed against Washington State on Thursday afternoon. UCLA made 65% of its shots in the first half, nailing 7 of 9 attempts from 3-point distance. The Bruins shot a season-best 88.9% from the free throw line (16 for 18).
UCLA finished with a sizeable advantage over Washington in multiple areas, including rebounding (37 to 22), assists (20 to 8) and steals (9 to 4).
The Bruins entered the locker room at halftime with a commanding 54-38 lead, marking the most points in any half by a UCLA team coached by Mick Cronin (the previous high had been 52 points in the second half last season in a win over Chaminade at the Maui Invitational). UCLA's 54 points on Thursday were the most in any half by a Bruins' squad since scoring 62 second-half points in a 90-83 win over Oregon on Feb. 23, 2019.
UCLA made its first four shots, jumping out to an 8-0 lead in the game's opening minutes. After Campbell scored the first basket, Riley reeled off six consecutive points to force an early timeout by Washington State. One more basket from Riley put the Bruins on top, 10-2, after just three minutes.
The Bruins secured their first double-digit cushion (18-7) on a Jaquez jump shot and did not allow Washington State to pull any closer than nine points. UCLA's 7-0 scoring run pushed the Bruins' advantage to 16 points (at 35-19 with 6:10 to play, first half).
Eight consecutive points from WSU's Bonton trimmed UCLA's margin from 17 points to nine. Campbell knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets, and Jaquez Jr. made three free throws to end the half as UCLA led, 54-38.
The second half was more of the same for UCLA. The Bruins opened the half with six unanswered points to go ahead by 22. The Cougars never got closer than 16 points after that and trailed by as many as 31 points.
UCLA returns to action against Washington on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 16). Game time is 2 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network, with Ted Robinson and Casey Jacobsen calling the action.