UCLA
8-0
UC Riverside
1-4
Hamilton Helps No. 11 UCLA Down UC Riverside, 98-56
November 30, 2016 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ Isaac Hamilton scored a team-high 27 points and Lonzo Ball recorded a freshman single-game UCLA record with 13 assists as No. 11 UCLA downed UC Riverside, 98-56, in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.
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Ball had a season-high 13 assists and just one turnover for the Bruins (8-0), who have opened the season with eight consecutive wins for the first time since the fall of 2013.
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Ball, a freshman guard from Chino Hills, Calif., attempted just three shots (making two), in a record-setting display distributing the ball. His 13 assists were one more than Pooh Richardson's total in a double-overtime win at Washington State in 1986. Richardson had 12 assists as a freshman in his team's win in Pullman, Wash., on Jan. 11, 1986.
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Hamilton tied his career high with seven 3-pointers in the Bruins' 42-point victory. He made 9 of 15 total shots, connecting on 7 of 12 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
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The Bruins also received double-doubles from TJ Leaf (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Thomas Welsh (12 points, 12 rebounds).
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UC Riverside (1-4) received a team-leading 17 points from Secean Johnson. Chance Murray scored 13 points and Gentrey Thomas added 12 to round out the Highlanders' list of double-figure scorers.
"We're glad we are 8-0 and undefeated through November," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "Now we start a difficult stretch of games in December. We've got a championship under our belt. We've taken care of our home games and have played pretty well, and I think we have improved. I think we are better now than when we played Pacific. That is a key if you want to keep getting better."
UCLA led Wednesday night's non-conference game from start to finish. The Bruins raced to a 17-3 lead before the game's first timeout โ at the 13:45 mark. Welsh made each of his first four shot attempts, totaling eight points and six rebounds in the game's first seven minutes.
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The Bruins led by 14 points โ 23-9 โ with 9:59 to play in the first half. UC Riverside reduced UCLA's cushion to six points, 31-25, after a 3-pointer from Thomas with 5:19 to go before halftime.
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UCLA entered the locker room at the break with a 42-27 cushion.
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The Bruins outscored the Highlanders in the second half, 56-29. UCLA opened the half with a 14-6 scoring run to lead 56-33 before pushing its margin to as many as 36 points with just over eight minutes remaining.
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UCLA returns to action at No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday, as the Bruins will make their first-ever visit to Rupp Arena (Lexington, Ky.). Game time is 9:30 a.m. (PT). UCLA's game at Kentucky will be nationally televised on CBS. The radio broadcast will be available in the Los Angeles area on AM 570.
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The Bruins defeated Kentucky in Pauley Pavilion last season by an 87-77 margin (Dec. 3, 2015).
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UCLA is seeking its ninth consecutive victory and could become the Bruins' first team since the 2006-07 squad to open a season with at least nine straight wins. The 2006-07 team opened its season with 14 wins.
