UCLA
11-9, 4-3
Arizona
14-7, 5-3
Wilkes Leads Bruins Past Arizona, 90-69
January 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Sophomore Kris Wilkes scored a career-high 34 points to lead the UCLA men's basketball team past Arizona, 90-69, before 11,164 in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Saturday.
Jaylen Hands (12 points, 11 assists) and Moses Brown (11 points, 15 rebounds) each registered double-doubles for UCLA (11-9, 4-3 Pac-12).
Wilkes' performance eclipsed his previous career high of 27 points against Purdue Fort Wayne in the regular season opener, back on Nov. 6, 2018. He became UCLA's first player to eclipse the 30-point threshold since Aaron Holiday had 34 points in consecutive games last March.
"Kris Wilkes really busted out for us tonight," said UCLA interim head coach Murry Bartow. "We knew that's the player he is, and it's good to see him making shots, feeling good, looking confident. It was a good team effort for us tonight."
Wilkes nailed 12 of 16 shots from the field and was 5-for-7 from 3-point distance. He was especially on target in the second half, scoring 26 points and shooting 8-for-9 from the field.
UCLA's 21-point margin of victory marked the fifth-largest margin the all-time series between the Bruins and the Wildcats. UCLA had not defeated Arizona by as many as 20 points since a 71-49 win over the Wildcats on Feb. 26, 2011, the final game played in the previous configuration of Pauley Pavilion (prior an 18-month renovation).
Saturday night's win snapped a three-game losing skid for UCLA. It also marked the first regular-season game in the UCLA-Arizona series since Feb. 12, 2016, in which the home team won the game. In 2016-17, the two schools split a pair of contests, while UCLA won the only regular-season meeting last year in the McKale Center.
UCLA limited Arizona to 33.3 percent from the field. The Bruins made 57.9 percent of their shots, marking the seventh time this year in which UCLA shot at least 50 percent. UCLA dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Wildcats by a 47-30 margin.
Arizona freshman Brandon Williams scored a team-high 19 points, making 6 of 13 shots. Ira Lee was Arizona's only other player to score in double figures, as he registered 11 points.
After the game's lead went back and forth in the opening minutes, UCLA secured an 8-6 cushion on a basket by Wilkes and never trailed for the remainder of the contest.
The Bruins steadily built on their lead during the first half, with the advantage growing to as many as 16 points after a dunk by Hands and a layup from Cody Riley in quick succession under the 2-minute mark.
UCLA kept up the pressure after the intermission, pushing the lead to 20 points for the first time on a second-chance layup by Jalen Hill at 18:26. The Bruins' lead ballooned to 26 points when Hill threw down a lob from Hands at the 10:26 mark
Prince Ali rounded out UCLA's four-man group of double-digit scorers, recording 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting from the field.
UCLA will return to the road next week for a pair of Pac-12 games in the Pacific Northwest. The Bruins will play at Washington State on Wednesday, Jan. 30, before taking on Washington on Saturday, Feb. 2.
