University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
16-11, 9-5
Utah
14-12, 5-9
UCLA Defeats Utah, 69-58, in Salt Lake City
February 20, 2020 | Men's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – The UCLA men's basketball team never trailed en route to a 69-58 victory against Utah on Thursday evening in a Pac-12 game before 9,815 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Sophomore Jules Bernard scored 16 points to lead the Bruins (16-11, 9-5 Pac-12), who have won eight of their past 10 games. Bernard scored 14 points in the first half, while freshman Tyger Campbell finished with 13 points and four assists.
"I thought, defensively, we couldn't play much better than we played," said Mick Cronin, the Michael Price Family UCLA Head Basketball Coach. "And then I would say Jules Bernard was a key to the win tonight because Chris [Smith] and Jaime [Jaquez Jr.] got the fouls, and when that happened, Jules took over. And not just offensively, when we needed him with those guys out, his defense was tremendous all night."
The Utes (14-12, 5-9) were led by Alfonso Plummer, who scored 14 of 16 points during the second half. Timmy Allen added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Branden Carlson scored 10 points.
Utah entered the game with a 10-1 record at home this season, but the Runnin' Utes made just seven of 18 field goal attempts (38.9 percent) in the first half. UCLA built a double-digit advantage that swelled to 20 points in the second half.
The Bruins knocked down seven of their first eight shot attempts, establishing an 18-10 lead with 13:18 to go in the first half. Bernard scored 12 of the team's 14 points during one first-half stretch, and UCLA entered the locker room at the intermission ahead, 33-21.
UCLA carried its momentum into the second half, scoring the first six points after halftime. David Singleton, who made three 3-pointers on the night, knocked down his second triple with 15:03 remaining, to push UCLA's cushion to 49-29.
Utah reduced its deficit to seven points with 1:44 to play. UCLA made its final six free throws to help seal the Pac-12 road win.
The Bruins will conclude their road trip on Saturday at No. 18 Colorado. UCLA's game at the CU Events Center (Boulder, Colo.) will begin at 1 p.m. PT (2 p.m. MT). The game will be nationally televised on CBS.
