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 โย 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.
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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.
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"I thought, defensively, we couldn't play much better than we played," saidย Mick Cronin, the Michael Price Family UCLA Head Basketball Coach. "And then I would sayย Jules Bernardย 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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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UCLA carried its momentum into the second half, scoring the first six points after halftime.ย 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.
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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.
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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.
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