UCLA
19-4,10-2Pac-12
Washington State
10-15,5-9Pac-12
No. 9 UCLA Defeats Washington State, 76-52
February 04, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. recorded a 24-point, 15-rebound double-double to lead No. 9 UCLA past Washington State, 76-52, on Saturday evening in a Pac-12 contest at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
The result pushed the Bruins' home winning streak to 21 games, the longest active streak in the country.
UCLA (19-4, 10-2 Pac-12) limited the visiting Cougars (10-15, 5-9) to just 30.9 percent shooting on Saturday and dominated the front-court battle. The Bruins outpaced Washington State in total rebounds by a 40-32 tally. The Bruins outscored the Cougars in the paint, 36-12.
"I thought it was closer to playing 40 minutes with the intensity we want tonight," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We needed it. Obviously, this time of the year, it's hard to win."
POSTGAME: Coach Cronin | J. Jaquez Jr., D. Singleton
Jaquez Jr. was joined in the double-figure club by junior Jaylen Clark (12 points, two steals) and freshman Amari Bailey (10 points, four rebounds). He became UCLA's first player since then-freshman TJ Leaf to record at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game. Leaf tallied 22 points and 15 rebounds in his regular-season debut against Pacific on Nov. 11, 2016.
Washington State was led by TJ Mamba, who finished with a team-high 19 points on six-for-11 shooting. Justin Powell added 17 points, going five-for-10 from beyond the 3-point arc.
UCLA used a 9-0 run midway through the first half to take the lead for good.
Clark sparked the run with a successful 3-point attempt, negating a two-point WSU lead and giving the Bruins their first lead since the opening basket of the game.
Bailey and freshman guard Dylan Andrews followed with acrobatic layups down low, and freshman forward Adem Bona capped off the run with a basket that made it 22-15 at the 8:19 mark of the first half.
The Bruins led by as many as 10 points in the first half, following a 3-point basket by fifth-year guard David Singleton at the 4:13 mark. UCLA entered the locker room at halftime leading by nine points – 35-26.
UCLA accelerated in the second half, scoring seven unanswered points early to make it a 14-point game at the 17:39 mark
Midway through the second half, the Bruins put together a 13-0 to put the game out of reach at 59-38 with just over nine minutes remaining. Jaquez bookended that run with a pair of baskets, scoring six overall during the spree.
UCLA's lead swelled to as many as 25 points in the game's final seconds.
The Bruins will hit the road next week for a pair of Pac-12 showdowns against Oregon State (on Thursday) and Oregon (on Saturday). UCLA's game at Oregon State on Thursday will begin at 6 p.m. (PT), televised by the Pac-12 Network.
The Bruins' game next Saturday evening at Oregon, scheduled for 7 p.m. (PT), will be televised on ESPN.
