UCLA
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Rider
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No. 22 UCLA Defeats Rider in Season Opener, 85-50
November 04, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The No. 22-ranked UCLA men's basketball team earned a convincing victory over Rider, 85-50, in the season opener on Monday night inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
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The Bruins have now won five of their last six season openers, including each of the last four. This victory marked UCLA's first 30-plus-point win since last year's opening game, a commanding 75-44 win against Saint Francis.
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Tyler Bilodeau led all scorers with 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting. The transfer student from Oregon State also pulled down six rebounds in his 22 minutes of action.
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"We had 52 deflections tonight, everyone who played got one," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We really have to work on blocking out. We knew that that was going to be an issue with this team tonight. For us, when Eric Dailey is out of the game, our rebounding struggles. We didn't play a big lineup. We didn't play Tyler [Bilodeau] at the four as much as he will with Aday in, because of their size. They were spreading us out so we went small. We have to be a better rebounding team."
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A total of four Bruins finished in double figures, including Bilodeau. Dylan Andrews connected on six of his 11 shot attempts to tally 14 points on the night while handing out six assists. Draining a pair of three-pointers in his 12-point night was Sebastian Mack. Kobe Johnson matched him with 12 points of his own in a solid all-around performance - racking up eight boards, three assists, and two steals.
The Bruins assisted on 21 of its 34 made field goals and shot 52.3 percent in the contest.
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Skyy Clark collected a team-high seven assists on the night and Eric Dailey Jr. dropped nine points and pulled down eight rebounds.
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UCLA shot 48 percent from the field and forced 11 turnovers in the first half to earn an 18-point advantage. The duo of Johnson and Dailey Jr. led the charge offensively, scoring eight and nine points respectively, as they combined to shoot 7-of-9 from the floor, each hitting a three-pointer to ignite the offense.
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The Bruins assisted on 13 of their 16 field goals in the opening half, with Andrews dishing out four dimes.
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UCLA forced three turnovers on Rider's first four possessions after applying some heavy pressure on the defensive end. Dailey Jr. opened the scoring with back-to-back layups after strong drives to the basket, followed by two buckets from Bilodeau to cap a 10-3 run and prompt a Rider timeout.
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After a short surge from the Broncs, Johnson finished off a layup while absorbing some contact and completed the three-point play at the 12:52 mark. UCLA's run continued when Dailey Jr. knocked down a three and followed with a lay-in on the next trip down the court, extending the lead to 20-11 at the under-12 media timeout.
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Consecutive triples from Mack and Johnson extended the UCLA advantage to 12 points with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
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Aday Mara provided a spark in the closing stages of the half, coming up with two blocks and finishing off a feed from Mack for a two-handed slam. In the last 6:11 of the first half, UCLA produced another 10-3 run to take a 41-23 lead at the break.
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Bilodeau quickly ascended into double-digits when he went 5-of-6 from the field to start the second half.
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Lazar Stefanovic and Mack nailed three-points on back-to-back possessions to push the lead to 59-34 at the 14:18 mark. Andrews caught fire with two jumpers and a three-ball to highlight a 15-6 stretch, bringing UCLA's advantage to 32 points at the final media stoppage.
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Stefanovic went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in the second half to finish with six points in the contest. Freshman Trent Perry scored his first collegiate field goal with a three-pointer in the dying seconds of the game. The West Covina, Calif. native tallied six points in his debut.
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The Bruins are set to face New Mexico in their next matchup, taking place at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., on Monday, Nov. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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