LOS ANGELES – Freshman Nikola Kusturica scored a team-leading 29 points and had six rebounds and two blocks as the No. 22 UCLA men’s basketball team surged past North Florida, 114-63, in the Bruins’ home opener on Friday night.
Kusturica scored 26 of his team-best 29 points before halftime for UCLA (2-0), playing in the Bruins’ first regular-season home game inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. He made 10 of 12 shots against North Florida (1-1), sinking each of his first nine shot attempts. Kusturica nailed his first four 3-point attempts and finished the game 4-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Trailing 18-17 with 9:49 to play in the opening half, the Bruins went on a sizzling 35-0 scoring run to push ahead of North Florida, 52-18. Kusturica ignited UCLA’s scoring run with three consecutive 3-pointers – at 9:24 to take the lead, at 8:59, and at the 7:06 mark to jump ahead, 26-18.
Joe Philon III, who finished with 17 points and a team-leading five steals, had a fast break layup at the 6:41 mark to put UCLA on top, 28-18. Kusturica followed with a dunk, Brandon Williams nailed a jump shot and Eric Dailey Jr. slammed home a dunk to give UCLA a 34-18 cushion.
UCLA had closed the opening half on a 35-2 scoring run and entered the locker room at the intermission ahead of the visiting Ospreys, 52-20.
Kusturica led a group of four Bruins who scored in double figures. In addition to Kusturica’s 29-point effort, Jaylen Petty totaled 22 points, Philon II had 17 points and Dailey Jr. and Perry each scored 11 points.
Petty was 3-for-6 from 3-point range, while Philon was a perfect 3-for-3. In all, UCLA shot 48.3 percent from 3-point distance, knocking in 14 of 29 attempts.
The Bruins limited North Florida to 31.7 percent shooting and 29.4 percent from 3-point range. UCLA outrebounded North Florida, 49-34, and finished the non-conference game with 24 assists, 12 steals and four blocks.
Kusturica’s 26-point first half marked the most points in any half by a UCLA player since then-sophomore Jaylen Hands scored 27 points in the second half of a thrilling 90-83 win over Oregon on Feb. 23, 2019. Hands was scoreless in the first half in that contest before totaling 27 second-half points.
In addition, Kusturica became UCLA’s first freshman to score at least 29 points in a game since TJ Leaf netted 32 points in a win at Washington State on Feb. 1, 2017.
UCLA will return to action against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Game time in Pauley Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. (PT). The Bruins’ game on Wednesday will be televised by Big Ten Network.