It’s always something with this team.
On a night Tyger Campbell returned from a one-game absence, UCLA played without leading scorer Johnny Juzang and forward Cody Riley, depriving the Bruins of two top players. Their ranks were further thinned only 15 seconds into the game when Campbell hunched over in anguish while grabbing his left shoulder and was forced to join his sidelined teammates.
Those who remained were clearly rattled by all the absences. UCLA missed its first eight shots against Washington, threw tentative passes and looked like it needed a reintroduction to basketball.
Fortunately for the Bruins, David Singleton provided a refresher on how to shoot.
The senior guard made four three-pointers in the first half, shaking his team out of its funk, and sophomore guard Jaylen Clark continued to be a two-way force while propelling No. 13 UCLA to a 76-50 runaway victory Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Singleton scored 14 of his career-high 22 points in the first half and Clark added a career-high 25 points while also making life difficult for Washington’s Terrell Brown Jr., the Pac-12 Conference’s leading scorer. Brown made just five of 17 shots on the way to 13 points while struggling to find open looks.
Scoring was not nearly as troublesome for Clark, who converted dunks, layups and floaters while making 12 of 16 shots in a strong sequel to his breakthrough game two nights earlier.
The Bruins (19-5 overall, 11-4 Pac-12) pulled away with a 17-1 push to open the second half, their 18-point cushion at that point prompting students to break out a “We want Russell!” chant in reference to walk-on Russell Stong, never mind that there was more than 14 minutes left.
Washington Huskies guard Cole Bajema, left, fouls UCLA guard Peyton Watson during the first half Saturday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Bruins coach Mick Cronin finally complied with two minutes to go, inserting Stong to massive roars.
Singleton broke his previous career high of 15 points on a three-pointer from about 30 feet out early in the second half, holding his follow-through for effect. He added another shot from long range and finished making six of eight three-pointers against the Huskies (13-12, 8-7).
In his second start since supplanting Riley in the starting lineup, UCLA center Myles Johnson lived up to his “Myles the Monster” nickname by blocking three shots and snagging 13 rebounds, including one he chased down near the three-point line in the second half. Bruins assistant coach Darren Savino, who works with the team’s big men, came out to slap Johnson’s hand in celebration when players headed to the timeout huddle a few moments later.
Juzang was out with a sore hip and Riley was out for unspecified reasons, with a team spokesman saying Riley was expected to return Monday against Arizona State. Riley went through warmups and did not appear to be injured.
Injuries and illnesses have become commonplace for the Bruins in their bid for a return to the Final Four, the team trotting out its expected starting lineup only 13 times this season.
The Bruins got Campbell back several minutes into the game after a trip to the trainer’s table. He missed a three-pointer a few moments later, extending his team’s shooting slump. But UCLA’s Jules Bernard made a floater to finally get his team on the scoreboard with 14:48 left in the first half.
Singleton’s first three-pointer nudged his team into its first lead of the game and he followed with three more shots from long range to help the Bruins take a 37-25 halftime advantage.
A fashionable pick to win the national championship, UCLA learned Saturday how much ground it must make up over the next few weeks just to earn a more favorable NCAA tournament seeding. The Bruins were projected as a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region by the NCAA tournament selection committee as part of an in-season bracket reveal.
UCLA’s out-of-sorts start to the game included more than the momentary injury to Campbell. Bernard was called for a flagrant-1 foul on a play in which Washington’s Emmitt Matthews Jr. was hurt and had to be helped off the court. Bruins freshman guard Peyton Watson airballed a free throw and the Huskies kept things uneasy inside the building until Campbell’s three-pointer bounced high off the rim and fell through the net to give UCLA a 32-21 lead late in the first half.
Fans could fully relax as the Bruins extended their advantage to as many as 37 points in the second half, making it hard to tell they were so short-handed. They may have lost another player in the final minutes when Watson clutched his left knee and hobbled off the court.
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