Friday, November 25, 2016

2016 Wooden Legacy: No. 14 UCLA Takes Down Portland, 99-77


NOV 24, 2016 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEBSITE | ARTICLE LINK

Bookmark and Share




FULLERTON, Calif. – Freshman Lonzo Ball had 18 points and 11 assists and Thomas Welsh registered 16 points and 10 rebounds as No. 14 UCLA defeated Portland, 99-77, in a first-round game of the Wooden Legacy on Thursday night.

Ball logged his third double-double in five games for UCLA (5-0), finishing with 11 assists and just two turnovers over 27 minutes. The 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., made 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 3-point attempts.

In all, the Bruins finished with six players scoring in double figures. Aside from Ball and Welsh, Isaac Hamilton had 16 points, Aaron Holiday and TJ Leaf each scored 14 and Bryce Alford totaled 13.

"We're really sharing the ball," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "We had six people in double figures, so we have a really good balance. We can beat you inside or outside. I didn't like our start defensively and didn't like our mindset. I thought as the game went on, we picked up our intensity."

UCLA's 99 points on Thursday on the campus of Cal State Fullerton marked a single-game record in the history of the Wooden Legacy and the Wooden Classic (dating back 22 years).

Hamilton also added to the Bruins' list of milestones. The senior guard drilled a 3-pointer with 19 minutes to go in the second half, pushing his career point total past 1,000. He became the 54th player in program history to have reached that career mark.

Leaf finished one rebound shy of a double-double, totaling 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Jazz Johnson scored a game-high 25 points for Portland (3-1), which trailed the Bruins at halftime by a 45-37 margin.

Leading 51-41 with 18:47 left in the contest, UCLA used an 11-0 scoring run over the game's next three minutes to secure a 62-41 cushion. That 11-point span featured three jump shots from Welsh and was capped by a 3-pointer from Ball. The Bruins pushed their advantage to 25 points – 72-47 – with 10:32 left in the second half.

The first half was not as decisive as the second. UCLA led 34-32 with 4:17 to play before intermission before Alford and Hamilton hit back-to-back layups. Portland answered with a 3-pointer from Rashad Jackson, cutting the margin to 38-35, before UCLA closed the opening half with a 7-2 scoring run.

Both teams finished with 14 3-pointers – the Bruins made 14 of 29 shots from long range while the Pilots were 14 of 32 from beyond the arc.

UCLA will face Nebraska (4-0) in a semifinal contest of the Wooden Legacy on Friday night. Game time at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym is 9 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be televised on ESPN2.

Portland moves on to face Dayton in a consolation game on Friday at 6:30 pm (PT).

No comments: