UCLA's Chris Smith led the Bruins with a team-high 15 points, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. tallied 14 points in the Bruins' four-point win on Thursday night. The Bruins used a solid defensive effort down the stretch that proved to be the key factor.
25:02 min worth of highlights courtesy of Matthew Loves Ball
UCLA Defeats Oregon State, 62-58, at Gill Coliseum
from UCLA Men's Basketball website CORVALLIS, Ore. – Junior Chris Smith scored 15 points as the UCLA men's basketball team outlasted Oregon State, 62-58, Thursday evening in Gill Coliseum.
After failing to get to the free-throw line in the first half, the Bruins (10-9, 3-3) made their final nine attempts from the charity stripe and 16 of 21 total in the second half. UCLA led for the final four minutes and 23 seconds of the game.
Freshman Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 points and a career-high four steals for the Bruins, who tallied a season-best 13 takeaways as a team. Sophomore Jules Bernard rounded out a trio of UCLA players in double figures, scoring 11.
Tres Tinkle of Oregon State (12-7, 2-5) registered game highs of 17 points and eight rebounds. Ethan Thompson added 14 points.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first half, as Zach Reichle carried Oregon State with 10 points. He finished with 12. The Beavers made just 6 of 19 shots from the field (31.6 percent) during that time, while the Bruins converted 12 of 26 (46.2 percent). Oregon State nearly made up the difference at the free-throw line, making 8 of its 10 attempts. The Bruins held a 27-24 lead at the break.
UCLA accounted for 10 of the first 12 points scored in the second half increase its lead to a game-high 13 points with 15:04 to go. The Beavers answered, however, outscoring the Bruins by an 18-4 margin to take their first lead of the stanza with 7:20 remaining. Trailing 46-45 with 4:23 left, Smith scored on a goaltending call and earned a three-point play to give UCLA a lead it would not surrender.
A Tyger Campbell runner in the lane with 1:11 to go marked the Bruins' only field goal of the final 4:23, as they scored 13 of their final 15 points from the free-throw line.
UCLA will conclude its Pac-12 road trip Sunday, when it visits Matthew Knight Arena to face No. 12 Oregon. The game will be nationally-televised by FOX, beginning at 2 p.m., PT.
Postgame Quotes - UCLA at Oregon State
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 62, Oregon State 58
January 23, 2020
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on team’s win
“Oh, yeah, we executed down the stretch and that’s what you’ve got to do in close games. You’ve got to make free throws and you’ve got to get the ball inbounds versus pressure. We’ve got to execute, defensively, which we did a pretty good job of other than letting [Tres] Tinkle get to his left hand way too many times. The rest of our defense was really elite tonight.”
on containing Tres Tinkle
“You have to make him work. We tried to eliminate his layups. He does a great job cutting without the ball, and we didn’t give him any layups on back cuts, or slip cuts, to try to turn him into a guy that had to play out front with the ball. He’s capable of it, but it wears him down. We also tried to make him defend.”
on Chris Smith’s performance
“Yeah, I was calling his number. I was trying to get certain matchups, late game, trying to put the ball in certain guys’ hands. I thought he was fresh because of his foul trouble. He played only 17 minutes, so he was the fresh guy. He stepped up, got the ball to the paint and made sure he got to the foul line. They were being real aggressive and instead of taking fallaways or runners, he got in there and planted his feet and got in there and won it again for his team.”
on earning road win in Pac-12 play
“Yeah, we’re just a one at a time [team], I think. We’re trying to build a culture in my first year about what we’re going to stand for at UCLA basketball. Rome wasn’t built in a day. As frustrated as I get, I have to go home and tell myself these guys haven’t played for me before. This is all new to them, what we’re trying to do. So, just got to get back and every day wake up and try to get better. That’s all we worry about. We don’t talk about anything else other than each guy trying to improve and become a better player so we can become a better team.”
UCLA junior guard Chris Smith
on attacking the basket late in the second half
“Yeah, at that point in the game, Coach Cronin told me, somebody’s got to be able to drive to the cup [and] make the right play. At that moment, I was attacking, so the right play was to get fouled or get an open shot. Made sure I got fouled on all those drives.”
on being a team leader
“One hundred percent. [Coach Cronin] He’s been talking to me recently. I figured the ball was going to be in my hand at the time, and I was just trying to do whatever I could do to get a win for the guys.”
on dealing with foul trouble and if that was tough
“No. My teammates were talking to me on defense. In the first half, I was a little lost at times, but my teammates were talking to me. I was in position and the better position you’re in, the less you’re going to foul.”
on making free throws down stretch
“Yeah, you’ve got to take advantage of all the buckets you could get. That’s the easiest shot we’re going to get. And in a crowd like this, on the road, you’ve got to make as many of those as you can.”
on the job that he did defending against Tres Tinkle
“Yeah, for sure. He was definitely one of the focal points tonight, both him and Ethan Thompson. So, we knew that we couldn’t let either of them beat us. That’s what we had to do coming into the game.”
on if this helps the team’s mindset as UCLA faces Oregon on Sunday
“For sure. We’re going to use this momentum, roll into Eugene and try to keep the defensive effort up, because that’s what got us the win tonight.”
UCLA 62, Oregon State 58
January 23, 2020
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on team’s win
“Oh, yeah, we executed down the stretch and that’s what you’ve got to do in close games. You’ve got to make free throws and you’ve got to get the ball inbounds versus pressure. We’ve got to execute, defensively, which we did a pretty good job of other than letting [Tres] Tinkle get to his left hand way too many times. The rest of our defense was really elite tonight.”
on containing Tres Tinkle
“You have to make him work. We tried to eliminate his layups. He does a great job cutting without the ball, and we didn’t give him any layups on back cuts, or slip cuts, to try to turn him into a guy that had to play out front with the ball. He’s capable of it, but it wears him down. We also tried to make him defend.”
on Chris Smith’s performance
“Yeah, I was calling his number. I was trying to get certain matchups, late game, trying to put the ball in certain guys’ hands. I thought he was fresh because of his foul trouble. He played only 17 minutes, so he was the fresh guy. He stepped up, got the ball to the paint and made sure he got to the foul line. They were being real aggressive and instead of taking fallaways or runners, he got in there and planted his feet and got in there and won it again for his team.”
on earning road win in Pac-12 play
“Yeah, we’re just a one at a time [team], I think. We’re trying to build a culture in my first year about what we’re going to stand for at UCLA basketball. Rome wasn’t built in a day. As frustrated as I get, I have to go home and tell myself these guys haven’t played for me before. This is all new to them, what we’re trying to do. So, just got to get back and every day wake up and try to get better. That’s all we worry about. We don’t talk about anything else other than each guy trying to improve and become a better player so we can become a better team.”
UCLA junior guard Chris Smith
on attacking the basket late in the second half
“Yeah, at that point in the game, Coach Cronin told me, somebody’s got to be able to drive to the cup [and] make the right play. At that moment, I was attacking, so the right play was to get fouled or get an open shot. Made sure I got fouled on all those drives.”
on being a team leader
“One hundred percent. [Coach Cronin] He’s been talking to me recently. I figured the ball was going to be in my hand at the time, and I was just trying to do whatever I could do to get a win for the guys.”
on dealing with foul trouble and if that was tough
“No. My teammates were talking to me on defense. In the first half, I was a little lost at times, but my teammates were talking to me. I was in position and the better position you’re in, the less you’re going to foul.”
on making free throws down stretch
“Yeah, you’ve got to take advantage of all the buckets you could get. That’s the easiest shot we’re going to get. And in a crowd like this, on the road, you’ve got to make as many of those as you can.”
on the job that he did defending against Tres Tinkle
“Yeah, for sure. He was definitely one of the focal points tonight, both him and Ethan Thompson. So, we knew that we couldn’t let either of them beat us. That’s what we had to do coming into the game.”
on if this helps the team’s mindset as UCLA faces Oregon on Sunday
“For sure. We’re going to use this momentum, roll into Eugene and try to keep the defensive effort up, because that’s what got us the win tonight.”
Let's go, UCLA!!! Beat Oregon!!!
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