After a disappointing performance in New York City, the Bruins returned to Westwood and endured a tough week of practice.
It paid off on Saturday night, as the UCLA men’s basketball team (4-1) eased past Florida International (3-4) to win 89-54 at Pauley Pavilion.
Freshman shooting guard Jrue Holiday shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and led the No. 13 Bruins with 20 points.
“I think we had a great week of practice,” Holiday said. “Our whole team came together more ““ we’re a better team now. Having a great week of practice helped me be more comfortable on the floor.”
The Bruins looked comfortable as a whole, shooting a staggering 65.4 percent from the field and knocking down 9-of-19 attempts from beyond the arc. Senior guard Darren Collison and redshirt junior guard Michael Roll each added 11 points and four other Bruins contributed eight points apiece.
“This was good for us after five good practices to build on and get some positive feedback,” coach Ben Howland said.
Aside from helping the team’s rhythm, recent practices had an effect on the team’s focus. A return to a normal setting might have also played a role in Saturday’s dominant performance.
“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable, especially after going to New York and playing at Madison Square Garden,” Holiday said. “I guess I was a little bit nervous in my games out there. But getting through those games made me more comfortable.”
The comfort was evident from the start, as the Bruins went on a 25-1 run to extend their lead to 26-5 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. Holiday scored 12 of UCLA’s first 20 points.
“Jrue is Jrue,” Collison said. “You’re going to expect that from Jrue from here on out. That’s not to put any pressure on him but that’s what good players do. We expected it from Kevin (Love) last year and we’re going to expect it from Jrue now.”
An emphasis on the defensive end forced the Golden Panthers to shoot just 34.9 percent from the field going 3-for-12 on 3-pointers.
“If we can stay consistent on the defensive end, it can open it up on the offensive end,” Collison said. “It starts with our defense. That’s how we’ve always been playing, and we shouldn’t go away from it.”
Howland agreed.
“When we rebound the ball and get stops, it’s easier to run,” Howland said. “When you create baskets off of steals – those are both ways we can get the ball and push it up.”
UCLA’s defense forced 17 turnovers and out-rebounded FIU 33 to 20. The Bruins scored 28 of their points off turnovers and had 18 fast break points.
“I was very pleased with our defense and the intensity level we played with,” Howland said. “We did a good job doubling the post and creating some steals out of that.”
The Bruins led by 33 at halftime and held onto a big advantage throughout the second half. As a result, Howland used 10 players off the bench. The bench added 42 points, led by Roll’s 11.
“I think it was very huge for our confidence,” Roll said. “We didn’t play all that well in New York ““ we weren’t happy. We haven’t been together very long, we’re still a very young team. Once we all start to click out there, we’ll be a lot better.”
With reports from Ben Taylor, Bruin Sports contributor.