Memories of letdown losses and food follies were nowhere to be found at Pauley Pavilion Monday night, where UCLA defeated UC Davis 74-67.
The Aggies used a well-executed Princeton offense to hang tight throughout the game. The two teams were tied at 12 six minutes in, but the Bruins used a 17-3 run to give them a 13-point cushion at halftime.
Despite falling behind by 14 points midway through the second half, Davis did make it interesting by cutting the lead to as little as six with a minute to play. But UCLA used its stars to make sure it wouldn’t get any closer than that. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt led the way with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, while junior guard Malcolm Lee added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three 3-pointers.
It was the second straight win for the Bruins after a four-game losing streak, but a big point of concern after the game centered around the team’s defensive play. Davis used five players 6-feet-8-inches or taller ““ all with the ability to shoot from outside ““ to stretch the floor on UCLA.
“It’s pretty difficult,” Honeycutt said of defending the Princeton offense. “You tend to try and play the passing lane a little bit, and they all go backdoor and they can all step out and shoot, one through five.”
Coming off what was maybe his best game of the year ““ a 19-point, 12-rebound performance in UCLA’s 72-61 win against Cal Poly on Saturday ““ freshman center Joshua Smith was limited Monday. Howland played him for just 19 minutes, citing the Aggies’ offense as the main reason. Smith went on to put up eight points and 10 rebounds.
“It was a difficult matchup for Josh tonight,” Howland said. “Defensively trying to guard four men who are 3-point shooters, it’s not something he’s used to.”
Freshman forward Josh Ritchart tried his best to keep the Aggies in the game. His 23 points off the bench helped UC Davis trim the lead, something that didn’t surprise Howland at all.
“I told the team going in here, I think (Ritchart) should start,” Howland said. “Well, I guess I was right.”
The two-game winning streak was much-needed for this young UCLA team, especially after a loss at home to Montana on Dec. 5, but a third-straight win might be the one it needs the most. The opponent is No. 16 BYU, Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim in the John R. Wooden Classic, and it will be UCLA’s last chance to build on its postseason resume with a nonconference win.
“It’s getting momentum into the conference play,” Lee said. “Especially this next game, against BYU, it’s a showcase game.”
Stomachs settled
There seemed to be no lasting effects from the mild sickness redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover and freshman guard Tyler Lamb experienced over the weekend.
Both were suffering from something Howland described as food poisoning and didn’t eat much, but they were the first two players off the bench for Howland Monday. Lamb even keyed the Bruins’ first-half run with five quick points.
“Neither one of them ate until this morning,” Howland said. “Tyler Lamb felt better than Stover by game time, but it was really big on their part to shake it off and play.”