Apparently it’s about how you start AND how you finish, so long as you survive what happens in between.
UCLA came out of the gates hot, survived a lengthy first-half lull, then pulled away late in beating Washington State 80-71 in the conference opener for both teams.
The Bruins (9-4, 1-0) shot the ball well early but saw the Cougars (10-3, 0-1) use a 15-2 run to take a 37-29 halftime lead.
Perhaps playing offense in front of its own bench was the best medicine for UCLA, which took over in the second half behind its frontcourt trio of Joshua Smith, Reeves Nelson, and Tyler Honeycutt. Honeycutt hit a pair of threes early in the second half to spark the turnaround, before Smith and Nelson began to punish the smaller Cougars inside. Although each forward picked up his fourth foul midway through the half, coach Ben Howland inserted both into the game with eight minutes to go. Neither Smith nor Nelson fouled out.
UCLA shot over 49% against a Washington State team that entered the game ranked 10th in the country in field goal percentage defense. Two Bruins finished the night with double-doubles: Nelson had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and point guard Lazeric Jones had 10 points and 11 assists. Honeycutt added 14 points and 9 boards, while junior guard Malcolm Lee poured in 21 points and spent the majority of the evening chasing Washington State star Klay Thompson, who finished with 26 points.
The Bruins were outrebounded 20-12 in the first half, but turned that around in the second as part of their interior dominance. The final margin was Washington State 32, UCLA 31.
The win was the sixth in a row for UCLA, which has scored at least 72 points in each of those victories. The Bruins welcome Washington – winners over USC Wednesday night – to Pauley Pavilion Friday.