BERKELEY – Hide your eyes folks, this one’s ugly. UCLA played one of its worst halves of basketball of the year and trails Cal by 11 at the break here at Haas Pavilion.
The Bruins shot just one-of-12 from three-point range three days after making nine in a win over Stanford. They also turned the ball over 10 times and were outrebounded 22-13. UCLA was sloppy in nearly every phase of the game.
Perhaps the only Bruin that had a decent half was Malcolm Lee; the junior guard scored six points on a number of aggressive takes to the basket and played solid defense on Cal sharpshooter Allen Crabbe. Crabbe – making his return to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a concussion – made just two shots in the first half, one of which came with Lee on the bench.
Coach Ben Howland went to freshman center Joshua Smith off the bench two minutes into the game, a move that prompted the Cal student section to begin chanting “Jenny Craig.” The team did enjoy Ghirardelli sundaes during their down time this weekend, but Smith reportedly did not partake.