Freshman guard Kyle Anderson had 12 rebounds Thursday.
A photo caption accompanying this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.
This time, there was no nail-biting finish or game-winning layup.
Thursday night’s game was never in doubt.
The No. 13 UCLA men’s basketball team led from the beginning and never let up, easily defeating James Madison 100-70.
UCLA jumped out to a 26-8 lead and was up by over 30 points at halftime.
Coach Ben Howland pulled his starters with just over two minutes left to play as the Bruins cruised to an easy victory.
“That was just a fantastic first half,” Howland said.
“We had great focus in our walkthrough and we played well on both ends. … We are pleased to get the win. James Madison is a better team than they looked.”
After getting off to a slow start against Indiana State and barely avoiding an upset to UC Irvine in overtime on Tuesday, UCLA played its first complete game of the season.
The Bruins built a large lead at the half and did not let it slip away, determined to avoid the mental mistakes that almost cost them the win against the Anteaters.
“I think our team knew that we were very fortunate. (We were) very lucky to come out of the game on Tuesday with a win,” Howland said.
“Obviously, you could see it in the level of mental preparation and intensity that went into this game.”
The fast-paced offense Howland touted before the season finally appeared on Thursday. UCLA scored 63 points in the first half and led by as many as 36, hitting the 100-point mark for only the third time in Howland’s career.
“Seeing it in double zeros is a great feeling, so we will be trying to get there again,” sophomore guard Norman Powell said.
After not making a single field goal against UC Irvine, Powell led all scorers with 27 points.
UCLA dominated defensively as well, outrebounding James Madison 41-26.
Freshman guard Kyle Anderson, listed as a game-time decision after suffering a bone contusion in his right wrist against UC Irvine, grabbed 12 rebounds.
“We won because we won on the boards,” redshirt senior guard Larry Drew II said.
“We got stops and rebounds, which led to fast-break points in transition.
“Luckily, they also shot early in the shot clock, which helped us push. “¦ I took it on myself to lead on the defensive end and the team followed.”
The Bruins are hoping to ride the momentum from Thursday’s blowout victory into Brooklyn, where they will face Georgetown on Monday and potentially No. 1 Indiana on Tuesday at the Barclays Center.
“We definitely picked it up and we showed the type of team we can be and the type of potential we can play with if we come out with the same attitude and just play hard,” Drew said.
“If we go out and play the way we played in the first half tonight, I think we will do just fine.”
Correction: The top picture is of sophomore guard Norman Powell.