If Sunday’s first half proved anything, it’s that David Wear gets over his colds quickly.
In a Thursday win over Stanford, the redshirt senior forward was limited by foul trouble and a common cold that coach Steve Alford said would be cleared up by game time. That was apparently the case as Wear scored 16 points, already tied for a season high, in 18 first half minutes, to lead the Bruins to a 40-29 advantage at the break.
UCLA also continued to demonstrate its improvement on the glass. The Bruins finished the half with a 21-13 rebounding advantage, with sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson and redshirt senior forward Travis Wear hauling in six apiece. Coming into the game, UCLA was the No.1 rebounding offense in the Pac-12 in conference games.
The Bruins worked a 19-11 advantage with just over 12 minutes to play before the Golden Bears responded with a 6-0 run to draw within two. UCLA then ramped up its defensive pressure and forced Cal into turnovers over the next several minutes, building a lead that was 14 points at its largest.
Following David Wear, junior guard Norman Powell has seven points at the break, while sophomore guard Jordan Adams has eight. Cal guard Jordan Mathews has nine points, while forward Richard Solomon has eight.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.