PULLMAN, Wash. — UCLA won the tip-off, and before Washington State could blink, the Bruins led 9-0.
Sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson committed his second foul, a charge, with 12:57 to play and was forced to sit for nearly five minutes, but early on it meant very little. Anderson sank two free throws with 14:08 remaining to make it a 15-5 UCLA advantage, and the Bruins led for close to the next 10 minutes.
Still, careless defense, especially near the perimeter, allowed WSU to climb back into the game. Dexter Kernich-Drew sank a three-pointer with 4:45 to play to cut the Bruins’ lead to just one. Ike Iroegbu struck less than thirty seconds later and, less than a minute after that, Que Johnson nailed a triple. In a flash, the Cougars led by five, and at the half, WSU leads UCLA 34-26.
UCLA didn’t have a stellar shooting half – the Bruins made five of their first 13 field goal attempts – but Washington State’s failure to convert early on offense made up for any Bruin scoring lapses. The Cougars made just five of their first 19 field goal tries, while star guard DaVonte Lacy was held to a pedestrian three points in the half.
Anderson leads UCLA with eight points, followed by freshman guard Bryce Alford and junior guard Norman Powell, each with five points. Kernich-Drew leads all WSU scorers with eight points in 11 first-half minutes.
Anderson committed three personal fouls in 12 first-half minutes.
Harlan to USF
UCLA Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations Mark Harlan has accepted the position of Athletic Director at the University of South Florida, as originally reported by College AD and the Los Angeles Times.
Harlan will step in to replace the retired Doug Woolard, who had been USF’s Athletic Director since 2004.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.