Though it closed the half strong, UCLA men’s basketball was slow out of the gates Sunday against Oregon State, putting up its lowest-scoring half of the season as it headed into halftime with a 32-27 lead.
Fresh off a dramatic comeback victory over the No. 5 Oregon Ducks on Thursday night, the No. 10 Bruins struggled to establish their preferred pace of play, with the Beavers averaging a whopping 23 seconds per possession.
UCLA finished the period on an 8-0 run, with freshman point guard Lonzo Ball starting to take over down the stretch. Ball tallied six points in the final two and a half minutes, bringing his total to 11 for the game, to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
The Bruins’ defense was strong, holding the anemic Beavers to just 37.5 percent shooting. Oregon State hit 6-of-11 3-pointers, though, to hang in the game.
UCLA shot 45.2 percent for the half, including 3-of-13 shooting from downtown.