After falling behind at halftime Sunday against San Diego, UCLA men’s basketball found itself in a similar situation Wednesday, trailing UC Riverside 36-28 at halftime.
A layup from junior forward/center Tony Parker gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead 35 seconds into the game. They didn’t lead again after that.
UCLA got off to a bit of a slow start, trailing UC Riverside 8-7 after the first four and a half minutes and committing two turnovers during that stretch.
The Bruins’ offense struggled throughout the first half, falling into a reliance on three-point jump shots instead of forcing the ball inside. UCLA shot one of seven from deep in the first half, while it scored 18 of its 28 points in the paint.
Turnovers also became a problem for UCLA, as the Bruins committed four in the first nine minutes of the game. The Bruins finished the half with eight turnovers and just six assists.
After a scoring drought of over three minutes, freshman forward Kevon Looney hit a layup that seemed to give UCLA a spark of energy. The Bruins followed it with two quick buckets in the paint from senior guard Norman Powell and freshman center Thomas Welsh to tie the game at 16 with 9:38 remaining.
Over the next few minutes, UC Riverside built a 24-19 lead before going cold. The Highlanders missed seven straight shots, allowing the Bruins to creep closer and make it a 24-23 game.
UCLA trailed for most of the half despite outshooting UC Riverside – the Bruins shot 43.5 percent from the field to the Highlanders’ 35.3 percent. But Riverside’s perimeter shooting kept it on top, hitting seven of its 17 three-point shots.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.