After snapping a five-game losing streak with a double-overtime win over Stanford on Thursday, UCLA men’s basketball looked to build on that positivity with another win against a Cal team that has lost four of five.
At halftime, UCLA is on pace to earn its second straight win, leading Cal 31-26.
Both teams came out of the gates sloppily. The Bruins missed a pair of shots right at the rim in the opening minutes while the Golden Bears committed two turnovers.
After initially trailing, UCLA claimed a 17-11 lead with just under 13 minutes to go, led by senior guard Norman Powell and sophomore guard Isaac Hamilton. Hamilton hit a pair of 3s and Powell swiped two steals to go with his eight points through the first eight minutes.
By the eight-minute mark, the Bruins had built their lead to nine after holding Cal scoreless for over three and a half minutes. Offensively, Powell and Hamilton continued to capitalize on UCLA’s defensive success. The two finished the half with a combined 20 points on 9-14 shooting.
Despite the duo’s strong offensive showing, it was UCLA’s defense that earned it the lead. The Bruins held the Golden Bears to 40.7 percent shooting, forced eight turnovers, allowed zero free throws and limited Cal to just three offensive rebounds.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.