Against Arizona Saturday, UCLA men’s basketball held Arizona scoreless for the first six minutes of the game but managed to score only seven points themselves during that stretch.
The Bruins didn’t have that problem Wednesday, excelling on offense early and leading Washington 46-25 at halftime.
After a midrange jumper from senior guard Norman Powell to open the game, UCLA added four more points courtesy of junior foward/center Tony Parker – matching his point total from his last two games combined.
Two more jumpers from Powell and a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Bryce Alford gave the Bruins a 13-2 lead after just 2:44.
UCLA refused to take its foot off the gas pedal. After the TV timeout, Powell and Parker added baskets to increase UCLA’s lead to 19-5 after just six minutes.
Ten minutes later, the Bruins were ahead by 18, leading 35-17.
Much of UCLA’s offensive success in the first half was a product of its ability to work the ball inside. The Bruins made an effort to get Parker going offensively early, and as a result, spaced the floor enough for Alford and sophomore guard Isaac Hamilton to find open 3-point shots on kick outs.
The Bruins’ defense was equally as impressive as their offense. Washington was held to 27.3 percent shooting through the first eight minutes and 29 percent for the half.
UCLA, meanwhile, shot 64.5 percent from the floor in the first half and dominated the glass, out-rebounding Washington 24 to 10.
Powell led the Bruins with 13 points on 6-10 shooting and Parker added 12 points on 6-7 shooting.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.