UCLA dispatches Colorado in Pac-12 opener

LOS ANGELES — UCLA halfway Myles Johnson was locked in.

Lunging for walk deflections, protecting the rim and throwing down two-handed dunks, Johnson provided the Bruins with an wrong beingness that helped them to a 73-61 triumph implicit Colorado successful their Pac-12 opener connected Wednesday nighttime astatine Pauley Pavilion.

Johnson finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 1 blocked changeable successful 29 minutes, which was adjacent much important than his 6-foot-10 framework due to the fact that Jaime Jaquez Jr. was connected the seat for the bulk of the night.

Johnson besides had 14 deflections, a stat the UCLA manager Mick Cronin and his unit track.

“He had a UCLA triple-double,” Cronin said. “I told him that’s who I privation to spot each game.”

The king of the triple-double, Lakers defender and erstwhile UCLA standout, Russell Westbrook, was the honorary skipper astatine crippled and sat tribunal broadside for Johnson’s performance.

Russell Westbrook is tonight’s honorary captain. Leuzinger High standup. pic.twitter.com/4rosxLSvw7

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) December 2, 2021

“I’m decidedly blessed I could execute similar that today,” Johnson said. “Just doing everything I tin to assistance our squad get the (win) today.”

Jaquez fell hard to the tribunal portion going to the handbasket little than 8 minutes into the crippled and did not return. He returned from the locker country for the 2nd fractional inactive suited up and changeable astir during warm-ups, but was kept retired of the crippled for precautionary reasons, according to a squad spokesperson.

“All the doctors did their stuff, and they really cleared him, but I conscionable wasn’t comfortable,” Cronin said astir his determination not to enactment Jaquez backmost into the game. “I’m ever going to err connected the broadside of information erstwhile it comes to my players.”

Jaquez’s lack wasn’t noticeable successful the archetypal fractional arsenic the fifth-ranked Bruins carried a 16-point pb into halftime. But Colorado chipped distant to get to wrong 4 points with 10 minutes near successful the game. UCLA sustained a scoring drought that lasted 2:47 earlier 2 escaped throws from Johnny Juzang and a 3-pointer from Tyger Campbell a mates of plays aboriginal extended the pb backmost to 11 with 7:34 remaining.

Campbell aboriginal deed a step-back 3-pointer to marque it 69-56 with 2 minutes near to enactment the crippled retired of scope for the Buffs.

“When I’m retired determination I’m conscionable trying to instrumentality what the defence gives me. My teammates were uncovering maine tonight, and they were getting maine open,” Campbell said. “I got immoderate bully looks and conscionable knocked them down.”

Campbell led UCLA with 21 points connected 8-for-16 shooting, and helium besides had 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Juzang had 15 points and 7 rebounds, arsenic the Bruins (7-1 overall, 1-0 Pac-12) outscored Colorado 34-24 successful the paint.

“Some of (Colorado’s) strategy was unit him to beryllium a shooter,” Cronin said of Campbell. “That was their crippled plan, and I similar the information that helium didn’t adjacent deliberation twice.”

UCLA improved to 5-0 astatine location this season.

Johnson had a large series successful the archetypal fractional that seemed to truly get him going. He had a two-handed dunk disconnected a Juzang driblet walk past a bargain that led to a Campbell modulation 3-pointer to springiness the Bruins an aboriginal 14-4 lead.

UCLA started the crippled 6 for 11 from the tract and held Colorado (6-2, 1-1) to 2 for 10 during the aforesaid stretch.

Despite Johnson’s wrong performance, the astir awesome points successful the overgarment came from Jaylen Clark, who soared done the aerial for a one-handed dunk conscionable earlier halftime that brought the fans to their feet. It gave UCLA a 17-point vantage earlier the people settled astatine 39-23 astatine halftime.

Jaylen Clark takes 1 dribble and rises for a one-handed dunk with authorization done traffic. It was nasty. pic.twitter.com/gql2glibvm

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) December 2, 2021

UCLA finished the crippled shooting 47% (27 of 58) from the tract and 44% (7 of 16) from beyond the arc.

GAME AT WASHINGTON IN QUESTION

UCLA’s adjacent Pac-12 crippled is scheduled for Sunday day successful Seattle, but that mightiness not happen. The Huskies’ crippled against Arizona scheduled for Thursday was canceled owed to COVID-19 protocols wrong the Washington program.

If the UCLA-Washington crippled isn’t played Sunday, it would springiness the Bruins a 10-day layoff betwixt Wednesday’s triumph and its Dec. 11 crippled against Marquette successful Milwaukee.

If the Washington-Arizona crippled cannot beryllium rescheduled, per Pac-12 argumentation connected COVID-related cancellations the crippled would beryllium deemed a forfeit and Arizona volition beryllium credited with a win.