UCLA routs Cal State Bakersfield, but Cody Riley injures knee in season opener

LOS ANGELES — Okay, we’ve seen enough, bring connected fourth-ranked Villanova.

The UCLA men’s hoops squad has made things look excessively casual successful the past week. Albeit 1 enactment was an accumulation against NCAA Division II Chico State, but Tuesday night’s 95-58 season-opening dismantling of Cal State Bakersfield really counted, and possibly much importantly, showed the Bruins are acceptable for a existent test.

Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard each scored 19 points, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 14 arsenic the second-ranked Bruins led ligament to ligament astatine Pauley Pavilion. Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark each scored 10 points for UCLA (1-0).

It didn’t instrumentality agelong for the arena’s nationalist code announcer to statesman promoting Friday’s nationally televised showdown against Villanova. The Bruins led 75-39 with 9:16 near and the “#2 UCLA vs. #4 Villanova” graphic was being displayed connected the jumbotron encouraging fans to bargain their tickets.

The borderline was ne'er little than 28 points for the remainder of the game.

UCLA scored 47 points successful the archetypal half, but it was the defence that enactment things distant early. The Bruins (1-0) were up 18-11 astatine the 10:25 people successful the archetypal fractional earlier going connected a 26-7 tally to decorativeness the half. UCLA held Bakersfield to 26% shooting and conscionable 3 made tract goals implicit the past 10:02 of the opening frame. The Roadrunners were 3 for 17 during that stretch.

While the Roadrunners were missing, UCLA was converting. The Bruins made 8 of their past 15 shots to extremity the half, including a 3-pointer conscionable earlier the halftime buzzer from Jaquez to marque it 47-19 astatine halftime.

The Bruins started the 2nd fractional 5 for 6 from the floor, including 2 3-pointers from Bernard and Juzang. The borderline grew to 32 points (60-28) with much than 15 minutes left.

UCLA held Bakersfield to conscionable 38% shooting overall, and changeable 50% from the tract itself, including 13 for 27 shooting from down the arc.

Justin McCall scored 11 points and Shaun Williams added 10 for the Roadrunners.

CODY RILEY INJURED

UCLA guardant Cody Riley fell awkwardly conscionable 8 minutes into the crippled and grabbed his near genu portion rolling backmost and distant successful pain. After respective minutes connected the tribunal portion trainers and unit inspected him, helium got up and walked to the seat connected his own, but his locomotion was wobbly arsenic immoderate fans chanted his name.

Riley, a redshirt elder who averaged 10 points per crippled past season, grabbed 3 rebounds successful his 4 minutes and did not instrumentality to the game.

It could further interaction the extent of the frontcourt. Center Mac Etienne suffered a imaginable season-ending wounded to his close knee, according to Coach Mick Cronin. The 6-foot-10 freshman is waiting for last confirmation from the aesculapian unit connected the diagnosis of the wounded and a timetable for return.

More to travel connected this story.