No. 7 UCLA rolls over California 81-57 for 5th straight win

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 15 points and No. 7 UCLA routed California 81-57 on Thursday night to give the Bruins sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 with their fifth straight win.

All eight Bruins players scored on a night when they were missing leading scorer Johnny Juzang, who was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols. Cody Riley added a season-high 14 points, and Jules Bernard and Peyton Watson had 12 points each.

UCLA (15-2, 7-1 Pac-12) led by 18 points the first half. They had runs of 10-0, 8-0 and 6-0 while the Golden Bears committed nine of their 17 turnovers.

Cal (9-11, 2-7) dropped its season-high sixth in a row. The Bears were led by Sam Alajiki with 11 points off the bench. Kuany Kuany and Jordan Shepherd had nine points each. Andre Kelly, the team's second-leading scorer, and fellow starter Jalen Celestine were in foul trouble in the second half.

The Bruins went to the line on four straight possessions in the second half, making 6 of 8 free throws for a 65-45 lead.

Jake Kyman and Watson combined to score 14 of UCLA's final 17 points. The Bruins ended the game with three straight 3-pointers, two in a row by Kyman and one by Russell Stong, who came off the bench after the student section repeatedly shouted, “We want Russell!”

The Bruins have lost just once — at Oregon — since returning from a 25-day layoff due to COVID-19 issues in the program. They are 9-1 at home.

BIG PICTURE

California: The Bears have just one win so far in 2022, beating Arizona State by 24 points on Jan. 2. That ended what was a five-game winning streak before their current struggles set in. The schedule doesn't get any easier. The Bears are on the road for seven of their remaining 14 league games, and have yet to win away from home in seven games.

UCLA: The Bruins will be eager to get Juzang back in time for their third game of the week on Saturday. But winning without him gave the team a huge confidence boost during a week in which it soundly defeated third-ranked Arizona. UCLA is also waiting on Jaylen Clark, who has missed two straight games while in concussion protocol.

UP NEXT

California: At Stanford on Tuesday in the first of three games next week.

UCLA: Hosts Stanford on Saturday to close out a three-game homestand.

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