The UCLA Bruins beat Mountain West opponent, San Jose State Spartans in a massive 93-64 victory. Improving to 6-3 on the season, the Bruins will need to keep their losses in check with tough opponents awaiting.
UCLA returned home from the Maui Invitational where the Bruins lost two of three games while away from Pauley Pavilion. Welcoming the San Jose State Spartans to Westwood is exactly what the Bruins needed, since the Bruins have an 8-1 all-time record against the Spartans.
From tip-off, the Bruins looked solid jumping out to a 5-0 lead and never relinquishing their grip on the game. The first half was dominated by the Bruins shooting 63% from the field with an impressive offensive display led by 6’9 guard Chris Smith leading the way with 12 points.
Halftime @ Pauley Pavilion: @UCLAMBB lead @SanJoseStateMBB 46-29. The Bruins are on fire shooting an absurd 63% from the field. The Spartans have no answer on defense #UCLA #SanJoseState #CollegeBasketball #collegehoops
— Jonathan Bassey (@Jonathan_Bassey) December 2, 2019
After the halftime break, 6’4 guard Prince Ali nailed a corner three-pointer extending the Bruin lead to a convincing 20-point margin from a shifty dish from 5’11 guard Tyger Campbell. The Bruins had plenty of open looks on the court from sharing the ball well throughout the game tallying 21 total assists to the Spartans mere 8 assists.
Jaime Jaquez Jr is quickly becoming a crowd favorite within the Bruin faithful. Jaquez Jr finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 70% from the field.
“I just try to play the same way every single game whether I play a lot, start, sit the bench, whatever. It’s the same mentality every single game, so that’s what I do,” said Jaquez Jr.
“Jaime’s (Jaquez Jr.) had an excellent game. He played, he had no turnovers and he’s seven for 10. The thing I liked to see,” said Head Coach Mick Cronin. “He didn’t turn the ball over, he doesn’t take bad shots, he doesn’t get beat on defense. He’s engaged, mentally. He’s a great building block for us. Tremendous building block for our program.”
A Jalen Hill monster put-back dunk extended the Bruin lead to 30 points with 9:31 to play forcing the Spartans to wave the white flag. The Bruins lost a bit of their moral with losses to ranked opponents in the Maui invitational, and with a large victory the momentum could shift in their favor.
Final Score: @UCLAMBB beat @SanJoseStateMBB 93-64. The Bruins are now 9-1 against the Spartans all-time finishing with an impressive 52% shooting from the field
— Jonathan Bassey (@Jonathan_Bassey) December 2, 2019
It was all smiles from the Bruins as time expired securing the 29 point victory. The UCLA men’s basketball program was also able to smile after receiving a signed national letter of intent from high school senior Daishen Nix during the early signing period announced by Head Coach Mick Cronin on November 13th.
Nix will enroll at UCLA in 2020 and begin his Freshman season with the Bruins next Fall. The 6’5 Las Vegas, Nevada guard is ranked as the number one point guard nationally by 247sports.com.
Coming off a large win, UCLA seeks to bolster their win column with the Bruins will host the Denver Pioneers at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, December 8th.
