Six players scored in double figures for No. 8 UCLA, which went on a 23-4 run over the first 11 1/2 minutes of the second half en route to an 86-56 blowout of Norfolk State on Monday in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (3-0) never trailed, but faced a challenge through the first half from the reigning two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Spartans (2-2).
UCLA took a 13-point lead into the intermission, which quickly ballooned out of the break. Jaylen Clark opened the second half with a 3-pointer, part of his game-high 19 points on another strong all-around game from the Bruins wing.
Clark shot 7 of 11 from the floor and 5 of 8 from 3-point range to go with nine rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Bruins veterans Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, while freshman Amari Bailey added another 11 points. The trio combined for 16 assists, with Campbell dishing seven, Bailey passing for five and Jaquez distributing four.
Twenty of UCLA’s 32 made field goals came off of assists. The Bruins shot 57.1 percent from the floor for the night at (32 of 56), including 11 of 25 from beyond the 3-point arc.
David Singleton contributed two 3-pointers en route to 11 points off the bench. Adem Bona rounded out UCLA’s double-digit scorers with 10 points.
Kris Bankston led Norfolk State with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor while matching Clark’s game-high of nine rebounds. Cahiem Brown added 13 points off the bench.
UCLA contained Norfolk State’s Joe Bryant to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting. Bryant was coming off a 24-point performance in the Spartans’ loss at Baylor on Friday. Beyond Bankston, Norfolk State’s other four starters combined for just 18 points on 9-of-26 shooting.
The Spartans’ points came almost entirely from the interior, with 40 points in the paint. They finished just 2 of 14 from 3-point range and 2 of 4 at the free-throw line.
–Field Level Media