This post was updated Dec. 9 at 8:52 p.m.
The Bruins continued their homestand with their fourth straight win and a team debut.
UCLA men’s basketball (4-1, 1-0 Pac-12) defeated San Diego (0-1) 83-56 on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion.
Sophomore guard Johnny Juzang made his Bruin debut when he checked in with 16:41 left in the first half. Returning from a stress reaction in his right foot, the Kentucky transfer scored 10 points in his first game in the blue and gold.
“I’ve been waiting to play a game in this jersey for a while now so I was just super excited to get out there.” Juzang said. “(Body-wise), everything felt really, really good. I’m lucky the staff has been really, really great. All the trainers and everybody has really taken (good) care of this. I felt great out there tonight.”
Coach Mick Cronin said while Juzang did not play a perfect game, he looked good for someone that had not played since March and was coming off an injury.
“We wanted to keep (Juzang) under 20 minutes and keep him to no turnovers and have good shot selection,” Cronin said. “I thought he was 90% on that. He took one ill-advised one. But all in all, it was a great first time out for him off just two practices and being out for three weeks.”
UCLA took the lead with 9:08 left in the first half and never trailed again. A 13-0 run put the Toreros out of reach, as the Bruins never looked back after that point.
The first half ended with the Bruins up 33-23. UCLA shot 12-of-31 from the field but held San Diego to 9-of-34, and the Toreros converted 31% of their field goal attempts over the course of the entire game.
Sophomore guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished the night with 17 points over 29 minutes, leading UCLA in both categories. He also was responsible for four of the Bruins’ six blocks.
Jaquez credited the team’s defensive mindset for the continued success the Bruins have seen in the last three contests.
“Our main focus throughout the entire game is our defense, and try to stop them from scoring the ball and putting it in the basket,” Jaquez said. “Just keep our foot on the gas the entire game mentality that we go with every night. With that being said, we get results like this, just keep pushing.”
UCLA finished the night outrebounding San Diego 50-31 while also turning over the ball two fewer times. Redshirt juniors forward Cody Riley and forward/center Jalen Hill each ended the game with 10 rebounds, and Riley left the stadium with his second double-double of the year.
The Bruins have yet to fall behind in the second half during their three home games this season. The average final margin of the three Westwood wins sits at 24.3 points per game.
Cronin said a new look on the offensive end took his team a while to get comfortable with in the game but led to a better shooting percentage in the second half than the first.
“We’re trying to play a different style offensively,” Cronin said. “This year we’re a lot deeper. I think we’ve got more weapons. Guys are a little older so we’re trying to embrace playing at a faster pace.”
UCLA will face Marquette on Friday in its final home game before hitting the road until Dec. 31. Marquette is also 4-1 and upset then-No. 4 Wisconsin on Dec. 4.
