Pauley Pavilion played host to a mismatch Saturday night.
A team that boasts 22 wins on the season faced off against a squad with only three. The Pac-12’s best matched up versus the conference’s worst. An AP top-5 program played against a team that hasn’t even sniffed an AP top-25 vote for the better part of a decade.
That was UCLA versus California – a matchup that more than lived up to its billing.
No. 4 UCLA men’s basketball (23-4, 14-2 Pac-12) blew out Cal (3-23, 2-14) to the tune of 78-43. The 35-point margin of victory was the Bruins’ largest of the season against a conference opponent and their largest versus the Golden Bears in the 21st century.
“Tonight, the goal was to stay focused, make sure we were professional,” said coach Mick Cronin. “The results speak for themselves.”
The game was over before most of the Pauley Pavilion spectators found their seats. Cal’s anemic offense made sure of that.
More than six minutes passed before the Golden Bears found their way on the scoreboard. A Cal layup made it 12-2 with 13:57 left in the first half, and nearly four more minutes would eclipse before the visiting team could muster up more points.
Cal finished the frame with only 15 points. It marked the fewest scored by a UCLA opponent in any half all season, though the Golden Bears – who boast the worst statistical offense in the Pac-12 – had already matched that feat earlier this season.
“Our defense was as good as it could be early in the game,” said coach Mick Cronin.
UCLA’s offense, while not firing on all cylinders, looked lightyears better than its UC counterpart’s.
Senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. broke the game’s seal with a putback layup on the first possession. Jaquez’s bucket came after three straight UCLA offensive rebounds, setting the stage for the Bruins to impose their will in the painted area.
UCLA outscored Cal 20-6 down low in the first half, shooting at nearly a 70% clip from inside the 3-point line. While the Bruins went cold from deep, making only three of their first 14 attempts, they got to the rim at ease with Jaquez leading the charge.
Jaquez said UCLA’s first-half effort was night and day compared to its 73-64 win over Stanford on Thursday. The Bruins trailed for most of the first half versus the Cardinal but led by double digits for the majority of the first half against the Golden Bears.
“We always talk about a full 40 minutes – we didn’t have that in the Stanford game,” Jaquez said. “But this game, I feel like we were very aggressive, through and through.”
Jaquez’s 13 points nearly matched the Golden Bears’ points in the first half, as UCLA entered the halftime locker room up 38-15.
It was more of the same after halftime: more Cal offensive ineptitude and more Bruin domination.
Jaquez credited the Bruins for staying focused even when up big against a faltering opponent.
“When you’re up against a team, it’s sometimes very easy to just lose your focus, … but I didn’t think we did that tonight,” Jaquez said. “Everyone played hard and we got a great win.”
Before long, the crowd chanted “We want Russell,” urging coach Mick Cronin to mercifully end the game by bringing in walk-on fifth-year guard Russell Stong.
It wouldn’t be until the final two minutes, though, that Stong would finally see the court. UCLA had outscored Cal 37-27 in the second half to that point, leading to the final 35-point margin of victory.
Jaquez and his 20 points led the way for the blue and gold, with freshman guard Amari Bailey close behind at 16 for the game. Add in junior guard Jaylen Clark’s 13 points, and UCLA’s top three scorers outscored Cal by their lonesome.
Jaquez, who celebrated his 22nd birthday Saturday with the win, said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“It was a very good 40 minutes that we put out there,” Jaquez said.
