No. 2 UCLA blows out North Florida 98-63 for 4th win in row

Thu, Nov 18, 2021
NCAAB News (AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 points, Johnny Juzang added 17 and No. 2 UCLA rolled to a 98-63 victory over North Florida on Wednesday night.

Tyger Campbell had 13 points, making all four of his 3-pointers, six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in 26 minutes for the Bruins (4-0). Jules Bernard added 15 points. UCLA notched its third blowout win of the season, having beaten Cal State Bakersfield by 37 points and Long Beach State by 21.

Carter Hendricksen scored 11 points to lead North Florida (0-5) as its only player in double figures.

The Ospreys kept it close in the first 10 minutes. Although they never led and once fell behind by nine, they got to 27-24 on a basket by Jonathan Aybar.

That's when the Bruins took over for good.

UCLA closed the half on a 28-9 run, including 15 straight points, to lead 55-33 at the break. Juzang made a 3-pointer, Kenneth Nwuba dunked and Jaylen Clark scored inside during a spurt that featured points from five different players.

Jaquez came off the bench just before the decisive run began. Peyton Watson stole the ball from Jose Placer and hit Jaquez with a long pass that led to a fast-break dunk. Jaquez followed with a 3-pointer before he scored the Bruins' final two baskets of the half.

The Bruins ran off 11 in a row - five by Bernard and four from Jaquez - to open the second half and build a 30-point lead. Bernard's driving layup gave UCLA its largest lead of 33 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Bruins dominated nearly every category, controlling the boards 54-24, including a whopping 24-6 edge on the offensive glass. They owned the paint 50-30 and had a 30-6 advantage in second-chance points to go with eight steals.

BIG PICTURE

North Florida: The Ospreys went 0-5 on their season-opening trip while playing five games in nine days. They lost by 15 points at Texas Tech, by 18 points at Texas A&M, by 14 points at Grand Canyon and by nine points at Arizona State before hitting LA. Their challenges aren't over, either. They visit No. 13 Kentucky on Nov. 26 and No. 24 Florida on Dec. 8.

UCLA: The Bruins will be facing a Bellarmine team next week that is coming off a visit to No. 1 Gonzaga, making it an easy scout for them. The Bruins get a crack at the Zags the following day in their second huge early season test.

UP NEXT

North Florida: Hosts Webber International on Sunday in the first home game of the season.

UCLA: Plays Bellarmine on Monday in the Empire Classic in Las Vegas.

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