No. 12 UCLA overwhelms Oregon State for 94-55 win, largest win in five years
Oregon State had no answer for anyone on any spot of the court Saturday against No. 12 UCLA.
The Bruins, despite missing leading scorer Johnny Juzang (ankle) were too physical, too talented, too athletic, and too much. A 15-point halftime lead exploded in the second half, culminating with a 39-point win for the Bruins. The 94-55 victory was the largest in a game for UCLA in over five years (Feb. 4, 2017, 107-66 over Washington).
Guard Tyger Campbell led the way with 20 points and five assists on 8-of-10 shooting. He knocked down four of his six 3-point attempts, the lead sharpshooter for an outfit that was deadly from distance all over the floor. Jules Bernard had 16 points and five boards, going 3-for-5 from deep. Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17 points) and David Singleton (six) each added a pair of triples themselves as the Bruins shot 13-for-20 from distance.
The Beavers, who haven’t won a game since Dec. 30, were close to knocking off USC on Thursday. They took the Trojans to double-overtime thanks to a 31-point performance from Dashawn Davis. It was clear that effort weighed on the legs a bit. Davis had just six points against the Bruins, only allowed to get off five shots.
Oregon State shot 36% from the field in the second half and turned it over seven times.
From the 17:38 mark in the second half until the 7:44 mark, UCLA outscored Oregon State 30-5. Campbell had 10 of his 20 during that spurt, but UCLA got scoring from up and down the roster. Cody Riley (13 points, four boards) hit an and-one. Bernard converted a four-point play. Jaylen Clark (10 points) had a trio of fastbreak buckets at the rim. Jaquez got in on the action late with a triple of his own.
“It’s like playing to win (and) being aggressive instead of worrying about losing,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said of the mindset after the game. “I don’t care if everybody goes pro, while you’re here, play your ass off and play with excitement.”
And the Bruins did just that. But more than anything, the Bruins played the way Cronin knows they’ll need to in order to make noise when the games matter most. “We’ve got to shoot the ball well for us to be an elite team,” he said. “We’re not one of the biggest, strongest, most powerful teams in the country. We’re a four-out team for the most part and we’ve got to shoot the ball well.”
Shooting 59% from the field and 65% from 3 is getting the job done. Not easily replicable—you won’t play a 3-24 team every day—but after being limited to just 63 points in Thursday’s loss to Oregon, it’s a solid bounce-back performance.
UCLA (21-6, 13-5 Pac-12) will look to keep it going on Monday against Washington. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. PT on ESPN2, the last road game of the regular season for the Bruins. Oregon State (3-24, 1-16 Pac-12) hosts Washington State for Senior Night on Monday at 8 p.m. PT on ESPNU.