UCLA Achieves 5-1 Record for the First Time Since the 2021-2022 Season, Dominates Cal State Fullerton 80-47
UCLA (5-1) continues to roll, achieving their fourth consecutive win of the season against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (1-5) at Pauley Pavilion on Friday night.
The Bruins set the tone early and never let their foot off the gas. Junior Forward Tyler Bilodeau, on the Bruins’ first offensive possession, had a thundering dunk, serving as a blueprint for the Bruins dominating performance against the Titans.
Particularly, the Bruins’ unrelenting energy shined through their defensive performance. They held Cal State Fullerton to 47 points and enforced their will in the second half, which would see the Titans shoot 21% from the field. UCLA also forced 21 turnovers, which sprung the Bruins to push the ball in transition and finish at the rim on the fast break. UCLA scored 27 points off these turnovers.
Senior Guard Kobe Johnson set the precedent for UCLA on defense, stifling the Titans’ guards with 6 steals. The Milwaukee native also finished with a team-leading 5 assists and will face his former high school coach on November 26th, where the Bruins square off against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (6-1).
UCLA also excelled offensively, embracing a by-committee approach which saw five different Bruins reach double-digit points. The Bruins’ ball movement created opportunities for the entire team to get involved, since they finished with 22 team assists.
The Bruins went into half with a 39-25 lead, but this continued to swell. Junior Guard Dylan Andrews sank a shot from beyond the arc to push the Bruins’ lead to 44-27. After coming back from a groin injury against the Idaho State Bengals, Andrews registered eight points, four assists, and four deflections defensively.
The bench unit allowed UCLA to pull away even further. Particularly, the chemistry between Freshman Guard Trent Perry and Sophomore Center Aday Mara prevailed in the second half. Perry and Mara’s connection was symbolized through Mara’s resounding dunk off a Perry pass that reached Mara right as he hammered the ball through the rim to increase the Bruins’ lead to 61-34.
The Harvard-Westlake standout added a cherry on top for the Bruins, draining a three-point jump shot off a Mara screen to push UCLA’s lead top 75-39, preemptively cementing Cal State Fullerton’s fate in Westwood.
It will be intriguing to see what type of character the Bruins display during the remainder of their non-conference slate, which includes bouts against #17 Arizona (2-2), #10 North Carolina (3-1), and #3 Gonzaga (5-0).
However, for the time being, the Bruins’ focus will be set on their matchup against Southern Utah on Tuesday night.
