UCLA men’s basketball trails Oregon State 29-19 at halftime
By Matt Joye
Jan. 22, 2015 6:58 p.m.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Minus one of its biggest pieces, UCLA looks to be in big trouble on the road against Oregon State.
The Bruins delivered a dismal first half performance on offense and trail the Beavers 29-19 at the break.
Freshman center Thomas Welsh started in place of junior forward/center Tony Parker, who was ruled out of Thursday’s contest with back spasms.
The freshman center knocked in the first and only basket for either team over the first 2:15 of the game, before Oregon State’s Gary Payton II converted a steal into an easy layup for the Beavers first bucket.
Following Welsh’s jumper, the Bruins proceeded to miss their next 15 shots before freshman forward Gyorgy Goloman slammed home a breakaway dunk off of his own steal.
Similar to earlier in the year, UCLA struggled mightily against zone defense. The Bruins shot just 23.3 percent over the first 20 minutes against Oregon State’s 2-3 zone, and went one for 11 from 3-point range.
Oregon State’s lead grew to 13-6 with 11:17 to play as UCLA failed to produce. But the Bruins erased the deficit midway through the quarter as sophomore guard Bryce Alford knocked in a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer, while senior guard Norman Powell tied the game with a fast break dunk of his own following a steal.
The Bruins defense ignited the run as the Beavers turned the ball over five times in a 4:07 period and were held scoreless. In all, UCLA forced nine turnovers as the two squads combined for 18 in the first half.
However, Payton II, who led all scorers with 15 points, almost single-handedly widened the Beavers lead. The junior guard scored 11 straight points and finished the half with four steals as Oregon State closed the half on a 16-6 run.
Alford led UCLA with seven points while Powell added six points and four rebounds.
Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.
