UCLA leads Monmouth 34-30 at half
Freshmen guards Aaron Holiday and Prince Ali try to contain Monmouth’s Austin Tilghman, who racked up six points in 11 minutes. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Claire Fahy
Nov. 13, 2015 8:48 p.m.
UCLA men’s basketball jumped out to an early lead but struggled to assert its dominance in its season opener against Monmouth. The Bruins debuted a strong big-big lineup, pairing senior forward Tony Parker and sophomore center Thomas Welsh in the post. While that led to UCLA dominating the boards for the duration of the first half, it didn’t solve the Bruins’ offensive woes as the team holds on to a 34-30 lead at the half.
Junior guard Bryce Alford and Welsh lead UCLA with 10 points apiece. Alford’s scoring comes largely off of free throws as the junior shot 33 percent from the field. The Bruins as a whole are struggling from field goal range, shooting 37 percent. Freshman guard Aaron Holiday initially led UCLA at point guard to start the game – a move that translated into a fast-paced start to the half. The direct consequence of that tempo was the Bruins’ 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, which Monmouth translated into nine points.
Parker leads the team on the boards with 12, contributing to the Bruins’ 33-17 rebounding advantage over the Hawks.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.
