UCLA trails Gonzaga 32-30 at halftime
UCLA didn’t let Gonzaga’s raucous student section distract them from keeping the game competitive, entering the locker room down two at half time. (Austin Yu/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Matt Joye
Dec. 12, 2015 7:40 p.m.
SPOKANE, Wash. — UCLA has done its best not to let the raucous crowd take control of this game.
Playing in front of their toughest road environment all year, the Bruins (6-3) got out to a 13-5 lead by the 16:37 mark in the first half, silencing a sell-out Kennel crowd that was literally shaking the floor before the game started.
Eventually, Gonzaga got the crowd back into it, raining in a deluge of 3-pointers to take the lead. At halftime, No. 20 Gonzaga (6-2) leads UCLA 32-30.
Both offenses were clicking early, with UCLA being the first one to scratch the score column. On the first play of the game, junior guard Bryce Alford fed the ball in the post to sophomore center Thomas Welsh, who connected on a right-handed hook shot.
After a made 3-pointer by Gonzaga, junior guard Isaac Hamilton answered back with two 3-pointers of his own. Hamilton’s first-half performance was his best all season, as he tallied 10 points, nearly equaling his season average of 13.2 points per game.
On defense, the Bruins came out in man-to-man and played their 3-2 zone for a couple of plays. UCLA’s biggest problem on defense was finding a way to stop Gonzaga forward Kyle Wiltjer, who had a game-high 13 points in the first half.
The Bruins began the game by having senior forward/center Tony Parker man up with Wiltjer, but after Wiltjer stretched Parker out to the 3-point arc and nailed a couple treys, UCLA decided to put sophomore forward Jonah Bolden and freshman forward Alex Olesinksi on him. The plan worked for a little bit, but Wiltjer still managed to score a floater and a couple free throws to end the half.
In the second half, the game may be decided by a single scoring run, as it has in the past few UCLA-Gonzaga matchups. The Bruins cannot afford to let the crazed Gonzaga crowd to get into the game.
Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.
