UCLA basketball finds success in Australian exhibition games
Senior guard Isaac Hamilton scored 18 points against the Melbourne United professional team, the Bruins’ one loss of the trip that concludes on Monday against Brisbane. (Daily Bruin file photo)
By Grant Sugimura
Aug. 29, 2016 3:55 a.m.
One week, five wins for UCLA men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The Bruins traveled down under for a tour of Australia with stops in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for a series of exhibition games.
The women, who landed in Brisbane last Sunday, went 4-0 on their international trip while the men are currently 1-1 with their final game occurring Monday morning.
The UCLA women’s basketball team played the first of its four games against the Southern Districts Lady Spartans. The Bruins handled them easily in a 83-48 victory. Sophomore guard Kennedy Burke led the team with 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block.
The Bruins’ second game was an even greater blowout. UCLA defeated the Cairns Dolphins in Queensland by a score of 101-58. At the end of the night, seven Bruins scored in double figures.
Their third game, however, would not be so easy. UCLA barely took a 73-69 come-from-behind victory from the Sydney Uni Flames. It’s possible the 4 a.m. wakeup call, two-hour flight and three hours of touring Sydney before the tip-off wore the team down.
To round-out the women’s campaign, UCLA defeated the Sydney Comets 78-58 to finish 4-0 in Australia. The Bruins had three players score in double figures and were led by senior guard Nicole Kornet, who had 26 points in her first game since transferring from Oklahoma.
The men were not so lucky.
The UCLA men’s basketball team started off strong, defeating the Sydney University Lions 123-75 in freshmen TJ Leaf and Lonzo Ball’s first game as Bruins.
Size was a huge factor. The Bruins blocked 18 shots and out-rebounded the Lions 58-33. UCLA’s Aaron Holiday, a 6’1” sophomore guard, towered over his 5’3″ Australian counterpart.
But UCLA’s second stop wasn’t as successful as its first.
The Melbourne United took down the Bruins 89-84. Despite the loss there were a couple redeeming factors. The United is an Australian professional team compared to the collegiate Lions. Also, senior guards Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford both scored 18 points and Ball pulled down a team-leading 13 rebounds to mix nicely with his eight points.
Overall, UCLA’s Australian trip has been quite a successful one for both its players and the sport of basketball. The men will round out their trip on Monday as they take on the Brisbane Bullets before heading back to LA.
Email Sugimura at [email protected] or tweet @GrantSugimura.
