Men’s basketball defeats Western Michigan 82-68 despite slow offense
Sophomore guard Aaron Holiday led the Bruins off the bench with 16 points and seven assists. (Jintak Han/Assistant Photo editor)
By Matt Cummings
Dec. 21, 2016 10:14 p.m.
Western Michigan hung around for most of the night, but No. 2 UCLA men’s basketball stayed undefeated Wednesday night by pulling away late in the second half.
With a crowd of 10,695 on hand at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins (13-0) topped the Broncos (3-8) 82-68 to finish up their nonconference slate.
The UCLA offense, ranked second in the nation in points per game and first in offensive rating, was not quite itself Wednesday, coming in well below its averages with shooting percentages of 50 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from 3-point territory.
As a result, Western Michigan was within striking distance well into the second half, using a 10-0 run to pull within six with 11 minutes to go. The Bruins responded, though, and never let the Broncos get any closer.
Sophomore guard Aaron Holiday was integral in UCLA’s win, coming up with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and a team-leading seven assists in just 29 minutes of action.
Some of the Bruins’ regular contributors had off nights from the field. Senior guard Bryce Alford led the team with 22 points, but they came on 17 shots, and freshman guard Lonzo Ball poured in just seven points.
UCLA made just six 3-pointers, well below its average of over 11 per game, and allowed Western Michigan to grab 13 offensive rebounds, including eight in the first half.
The Broncos were led by guard Thomas Wilder, who carved up the Bruins’ defense for 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
