UCLA men’s basketball blows out Washington in big night for Bona
Freshman forward Adem Bona leaps to block a shot. Bona tallied a career-high 18 points and three blocks to pace No. 11 UCLA men’s basketball’s win over Washington on Sunday. (Jack Stenzel/Daily Bruin)
Men’s basketball
| No. 11 UCLA | 74 |
| Washington | 49 |
By Jon Christon
Jan. 1, 2023 6:42 p.m.
Four Bruins made their mark as the Bruins picked up their fourth straight win in Seattle.
No. 11 UCLA men’s basketball (13-2, 4-0 Pac-12) defeated Washington (9-6, 1-3) by a score of 74-49 on Sunday evening at Alaska Airlines Arena. Freshman forward Adem Bona, senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell and fifth-year guard David Singleton all scored at least 14 points to give the Bruins four consecutive road wins in the series for the first time since 1997.
Bona notched a career-high 18 points, while Jaquez added 17, Campbell 15 and Singleton 14. In addition to the scoring, Campbell and Jaquez notched a combined 16 assists two nights after the Bruins tallied only five assists as a team against Washington State on Friday.
Just like it was a few days ago in the Palouse, offense was hard to come by in the early going Sunday. UCLA began the game shooting 2-of-10 from the field, with its three leading scorers missing their first seven shots combined.
Scoring proved equally tough for UCLA’s Pacific Northwest foe, and while the Bruins eventually found their footing, the Huskies couldn’t get out of their own way. Washington went just 1-of-14 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Meanwhile, UCLA made five of its next six shots after its slow start, and finished the half up nine after back-to-back 3-pointers from Singleton and Campbell to close the frame.
UCLA led despite not getting to the free throw line in the first 20 minutes and with junior guard Jaylen Clark kept off the scoreboard. And while neither of those factors changed much in the second half, the Bruins kept their foot on the pedal. They outscored the Huskies by 16 in the final frame, as the home team could not buy a basket.
Washington finished the game shooting 34.5% from the field and 8% from 3-point range – the latter number a season low by a wide margin. Bona notched a career-high three blocks, and Clark moved past his poor shooting night to provide three steals and a team-high 11 rebounds.
UCLA will return home to battle crosstown rival USC on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion.
