National Basketball Association
UCLA 82, Western Michigan 68
When: 11:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
Officials:
# Kevin Brill, # Daryl Gelinas, # Thomas O'Neill
Attendance:
10695
By The Sports Xchange
Different players are delivering on different nights to help No. 2 UCLA remain unbeaten, and it was Bryce Alford who had the hot hand in the Bruins' 82-68 victory over Western Michigan on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
Alford scored 22 points for UCLA (13-0), which concluded nonconference play with a perfect record for the first time since the 1994-95 team did it en route to the program's 11th national championship.
"The coaches told us about how special that is after the game," Alford said. "Anytime you do something that hasn't been done in a while at a university like this, with a basketball program like this, it's very special. We are going to cherish it."
Alford made 8 of 17 field-goal attempts, including four 3-pointers. It was the fourth 20-point game of the season for UCLA's third-leading scorer.
Aaron Holiday came off the bench to score 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting while dishing out a career-high-tying seven assists for UCLA. TJ Leaf had 14 points and eight rebounds. Isaac Hamilton added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The Broncos (3-8) demonstrated their resiliency less than two weeks after teammate Joeviair Kennedy was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Thomas Wilder put up 22 points, five rebounds and four assists, surpassing 1,000 points in his career at Western Michigan. Tucker Haymond scored 16 points, and Reggie Jones had 12 points and six rebounds.
"We tried to slow the game down, but we started having turnovers and we took some shots early in the shot clock," Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins said. "Those two things really turned the game around."
Wilder made a 3-pointer and a layup to help Western Michigan outscore UCLA 7-1 to start the game. The Bruins went up 12-9 on a 3-pointer by Alford, but the Broncos reclaimed the lead on a basket by Haymond.
The teams traded leads until a dunk by Ike Anigbogu sparked a 9-0 run for the Bruins, who took a 28-21 lead on a 3-pointer by Alford. The Broncos got within one on a jumper by Jones, but a 10-2 run helped the Bruins carry a 45-33 lead into the locker room at the break.
Western Michigan cut the deficit to six early in the second half and got within four on a jumper by Wilder. UCLA re-established a double-digit lead on a layup by Holiday and went up 61-45 on a dunk by Leaf.
The Broncos battled back once more, mounting a 10-0 run to cut the Bruins' lead to 61-55 on a 3-pointer by Bryce Moore. UCLA stretched its lead to 10 on a layup by Leaf midway through the second period.
The Broncos briefly got within single digits on a couple of occasions over the final 10 minutes, but the Bruins answered each time. UCLA went up by 12 on a basket by Hamilton and led by as many as 18 in the final minutes.
"It's been two decades since a team here has gone undefeated in nonconference play, so it isn't easy," UCLA coach Steve Alford said. "I'm really proud of our guys to be able to do that."
UCLA shot 50 percent from the field but made just 6 of 22 from 3-point range and 10 of 16 free-throw attempts. The Bruins had to overcome 15 turnovers.
Western Michigan shot 44.9 percent and made 5 of 13 from beyond the arc, but the Broncos attempted only three free throws and made just one. They also committed 18 turnovers.
NOTES: UCLA will begin Pac-12 Conference play Dec. 28 on the road against No. 20 Oregon, the reigning conference champion. ... Western Michigan will conclude its nonconference schedule against Alabama A&M on Dec. 29 before visiting Ohio in its Mid-American Conference opener Jan. 3. ... UCLA C Thomas Welsh missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore knee. The 7-footer hasn't played since landing awkwardly in practice Dec. 7.
Top Game Performances
| Western Michigan |
|
UCLA |
|
Thomas Wilder 22 |
Scoring |
Bryce Alford 22 |
|
Thomas Wilder 4 |
Assists |
Aaron Holiday 7 |
|
Seth Dugan 6 |
Rebounds |
Isaac Hamilton 8 |
|
Seth Dugan 1 |
Free Throws Made |
Bryce Alford 2 |
|
Josh Davis 2 |
Steals |
Isaac Hamilton 3 |
|
N/A |
Blocks |
Lonzo Ball 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Western Michigan
|
68 |
44.9 |
5-13 |
1-3 |
9 |
31 |
0 |
10 |
18 |
| UCLA
|
82 |
50.0 |
6-22 |
10-16 |
22 |
35 |
9 |
8 |
15 |
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