Wow, what a night for the transfers! Junior transfer center Xavier Booker led the Bruins with 15 points, five rebounds and five blocks, while senior transfer guard Donovan Dentadded 12 points and a team high four assists.
The No.12 ranked UCLA men’s basketball team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) hosted the Pepperdine Waves (1-1, 0-0 WCC) at Pauley Pavilion on Friday night, just days after a win over Eastern Washington. The Bruins carried that momentum into another strong performance, defeating the Waves 74-63 to extend their win streak to two.
UCLA won the opening tip but came up empty on its first possession after a missed layup by Dent. Forward Tyler Bilodeau was quickly subbed just 30 seconds into the game after picking up an early foul. Pepperdine’s Javon Cooley put the Waves on the board first with a jumper, but UCLA guard Skyy Clark answered immediately, scoring the Bruins first five points.
Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. found his rhythm in the first half, putting up seven points before the break. For Pepperdine, Cooley led the way with 17 points on 5-15 shooting, though he entered halftime in foul trouble with three personal fouls. In the first half, the Bruins shot 40.7% from the field compared to the Waves 32.1%, taking a 37-28 lead into the half.
UCLA came out strong to start the second half, opening with a jumper from center Booker followed by a three-pointer from Dailey Jr. The Bruins went on a 7-0 run over nearly four minutes before Pepperdine guard Luka Vudragovic ended the streak with a three of his own. Still, UCLA continued to build its lead with timely threes and second chance tip ins, eventually going up by as many as 19 points. The Waves tried to stay in the game behind Aaron Clark’s late baskets, but the Bruins maintained a comfortable double digit advantage the rest of the way.
UCLA held its lead to secure another win and extend its early season streak. The Bruins will look to keep the momentum going when they host West Georgia at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
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Featured Image Photographed by Ryan Zhang/BruinLife
