Lazar Stefanovic scored 13 of his season-high 19 points in the first half and the UCLA defense forced 30 turnovers in an 88-43 rout of Southern Utah on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (6-1) faced little resistance in their wire-to-wire win, staying perfect at home for the season and scoring their fifth consecutive victory overall.
The first 13 minutes of the second half marked one of UCLA’s stingiest defensive stretches of the campaign, as the hosts allowed Southern Utah just four points.
The Thunderbirds (6-2) struggled to mount any offensive attack while repeatedly coughing up possession against an aggressive Bruins defense. UCLA converted Southern Utah’s turnovers into 34 points.
Skyy Clark and Trent Perry led the Bruins with three steals each, while Eric Dailey Jr. and Sebastian Mack each swiped two. Aday Mara contributed to the defensive effort with three blocked shots.
Mara also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds off the bench.
Mara’s dunk off of a lob from Dailey was part of a 12-2 UCLA run midway through the first half that effectively ignited the onslaught. That spell opened up a 13-point lead, and UCLA almost doubled the margin before halftime.
The Bruins held Southern Utah without a field goal for a stretch of almost six minutes late in the first half — and then the Thunderbirds had an 8:20 field-goal drought early in the second half.
Xavier Sykes led Southern Utah with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor. He hit 2 of 3 from 3-point range on a night the rest of the Thunderbirds went just 2 of 13.
All 12 UCLA players who saw the court made a field goal. Dailey shot 6-for-8 from the floor for 15 points, and Dylan Andrews finished 5-of-8 for 11 points. Perry added nine points, five rebounds and a game-high five assists.
–Field Level Media
