LOS ANGELES — One moment, it was as if UCLA was playing like there was nothing more to gain.
A lazy pass from Jaime Jaquez Jr. was off the mark for a turnover. A lack of concentration at the rim from Amari Bailey led to a miss. A bad rotation defensively by Kenneth Nwuba resulted in an uncontested layup.
The next moment, it was as if the Bruins were fighting for their first win of the season.
David Singleton battling through contact for an and-one. Adem Bona flying from out of nowhere to block a shot. When UCLA was in dire need of a big play, a steal turned into a Jaquez breakaway for a dunk (multiple times).
With the Pac-12 Conference regular-season title already secured, UCLA coach Mick Cronin was concerned about the team’s competitive edge, saying earlier this week, “I wish we needed both wins to win the Pac-12,” alluding to the two final games this week.
His paranoia came to fruition during those lax moments, surely leading him to wonder if the miscues would become more significant or more frequent throughout the game.
Not on Jaquez’s watch.
The Camarillo native and go-to senior willed the fourth-ranked Bruins through a disastrous first half before the team took note and glided to a 79-61 victory over Arizona State on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Jaquez finished with 26 points (going 9 for 10 from the free-throw line), Tyger Campbell had 18 points and Jaylen Clark added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Bruins won their ninth consecutive game and continued their quest to earn one of the No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona State (20-10 overall, 11-8 Pac-12) opened the game with a 12-2 run while UCLA (26-4, 17-2) missed seven of its first eight shots, but Jaquez essentially willed his team back into the game, scoring 19 first-half points to create a 36-32 halftime advantage. With four minutes left in the opening half, Jaquez had seven of UCLA’s 10 field goals. Jaquez scored 15 of UCLA’s first 19 points and started 6 for 8 from the…
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