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UCLA Basketball vs. Stanford: Bruins Back to Dominating in Win Over the Cardinal

By Mike Regalado

January 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ballagainst the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ballagainst the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Basketball team kept their foot on the gas against Stanford as they beat the Cardinal with 40 solid minutes of balanced basketball.

The #4 UCLA Basketball (16-1, 3-1) team was not going to be denied their 16th win of the season as they beat a struggling Stanford Cardinal (8-8, 0-4), 89-75, in their first home conference sweep of the season.

After the Bruins’ first three Pac-12 games where they were susceptible to playing without urgency and inconsistent on defense, UCLA put together one of their most complete games this season.

The Bruins are an offensive team and once again dominated in that department with four players scoring in double-digits: Lonzo Ball (21), Bryce Alford (17), Isaac Hamilton (15) and TJ Leaf (15). Hamilton, who has been struggling lately, only shot 40%, but was finally able to make an impact in a game.

Leaf snagged his 8th double-double of the season as he added 10 rebounds to his stats. Ball also had a huge night as he filled his stats with 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

The offense was good, but the defense really helped out in this contest. As previously stated, defense has been an on-going issue as it has been mostly inconsistent. In this game, the Bruins stepped up their efforts and held Stanford to 37.8% shooting (28/74).

Collectively, UCLA also had 7 steals and 7 blocks in this game. It may not be Ben Howland-style defense, but it is a step up from what we are used to seeing.

Next: Are the Bruins Reverting to Old Habits?

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NEXT: The UCLA Basketball team takes to Colorado in Boulder on Thursday, January 12 at 8 p.m. PT and will be televised on FS1.