UCLA Basketball “Wears” Out Cal To Win 76-64

January 26, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward David Wear (12) reacts after scoring a basket against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Remember last weekend when everyone was freaking out and thought that the end of the world was near when UCLA lost at Utah? Well you will not be hearing any of that talk for the next few days. In a Sunday evening game in the Pac-12, UCLA (16-4, 5-2) beat the California Golden Bears (14-6, 5-2), 76-64 at Pauley Pavlion.

The Bruins had a hot start that was led by an unlikely duo, the Wear brothers. The twin forwards were clogging the paint and did not allow Cal to get their game going under the basket, shutting down the Golden Bear offense early. That led to a surge of offense and a game of a lifetime on an individual level by David Wear.

David had 16 points, which tied his season-high, in the first half alone. He ended the game with 18 points and 7 rebounds. The energy Tony Parker had against Stanford, was now being channeled through the senior forward. Wear could not be stopped in the first half. Maybe it was Cal not game planning properly for the Wears that caused this, but no matter what, this is proof that the Wears can be dangerous.

Speaking of Parker, he exited the first half early with two fouls and ended his night with 0 points.

The Bruin defense continues to improve as they were able to disrupt Cal’s offense throughout the first half. Cal’s shooting was atrocious by halftime, as they only made 9-of-25 field goals (36%). The Bruins managed to force bad shots and made the Golden Bears turn the ball over, at one point, on three consecutive Cal possessions. The Bears finished the night with 12 turnovers.

The second half continued with the Bruins getting their way, and which way was that Norman Powell?

After chasing down a tipped ball passed half court, Powell recovered it, sliced through a dumbfounded, on-looking Cal defense and threw down a nasty looking dunk that would have enraged Ben Howland. It was beautiful.

But the story of the second half was a story about Kyle Anderson. He pulled down another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He was en route to get a triple-double, but was five assists or nine blocks short. Pick which ever you think would look better on a resume. He seemed to be at the right place at the right time and despite Cal chewing a UCLA 17-point lead down to 3, Anderson once again did not give up  and kept his team in the game.

But getting back to Cal breaking down a big Bruin lead, you had to credit their super stud freshmen Jabari Parker, who went on his own offensive attack as he helped the Bear’s late surge. Parker ended the game with 12 points. Unfortunately, that would come to a “charging” halt.

The Bruins needed a big play to get the game back in their favor and who was the one to step up and get that play? David Wear.

With 5:03 left to play, he took a charge from Parker, which stopped all of the Bear’s momentum they had in trying to end this game. It was a great play on a great night for David Wear. Congratulations.

From there, it was consistent UCLA scoring and an unsuccessful “Hack-a-Bruin” that lead to another win for UCLA.

The Go Joe Bruin Player of The Game: David Wear

Mike W.R.

Twitter: @TheBigDisco