UCLA Basketball shows no (Detroit) Mercy with big offensive game
The UCLA Basketball team came out on fire against Detroit Mercy as Jaylen Hands came off the bench with 23 points against the Titans with a 106-73 win.
One thing that has plagued the UCLA basketball team this season has been slow starts. That was not the case today as the Bruins came out of the starting gate on all cylinders against Detroit Mercy.
UCLA Bruins 106 – Detroit Mercy 73
This was arguably the best team performance by the Bruins this season. It has taken several games to put the pieces together but UCLa has finally figured out how to work together. It was especially easy with the guards taking over who kept the flow of the game going and moving at an uptempo pace.
FINAL: UCLA 106, Detroit Mercy 73.#GoBruins #UDMvsUCLA pic.twitter.com/Gcd6xz0dxh
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) December 4, 2017
Jaylen Hands might be nursing a sore foot but it did not seem to matter in this game as he had 23 points. In the first half he asserted his will from outside, hitting 3/5. He went into the half with a game-high 17 points.
Prince Ali, who has taken over the starting 2 spot in place of the injured Hands, also lit things up with 20 points. Since he has been starting games, he has improved his confidence as is becoming one of the go-to guys for the Bruins. It will be interesting to see how head coach Steve Alford works both hot-handed shooting guards into the rotation going forward.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
The leader of this group, Aaron Holiday, let the young Bruins do their thing, but in no way did he take the night off. The offense continued to run through him, but his focus on offense gave the Bruins a third scoring option. He finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
In the first half, UCLA played excellent team ball. They had 52 points before the break, which is the most the Bruins have scored in a half this season… to that point. They broke that record in the second half.
The Bruins continued their beatdown with 54 points after the half with the help of some excellent shooting and transition points. The Bruins shot 52.8% on the night. The majority of those points, especially in the second half, were off of fast breaks. Many of those were the result of the defensive output. UCLA suffocated the Titans, especially down low, and only allowed Detroit Mercy to shoot 43.1%. Hopefully the Bruins keep up the progress as they have a bumpy road ahead.
Next: UCLA's slow starts and second half surges
UCLA has one final home game against Montana on Wednesday before they head to Michigan next Saturday morning. They follow that up back at Pauley Pavilion on December 16 against Cincinnati. Two games after that is the fifth showdown in four years with Kentucky at the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans.