No. 2 UCLA withstands Bellarmine rally, wins 75-62
LAS VEGAS -- — Peyton Watson had 19 points, Johnny Juzang added 13 and No. 2 UCLA beat Bellarmine 75-62 on Monday night in the Empire Classic.
Watson shot 9 of 12 and had four rebounds, easily outpacing his 3.3 points average through four games this season.
David Singleton added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting for the Bruins (5-0), who will face No. 1 Gonzaga in a rematch of last season’s Final Four on Tuesday night. The Bulldogs won 93-90 in overtime on a buzzer-beater from Jalen Suggs.
Bellarmine (0-5) lost in double digits for the fourth time in five games and is coming off consecutive losses against the nation’s top two teams. The Knights lost 92-50 at Gonzaga on Friday.
Dylan Penn led Bellarmine with 19 points and seven rebounds, while CJ Fleming had 12 points and made two 3-pointers.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The gap in talent was evident with the Bruins despite their shooting struggles. UCLA started the game shooting 2 of 10 from the floor, but both makes were 3-pointers from Juzang. Bellarmine had a 2 for 14 stretch during a 16-2 UCLA run midway through the first half.
Bellarmine: The “no-dribble” offense has been tested early this season. The Knights have played three teams who made the NCAA Tournament last season (UCLA, Gonzaga, No. 3 Purdue) and one that played in the NIT (Saint Mary’s).
UP NEXT
UCLA: Will face No. 1 Gonzaga on Tuesday night.
Bellarmine: Plays Central Michigan on Tuesday.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Ron Groover
- James Breeding
- Jeffrey Anderson
2023-24 Pac-12 Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Arizona | 15-5 | - | 27-9 |
Washington State | 14-6 | 1 | 25-10 |
Colorado | 13-7 | 2 | 26-11 |
Oregon | 12-8 | 3 | 24-12 |
UCLA | 10-10 | 5 | 16-17 |
Utah | 9-11 | 6 | 22-15 |
Washington | 9-11 | 6 | 17-15 |
California | 9-11 | 6 | 13-19 |
USC | 8-12 | 7 | 15-18 |
Arizona State | 8-12 | 7 | 14-18 |
Stanford | 8-12 | 7 | 14-18 |
Oregon State | 5-15 | 10 | 13-19 |
2023-24 West Coast Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Saint Mary's | 15-1 | - | 26-8 |
Gonzaga | 14-2 | 1 | 27-8 |
San Francisco | 11-5 | 4 | 23-11 |
Santa Clara | 10-6 | 5 | 20-13 |
San Diego | 7-9 | 8 | 18-15 |
Pepperdine | 5-11 | 10 | 13-20 |
Loyola Marymount | 5-11 | 10 | 12-19 |
Portland | 5-11 | 10 | 12-21 |
Pacific | 0-16 | 15 | 6-26 |