LOS ANGELES – San Jose State men's basketball was held in check in Sunday evening's non-conference bout against UCLA as they Bruins jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 93-64 victory inside Pauley Pavilion. The Spartans shot 35 percent in the loss in the team's third try against a Pac-12 opponent in the young season.
After the hot-shooting Bruins jumped out to a 12-point lead at the 11-minute mark, the Spartans scored the next three baskets to cut the deficit down to five at 26-21. Richard Washington buried a triple while Omari Moore and Sam Japhet-Mathias scored in the paint in the quick 7-0 spree. The five-point margin was as close as things would get.
The Spartans (3-5) had plenty of opportunities to keep themselves in the game, but points came at a premium, especially under the basket where they shot just 4-for-11 in the first half. SJSU finished the period shooting 40 percent from the field while UCLA shot a crisp 63 percent (19-of-30). Zach Chappell had a team-high eight points in the period off the bench.
SJSU's offense went ice cold in the final 10 minutes of the first half as they closed the period 2-for-10 from the field and was scoreless for nearly the last nine minutes before Moore swiped a pass and laid it in to end the drought with 1:22 left. Turnovers did the Spartans no favors as well as 12 of them led to 16 Bruin points.
UCLA (6-3) cooled off a bit in the second half, but got things going on the offensive end midway through the period as they used a 13-0 run to jump out to a commanding 79-46 lead. That margin was enough to maintain control of the contest as the Spartans (9-of-29 in the second half) was not able to find enough offensive rhythm to mount a comeback.
Despite the struggling percentage from the field, the Spartans did continue to show signs of improvement at the charity stripe converting 22-of-29 attempts. Moore, a freshman from Pasadena, had his best night in a Spartan uniform as he scored 11 points and was one of four Spartans in double figures. Chappell had a team-high 12 points while Seneca Knight pitched in 11 and Washington 10.
UCLA won the rebounding battle 42-33 and finished the night with a 52 percent shooting clip from the floor (34-of-65). Four Bruins finished in double figures with Jalen Hill and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scoring 18 each. Hill also finished with a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.
While the non-conference slate is not over entirely, the Spartans will begin conference play in their next outing as they play host to Utah State in both teams' Mountain West openers. Tip-off is slated for 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
