LOS ANGELES — Freshman guard Dylan Andrews took a contested 3-point shot from the top of the key. Clank. On the next possession, Amari Bailey – another freshman – fired a 3-point attempt from the wing off an on-ball screen. Clank.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin shook his head at each shot.
The misses were part of Sacramento State’s 8-0 run as the Hornets took a four-point lead midway through the first half. Cronin turned to his bench and signaled Tyger Campbell to check in. Everything changed.
Campbell scored five straight points. The first basket came off a slow, methodical dribble that turned into a pull-up jumper. The next was a wide-open transition 3-pointer. In less than 45 seconds, the Bruins had regained the lead.
It was just the beginning, though. Campbell, along with the other veterans on the roster, David Singleton, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Clark and David Nwuba, anchored an 18-0 run with no freshman on the floor en route to an eventual 76-50 victory in the eighth-ranked Bruins’ home opener on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Jaylen Clark dazzled defensively, swiping a career-high seven steals to go along with a team-best 17 points – on 7-for-7 shooting – eight rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. Campbell finished with 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting, Jaquez added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Singleton had 13 points, making all three of his shots from beyond the arc.
There was no disaster looming like what crosstown rival USC experienced on the same night, losing to Florida Gulf Coast 74-61 at home, but the struggle of the freshmen is a microcosm of what Cronin will have to deal with this season, blending the young, talented freshmen with savvy veterans as games ebb and flow.
UCLA, which shot 53.1% from the field overall (34 for 64), was trailing 16-12 when Campbell checked in. The Bruins eventually took a 35-18 lead thanks to a 23-2 run, including two 3-pointers from Singleton. UCLA led 39-25 at halftime.
Bailey had just two points in the first half before finishing with 10 points on 5-for-10 shooting in 26 minutes. Andrews had two points on 1-for-4 shooting in 11 minutes, and Canka was scoreless in eight minutes.
However, redshirt freshman Mac Etienne impressed in his return from a knee injury that kept him sidelined all of last season. Despite a clunky brace on his right knee, the 6-foot-10 center played 15 minutes off the bench, scored two points, had seven rebounds and four blocked shots, including three in the first half.
The fourth super freshman on the roster, Adem Bona, a 6-10 center who started and had five blocks in the team’s exhibition victory over Concordia Irvine last Wednesday was “withheld from the evening’s game against Sacramento State, in accordance with the NCAA,” a UCLA spokesperson’s statement read.
David Nwuba started in place of Bona, who is expected to start and play against Long Beach State on Friday night.
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The vague explanation made for a confusing conversation one hour before Monday night’s tip-off, but the essential one-game suspension pertains to Bona’s amateurism.
The Bruins got along just fine without the 5-star recruit. Later in the second half, another Singleton 3-pointer pushed UCLA’s lead to 50-32.
Former Torrance Bishop Montgomery High standout Gianni Hunt started for Sacramento State. He finished with nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
More to come on this story.