It didn’t take Johnny Juzang long to realize it was going to be his night.
“I knew pretty early,” Juzang said. “My teammates found me early and that got me going.”
Good thing for No. 9 UCLA, because he didn’t get much help on offense.
Juzang scored a season-high 28 points and the Bruins outlasted Utah 63-58 on Thursday.
“He knew he could score so we were trying to get him in as much space as we could. I probably should have got some more opportunities, but they were really trying to take it away from us,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said.
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UCLA’s Jules Bernard (1) congratulates Johnny Juzang (3), who scored against Utah during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Salt Lake City.
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Jules Bernard added 14 points for the Bruins (12-2, 4-1 Pac-12), who had a difficult time shaking the last-place Utes even after a brilliant start.
Lazar Stefanovic scored a career-high 18 points but missed an open jumper from the top of the key that could have tied the game late. Both Gach had 11 points for Utah (8-11, 1-8), which has lost seven straight.
“I’m unbelievably proud of our kids. Gave ourselves every opportunity to win. Played a complete game on both ends … and really showed a lot of tenacity,” Utah coach Craig Smith said.
Trailing 54-51, the Bruins went on a 7-0 run capped by Juzang’s drive. The Utes had a couple of chances to tie it in the final 30 seconds, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. drew an offensive foul on Gach and the Utes missed two 3-pointers.
“I know Gach likes to go hard in transition … and once I saw him put his head down, I just slid over and took it. I was scared since the ref took a while to call it,” Jaquez said.
Utah kept the game tight by trapping on defense in the post and staying attached to perimeter shooters. After committing only three turnovers in the first half, the Bruins lost the ball four times in a 3:36 span and Utah regained the…
Source : foxnews
