LOS ANGELES (AP) Chris Smith scored 20 points and Jalen Hill added 17 points to lead UCLA to a 76-61 win over Southern Utah on Monday night.
The Bruins remain undefeated and have won all four of their games at home.
UCLA built an early 17-3 lead behind an impressive defense and Southern Utah went 8+ minutes without a field goal during that stretch. UCLA had 11 steals and 10 blocked shots,
John Knight III led the Thunderbirds (2-2) with 14 points.
In the second half, Shareef O’Neal made a 3-pointer from the right wing for the first points of his UCLA career. O’Neal, the son of Shaquille O’Neal, had missed the two previous games due to a hip injury and sat out last season because of open-heart surgery last December.
This was the first meeting between the schools.
For Southern Utah, Dre Marin made a 3-pointer from the corner with 10:44 left in the first half to end the scoring drought and cut the lead to 17-6. Southern Utah (2-2) trailed 35-22 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Southern Utah: The Thunderbirds weren’t able to run offensive sets like they wanted, but the experience playing UCLA at Pauley Pavilion will surely pay dividends later.
UCLA: The Bruins defense was stifling and that led to plenty of transition baskets. The game was a campus game for the Maui Invitational.
UP NEXT
Southern Utah: Plays Charleston Southern in the Maui Invitational at Johnson City, Tennessee on Saturday.
UCLA: Hosts Hofstra on Thursday.
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