No. 7 UCLA rolls over California for 5th straight win

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No Johnny Juzang meant opportunities for UCLA's bench players, and they took advantage.

Led by Jaime Jaquez Jr. with 15 points, the seventh-ranked Bruins routed California 81-57 on Thursday night to gain sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 with their fifth straight win.

All but one of UCLA's 10 players scored on a night when Juzang was sidelined by COVID-19 protocols. Cody Riley added a season-high 14 points, and Jules Bernard and Peyton Watson had 12 points each.

Jake Kyman scored 10 points and had three steals in 20 minutes, and David Singleton had five points, four rebounds, two steals and one block in 29 minutes off the bench.

"It was next-man-up mentality," said Jaquez, who had four of UCLA's 14 steals. "We have a really deep team. When guys have opportunities, they step up. Guys like Jake and David really stepped up and helped us get this W."

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UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24) shoots against California forward Grant Anticevich (15) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

UCLA (15-2, 7-1 Pac-12) avoided a letdown coming off its 75-59 win over No. 3 Arizona two nights earlier. That game drew a crowd of over 11,000, which shrunk to 7,457 for Cal.

"It could be easy after a game like Arizona to roll over, but we came out with intensity like we had before and just tried to keep that for this game," Jaquez said.

UCLA led by 18 points in the first half. The Bruins had runs of 10-0, 8-0 and 6-0 while the Golden Bears committed nine of their 17 turnovers.

Cal (9-11, 2-7) dropped its season-high sixth in a