UCLA has lost just three games all season: Oregon, Arizona, and Southern California.
With a chance to redeem itself against the Trojans, the Bruins did just that and then some by handling their Los Angeles rival, controlling the greater part of the game and leading for nearly 30 minutes. While the game would never get closer than 20 points after the 5:21 mark in the second half (with an 83-63 score), that didnât stop UCLA from making sure its fans got their moneyâs worth at Pauley Pavilion.
âWe just wanted to make sure our fans got a good show,â Bryce Alford said after scoring 26 points in UCLAâs 102-70 blowout win.
That show, apparently, was to hang a C-note and make a statement. After all, itâs more than a rivalry. USC-UCLA is a battle for L.A. bragging rights, and USCâs 8-point win earlier this season was clearly at the forefront of the Bruinsâ minds.
Steve Alford kept his starters in when it was well out of hand deep into the second half, which basically turned into a dunk contest that rivaled the All-Star Game competition. Up by 25, hereâs Bryce Alford and Lonzo Ball just rubbing salt in USCâs wounds with this alley-oop connection:
Adding insult to injury, UCLA pushed it to a 30-point lead with a Bryce Alford to Lonzo ball alley-oop and then a Bryce NBA range 3. pic.twitter.com/otDqAbuPWP
— Derrek Li (@DerrekLi) February 19, 2017
Check the time. That was with less than 3 minutes left, and Alford kept Ball on the floor well past that.
In fact, Ball stayed in the game until his emphatic jam got the Bruins to the century mark. Then he promptly found the pine.
Make no mistake: Steve Alford was gunning for 100. The Bruins have the No. 1 offensive efficiency rating in the country, and thatâs clearly a mark he doesnât plan on ceding. Couple that with it being a Saturday night rivalry game against a team it had lost four straight against, and it was all the more reason to give fans a revenge show worth watching.
Consider that Jan. 25 defeat and the four-game losing streak to the Trojans rightfully avenged.
