Cold-shooting Cal falls behind early, can’t recover against UCLA
Chris Smith scored 21 points, and UCLA led most of the way to beat Cal 76-56 on Sunday in the host Bruins’ earliest Pac-12 opener in modern school history.
Makale Foreman scored 14 points to lead the Golden Bears (2- 3, 0-2 Pac-12) at Pauley Pavilion.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 points and six rebounds, with all but one of the Bruins’ nine players scoring. The Bruins (3-1, 1- 0) won’t play their next conference game until Dec. 23 at Oregon.
The Bruins raced to a 31-11 lead, including 15 straight points to cap the spurt. Smith scored eight of their first 12 points, hitting two 3-pointers.
Dav id S i n g le t on’s 3-pointer extended UCLA’s lead to 40-22 at the break. The Bruins shot 70% from the floor, owned a 15-7 edge in defensive rebounding, and outscored the Bears 14- 6 in the paint.
The Bears were held to 38% field-goal shooting in the first half.
The Bears remain in Southern California to visit Pepperdine on Wednesday. T OP - R A N K E D G ON Z AGA TAKES VIRUS BREAK >> Topranked Gonzaga paused basketball competition Sunday through Dec. 14 because of COVID-19.
On Saturday in Indianapolis, less than 90 minutes before the scheduled tip- off against No. 2 Baylor, the game was called off because of two positive COVID-19 tests in the Bulldogs program. STANFORD 78, NORTH CAROLINA AT&T 46 >> Oscar da Silva scored a game-high 26 points, and Daejon Davis added nine to lead the Cardinal (2-2) in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Cardinal has re
mained in North Carolina following its appearance in the relocated Invitational, temporarily relocating and training through Dec. 21.
The game was the first time Stanford’s men’s basketball team played at a historically black college or university, and the first time in N.C. A& T history that it hosted a Power 5 opponent.
NO. 11 WEST VIRGINIA 80, GEORGETOWN 71 >> Miles McBride scored 17 points, Derek Culver had 14, and the visiting Mountaineers (4-1) finished fast in the first meeting between the former Big East rivals since 2014. Jahvon Blair led Georgetown (1-2) with 19 points while Jamorko
Pickett added 11.
NO. 12 VILLANOVA 68, NO. 17 TEXAS 64 >> Jermaine Samuels and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl each scored 19 points, and the Wildcats (41) held on late to hand the host Longhorns (4-1) their first loss.
Collin Gillespie made four free throws over the final 15 seconds to secure the victory for Villanova. Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman III each scored 17 points to pace the Longhorns.
GEORGIA TECH 79, NO. 20 KENTUCKY 62 >> Moses Wright scored 21 points, and the Yellow Jackets (1-2) gave the visiting Wildcats (1- 3) their third straight loss.
Georgia Tech rebounded with a strong performance following losses to state rivals Georgia State and Mercer. Freshman Terrence Clarke had 22 points for Kentucky.
UC DAVIS CANCELS GAMES >> The UC Davis men’s and women’s basketball teams will pause games indefinitely to follow Yolo County’s new health order. Athletic director Kevin Blue
announced the suspension in anticipation of the stricter COVID-19 restrictions imposed Sunday.
Women NO. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA 83, NO. 23 IOWA STATE 65 >>
Zia Cooke scored 19 points, and the top-ranked Gamecocks got back into a groove with the road win. The Gamecocks (4-1) were beaten by No. 8 N.C. State 54- 46 on Thursday but never trailed against the Cyclones (22) during the SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.
NO. 7 ARIZONA 78, USC 77 >> Aari McDonald scored 30 points, and Cate Reese added 25, helping the host Wildcats outlast the Trojans (1-2, 0-2 Pac-10). McDonald and Reese keyed a 22-3 run that carried into the fourth quarter as the Wildcats (3- 0, 2- 0) fell behind by 11 early in the third quarter.
NO. 10 OREGON 85, UTAH 43 >> Erin Boley and Te-Hina Paopao each scored 17 points as the Ducks rolled at home. Boley added five rebounds and three assists while Paopao had a teamhigh four assists for the Ducks (4- 0, 2- 0). They are seeking a fourth straight Pac-12 title. The Utes were playing their first game of the season following a coronavirus outbreak.