LOS ANGELES — Seattle U men's basketball suffered a scoring drought late in the first half at UCLA and was never able to recover in a 78-52 final at Pauley Pavilion Thursday night.
The Redhawks (3-2) and Bruins (2-1) were knotted at 29-29 with 4:44 remaining in the first half following a pair of made free throws by Darrion Trammell.
But from there, Seattle U went ice cold while UCLA put together a 14-0 run to close out the frame and carry a 43-29 lead into the break.
The second half would offer little comfort or reprieve for the Redhawks' offense as they managed just 35 percent shooting from the field, including 0-of-13 from three.
Early in the game, the largest spread was four points and the teams stayed mostly within a possession of one another. The Redhawks opened the night making good on three of their first four three-point attempts as Riley Grigsby drained a pair and Aaron Nettles connected from deep.
But the shooting touch would not remain as Seattle U went on to miss its final 19 three-point shots.
"We held the game plan for the first 15 minutes and then UCLA got separation from us and we kind of hung our heads," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "When you shoot the ball that much and the ball doesn't go in the basket, it's really hard to keep doing the other things you need to do to stay in a game. We have to come together to understand just how hard you have to fight to come together when that happens."
Grigsby finished the night with 12 points while Nettles added 11. Trammell was the Redhawks' third leading scorer with eight points. Jared Pearre came off the bench to contribute a team-high six rebounds.
The Bruins were paced by Tyger Campbell's 17 points. Jules Bernard added 16 points and Jalen Hill had 11 points and 10 boards.
"We have a lot of respect for UCLA," Hayford said. "They played really well, they played hard, amazing athleticism, and then they shot the ball better than I thought they would."
Seattle U will seek to right its ship on Sunday, remaining in Souther California for a matinee 2 p.m. tip-off at Long Beach State.
The Redhawks (3-2) and Bruins (2-1) were knotted at 29-29 with 4:44 remaining in the first half following a pair of made free throws by Darrion Trammell.
But from there, Seattle U went ice cold while UCLA put together a 14-0 run to close out the frame and carry a 43-29 lead into the break.
The second half would offer little comfort or reprieve for the Redhawks' offense as they managed just 35 percent shooting from the field, including 0-of-13 from three.
Early in the game, the largest spread was four points and the teams stayed mostly within a possession of one another. The Redhawks opened the night making good on three of their first four three-point attempts as Riley Grigsby drained a pair and Aaron Nettles connected from deep.
But the shooting touch would not remain as Seattle U went on to miss its final 19 three-point shots.
"We held the game plan for the first 15 minutes and then UCLA got separation from us and we kind of hung our heads," said Head Coach Jim Hayford. "When you shoot the ball that much and the ball doesn't go in the basket, it's really hard to keep doing the other things you need to do to stay in a game. We have to come together to understand just how hard you have to fight to come together when that happens."
Grigsby finished the night with 12 points while Nettles added 11. Trammell was the Redhawks' third leading scorer with eight points. Jared Pearre came off the bench to contribute a team-high six rebounds.
The Bruins were paced by Tyger Campbell's 17 points. Jules Bernard added 16 points and Jalen Hill had 11 points and 10 boards.
"We have a lot of respect for UCLA," Hayford said. "They played really well, they played hard, amazing athleticism, and then they shot the ball better than I thought they would."
Seattle U will seek to right its ship on Sunday, remaining in Souther California for a matinee 2 p.m. tip-off at Long Beach State.
Postgame comments from @CoachHayford pic.twitter.com/5GzayI4tjm
— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) December 4, 2020