UCLA
7-1
Detroit Mercy
4-4
No. 25 UCLA Defeats Detroit Mercy, 106-73
December 03, 2017 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Jaylen Hands scored a career-high 23 points and Prince Ali added 20 as No. 25 UCLA cruised past Detroit Mercy, 106-73, in a non-conference game in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday.
The Bruins (7-1) extended their winning streak to four games, as four players scored in double figures. In addition to Hands and Ali, both Aaron Holiday and Chris Smith each finished with 14 points. Hands also finished with a career-best nine rebounds in the win.
Hands came off the bench for UCLA on Sunday and made each of his first three 3-point attempts. He finished the game having nailed 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range as the Bruins knocked down a season-high 11 triples on 25 attempts.
Ali made 8 of 12 shots, including 2 of 3 three-point attempts. The sophomore from The Bronx, N.Y., also had four assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block.
UCLA dominated the game in the paint, outscoring the visiting Titans by a 49-16 margin. The Bruins also capitalized in transition, scoring 21 fast-break points to just two for Detroit Mercy.
With the game tied 13-13 at the 13:33 mark, UCLA used a 14-0 scoring run over the next two minutes to secure a 27-13 cushion. From that point, UCLA's lead never fell to fewer than 11 points.
"I thought it was maybe our most complete game," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "I was really pleased with the 40-minute effort. I was really concerned with their 3-point shooting and how much they score the basketball, but the way we put two halves defensively like we did was very good for us."
UCLA worked its lead up to as many as 20 points with 7:26 to play and entered the locker room at halftime with a 52-35 cushion.
The Bruins went on a 25-8 scoring run to open the second half, and the Titans never could get closer than 25 points for the rest of the game. UCLA's lead reached a game-high 37 points, at 99-62, with 4:15 left in the contest.
UCLA shot 52.8 percent from the field on Sunday, marking the third game this season in which the Bruin shot at least 50 percent. The Bruins held Detroit Mercy to just 43.1 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range.
G.G. Goloman led the Bruins with a career-best five assists, totaling five points and five rebounds in 25 minutes.
The Bruins will return to action against Montana on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Game time in Pauley Pavilion is 8 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network, with Ted Robinson and Casey Jacobsen calling the action.
Following Wednesday's home game, UCLA will hit the road to face Michigan in a nationally-televised (CBS) game on Saturday, Dec. 9.
