UCLA basketball: The Bruins lead Arizona State at halftime
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Something strange must have happened to UCLA over the holidays. Something good.
A team that had struggled offensively over the last month was suddenly pouring in three-pointers.
A team that had stumbled defensively was putting on the pressure.
It all added up to a 42-31 lead over Arizona State at halftime of a Pacific 10 Conference opener at Pauley Pavilion this afternoon.
Senior forward Nikola Dragovic, emerging from a slump, started things off for the Bruins by nailing four quick shots from long range. Guards Malcolm Lee and Jerime Anderson cut to the basket just enough to keep the defense honest.
The Bruins went so far as to play zone defense, a rarity around Westwood and a move that appeared to stun the Sun Devils.
With UCLA making 8 of 10 three-point attempts, Dragovic led all scorers with 16 points and Malcolm Lee contributed 11. For Arizona State, Rihards Kuksiks had 15 and Eric Boateng had five.
-- David Wharton