UCLA basketball: Hot Bruins bury Cougars in first half

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There was focus and execution from UCLA in the first half Thursday. It allowed the Bruins to close the first half with a 14-2 run to lead 40-26.

UCLA made 16 of 23 shots in the first half. Michael Roll and Tyler Honeycutt both made all five of their shots. Roll had 13 points and Honeycutt 12.

A dunk by Washington State’s Marcus Capers cut a UCLA lead to 26-24 with seven minutes left. The Cougars had seven turnovers and two missed shots on their next nine possessions, as UCLA went on a 14-0 run.

Washington State was nine for 24 from the field. Kaly Thompson, the Pacific 10 Conference’s second leading scorer, was two for six from the field and has six points.

The only bad news for the Bruins in the first half was losing forward Reeves Nelson.

Nelson finished a fastbreak with a dunk for a 33-24 lead with 4:23 left. But Nelson was bumped in the air and landed face-first. He went to the locker room under his own power, but was holding a towel on his bleeding face.

-- Chris Foster