UCLA basketball: Bruins ride Roll to first-half lead
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Michael Roll seemed determined to extend UCLA’s season, scoring 16 points to give the Bruins a 39-35 halftime lead over California in the Pacific Life Pacific 10 Conference tournament semifinals this evening.
Roll made six of 10 shots in the first half, putting the Bears on their heels from the start.
The Bruins made eight of their first 13 shots, with Michael doing the heavy lifting. He was four for five from the field, scoring 10 of UCLA’s first 20 points.
UCLA shot 58% in the first half.
Roll was fouled sinking a short jumper, with his free throw giving UCLA a 20-10 lead with 12:30 left in the first half. It got a little grittier after that, as the Bears seemed to remember they were the conference’s regular-season champion.
California, behind point guard Jerome Randle’s play, began dissecting the Bruins’ man-to-man defense. The Bears pulled to within one point twice, but UCLA’s Jerime Anderson seven consecutive points to keep the Bruins in front.
Randle had 14 points in the first half.
-- Chris Foster
Twitter.com/cfosterlatimes
