UCLA bounces back from first loss with 76-63 victory over Oregon State

Lonzo Ball had 23 points, including four three-pointers, and No. 2 UCLA rebounded from a loss to Oregon with a 76-63 victory over Oregon State on Friday night.

TJ Leaf added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Aaron Holiday had 14 points for the Bruins (14-2, 1-1 Pac-12), who led by as many as 14 points.

“The loss was in the past, it’s not going to make or break the season,” Ball said afterward. “You’ve just got to shake it off and move forward.”

Stephen Thompson Jr. had 25 points for the Beavers (4-11, 0-2).

Trailing, 34-26, at halftime, the Beavers pulled into a tie at 38 on Thompson’s three-pointer.

While the Bruins never surrendered the lead, Oregon State kept it close, pulling within 44-43 on Kendal Manuel’s three-pointer with 12:52 left.

Ball and Holiday hit consecutive three-pointers to give UCLA a 53-45 lead midway through the half. Ball made another three to extend the lead to 64-50 with 6:12 left and Oregon State could no longer keep up.

The Bruins were undefeated until Wednesday, when they fell, 89-87, to No. 21 Oregon.

“The last two days we just talked about growing and trusting each other defensively,” UCLA Coach Steve Alford said. “We’ve got a lot of trust on the offensive end, so it’s about growing and developing that trust defensively, and I thought we took a good positive stride there tonight.”