Cal State Fullerton @ UCLA preview
Pauley Pavilion
Last Meeting ( Dec 28, 2019 ) CSU Fullerton 77, UCLA 74
UCLA will look to stay perfect on its six-game homestand when it welcomes Cal State Fullerton to Los Angeles on Friday.
The Bruins (4-1) moved to 4-0 at home and 3-0 in their homestand on Wednesday with an 84-70 win over Idaho State. UCLA jumped ahead of the Bengals early, leading by 17 points in the first half before settling for a 14-point edge at the break.
The margin topped out at 28 points.
Sebastian Mack continued a run of strong performances coming off the UCLA bench, scoring a season-high 21 points to complement Tyler Bilodeau's 20 points.
"He's really improving in his pace and his decision-making," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said of Mack.
Cronin pointed to Mack's rise since the Bruins' loss to New Mexico on Nov. 8 when the sophomore guard scored just two points and committed three turnovers in nine minutes.
Mack has scored in double digits in all three games since and has given the ball away a total of just three times.
"I've always loved his toughness," Cronin added of Mack. "He's a bright spot for us."
Another Bruins guard, Dylan Andrews, returned to the lineup on Wednesday after a groin injury kept him out of blowout victories against Boston University and Lehigh. Andrews had three points and four assists in 12 minutes off the bench against Idaho State.
Cal State Fullerton (1-4) makes the short trip north from Orange County, continuing an early-season nonconference gauntlet. The Titans already lost to three of UCLA's former Pac-12 Conference counterparts, Stanford, Colorado and Oregon State, as well as 2024 NCAA Tournament second-round qualifier Grand Canyon.
The Titans picked up their first win on Monday, beating Idaho State 62-61. In the process, Dedrique Taylor became the winningest coach in Cal State Fullerton history with his 156th victory, topping Bob Burton.
"It means a lot in terms of just who our program is and what we've been doing the past 11 years," Taylor said, per the Cal State Fullerton athletic website. "It's a hell of a feat to be able to accomplish what we've accomplished here."
Taylor, the Titans coach since 2013, guided the program to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2022.
Guard Donovan Oday leads the Titans, putting up 11.2 points and five rebounds per game. He finished with 16 points and seven boards vs. Idaho State, while John Mikey Square logged a team-best 17 points.
--Field Level Media