M College BB
Scores/Schedules
Rankings
Standings
Statistics
Transactions
Injuries
Weekly lineup
Teams
Recruiting
  Saturday, Dec. 18 6:00pm ET
Kapono provides spark for Bruins
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jerome Moiso and Dan Gadzuric finally put together the dominating game that was long anticipated, but rarely realized, by UCLA's two big men.

Moiso had 17 points in 30 minutes and Gadzuric had 15 points and tied his career-high with 14 rebounds as the Bruins (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 18 AP) defeated DePaul 76-58 Saturday.

Quentin Richardson
DePaul's Quentin Richardson scored 22 points and had 15 rebounds, but Ray Young and UCLA prevailed on Saturday.
"They stepped up big," said point guard Earl Watson, who injured his right hand when he tripped and fell in the first half. "It was unbelievable."

Nagging injuries and foul trouble conspired to keep the 6-foot-10 Moiso and 6-foot-11 Gadzuric from playing at the same time in their first two seasons.

"That's one of the best times we've played together," Moiso said. "That's what it's supposed to be and we're getting there. It's going to be more fun as we go along."

Freshman Jason Kapono scored nine of his 20 points during a 16-0 second-half run that allowed UCLA to put the game away in the teams' first meeting since 1991.

The Bruins (4-1) broke out of a shooting slump at the start of the second half after neither team led by more than two points late in the first half.

Kapono hit three 3-pointers as the Bruins outscored the Blue Demons (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) 23-5, including 16 straight, to take a 47-31 lead with 11:57 remaining.

"He can hit those all day, just give it to him," Watson said.

Gadzuric added six points and Moiso five in the spurt. Moiso ended up fouling out late and Gadzuric also had four fouls, but the trouble came after they had made an impact.

The Blue Demons (7-3) went more than seven minutes without a field goal while UCLA was scoring on nearly every possession.

"We were very bad offensively," DePaul coach Pat Kennedy said. "All we have to do is play like we did in the first half and we win."

DePaul was delayed getting out of snowy Chicago, which resulted in a shortened practice. The Blue Demons also were without starting point guard Rashon Burno, who sprained his knee in Tuesday's win over St. John's.

"Our kids were mentally exhausted before the game," Kennedy said.

The Bruins had their own woes. They were coming off a humiliating 59-43 loss to Gonzaga a week ago in which UCLA shot 26 percent. Saturday's win was the first over a ranked opponent this season.

"What I'm most proud of is the way they responded," coach Steve Lavin said. "What determines whether you'll be successful is your resilience of spirit."

Ray Young added 15 points, including eight straight after UCLA's game-breaking run.

Quentin Richardson, DePaul's All-American sophomore, had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Blue Demons, who had lost by a combined five points to ranked opponents Texas and Duke.

Richardson scored 10 consecutive points in four minutes when DePaul trailed by 18 points with 6:35 remaining. The Blue Demons outrebounded UCLA 55-43, but shot just 30 percent, including 11-of-44 in the second half.

"We just couldn't do anything in the second half," Richardson said. "We didn't execute or adjust to their offense. We had bad shot selections and didn't get into an offensive flow."

UCLA took a 10-6 lead in the series, which resumed on the 86th birthday of former DePaul coach Ray Meyer.

 


ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard

DePaul Clubhouse

UCLA Clubhouse


Rush brothers not paid in college, says former AAU coach