MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 24 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 4 UCLA defeat Marquette 67-56 on Saturday night in a game that was pushed back several hours due to the Bruins’ flight problems.
UCLA (8-1) showed no apparent signs of rust in its first game since its
Johnny Juzang and Tyger Campbell had 12 points each for UCLA, which grabbed control early. Campbell also had eight assists and five rebounds.
Marquette's Greg Elliott scored a career-high 22 points off the bench. Justin Lewis had 12 points and nine rebounds but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. Darryl Morsell added 11 points for Marquette (8-3).
Marquette spent most of the first half misfiring from 3-point range, which was particularly troublesome since nine of Marquette’s first 11 field-goal attempts were from 3.
Late in the first half, Marquette trailed 33-10 on 3 of 26 shooting but closed on an 11-2 run that included a trio of Gregg Elliott 3-pointers to go into the locker room behind 35-21.
Marquette cut the margin to 47-36 on another Elliott 3-pointer with 18:58 left, but the Golden Eagles wouldn't get the deficit into single digits until the game's final minute.
UCLA shot 36.4% from the field compared to Marquette's 33.3%.
Originally scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m., the game was moved to seven hours later because UCLA’s flight had to be diverted Friday to Denver due to a cracked windshield. The Bruins flew out of Denver early Saturday morning.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins were in control throughout, outrebounding Marquette 48-37 and having a 19-7 edge in second-chance points.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles have faced four Top 25 teams this season, losing three of them. The lone win was a one-point victory over then-No. 10 Illinois on Nov. 15. ... Elliott shot 6 of 9 from 3-point range, but his teammates were a combined 2 of 24. Elliott scored 14 points in a span of five minutes midway through the game. Before Saturday, Elliott had scored 23 points all season.
RARE TRIP
Saturday marked the first time UCLA has faced Marquette in Milwaukee since Dec. 18, 1964, during Al McGuire’s debut season as Marquette’s coach. UCLA leads the all-time series 4-0. Marquette lost 69-60 at UCLA exactly a year ago.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
this week. If No. 2 Baylor falls to No. 6 Villanova on Sunday, UCLA at least ought to move into the top three.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Hosts Alabama State on Wednesday.
Marquette: At Xavier on Saturday in its Big East opener.
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