Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s scoring spree powers UCLA over Washington State in Pac-12 tournament

What occurred in Seattle and Westwood got here right here.

Each time UCLA wanted a basket to generate some momentum or prolong a lead Thursday evening, it discovered what it wanted from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

The junior guard scored in quite a lot of methods throughout one stretch within the second half of the Bruins’ Pac-12 Convention match quarterfinal towards Washington State. He buried a three-pointer. A contested layup. A layup during which he was fouled. Two extra layups. A lay-in off an inbounds lob.

By the point the in-game layup line was over, the second-seeded Bruins had been properly on the way in which to a 75-65 victory over seventh-seeded Washington State at T-Cellular Enviornment.

For Jaquez, it was the continuation of a latest scoring spree that began final week within the Pacific Northwest. His 23 factors on nine-for-15 taking pictures to go together with 11 rebounds towards the Cougars included 17 factors within the second half, together with 14 of his group’s 16 throughout one stretch.

He punctuated his last basket, a nook three-pointer, by making a 3 signal together with his fingers on the way in which again down the courtroom.

Jaquez has now scored 30, 27 and 23 factors in his final three video games, erasing any lingering worries in regards to the twin ankle braces he’s been sporting for a month.

The Bruins (24-6) will play the winner of the late recreation between USC and Washington in a semifinal on Saturday evening of their quest for his or her first Pac-12 match title since 2014.

Jaquez’s newest huge recreation got here with a supportive soundtrack within the Bruins’ first match recreation right here in entrance of followers and their band since 2019. UCLA’s lead was so snug within the last minutes that the throng of scholars behind one basket chanted “We would like Russell!” in reference to walk-on Russell Stong IV.

Stong entered with 62 seconds left and acquired off a three-pointer … that hit the again of the rim earlier than bouncing away.

Guard Jules Bernard added 19 factors for UCLA, which shot 48.4% within the second half and 47.5% for the sport. Andrej Jakimovski scored 15 factors for Washington State (19-14), which made solely eight of 29 three-pointers (27.6%).

UCLA’s protection arrived shortly earlier than halftime, holding the Washington State with out a area objective for greater than 8½ minutes. The lockdown effort triggered a 21-2 run that reworked a taut recreation right into a runaway, the Bruins holding a 40-23 lead earlier than the Cougars scored the ultimate 5 factors of the primary half.

Sturdy protection was wanted with UCLA’s Tyger Campbell in foul hassle. The purpose guard performed solely 10 minutes within the first half after selecting up two fouls and his group’s offense was noticeably out of rhythm, committing 5 turnovers earlier than halftime only one recreation after having set a college file with just one towards USC.

That made Bernard one thing of a savior for the Bruins, his 13 factors by the sport’s midpoint coming after he made 5 of six pictures and three of 4 three-pointers. His teammates shot a mixed 37.5%.

Probably the most entertaining sequence of the primary half might need come when UCLA college students took a verbal jab at Washington State followers in a single nook of the world who began a weak chant alternating the college’s colours. Unimpressed, the Bruins college students responded, “We will’t hear you!”