LOS ANGELES — The band was back together again inside Pauley Pavilion. Literally. It was the first time UCLA’s band had played during a basketball game since fans were allowed back inside the building late last month.
What the Bruins unveiled on the court was something less than a full ensemble.
Point guard Tyger Campbell was out because of an unspecified violation of team rules, complicating UCLA’s efforts to shake off a late-season slump in which it had lost three of four games.
Jules Bernard took over primary ballhandling duties against Washington State on Thursday night and it didn’t go well in the opening minutes. His first pass was nearly stolen before getting knocked out of bounds. Shortly thereafter, he had a pass stolen in the backcourt and was benched in favor of David Singleton.
Turnovers were a troublesome theme for the Bruins.
They had nine by halftime, matching their season average for a game, and were struggling just to stay ahead of the Cougars early in the second half after Johnny Juzang flung a cross-court pass out of bounds.
But the murmurs of unease quickly turned into sustained cheers during a 15-1 run that powered No. 13 UCLA to a 76-56 victory.
Sophomore guard Jaylen Clark, who took Campbell’s spot in the starting lineup, was a whirlwind of activity while setting career highs in four categories with 18 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals. He quickly announced his presence with a steal in the backcourt for a layup and following another steal with a three-pointer.
Clark was the catalyst for nearly everything the Bruins (18-5, 10-4 Pac-12) did early, notching eight points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds in his first eight minutes. After Clark took a bounce pass from Jaime Jaquez Jr. for a layup, he had a career-high 12 points and there were still more than seven minutes to play in the first half.
It was a welcome infusion of productivity for a shorthanded team.
On a night he appeared on the cover of the game program, Campbell warmed up with his teammates, drained a long three-pointer about 10 minutes before tipoff and jogged into the tunnel leading toward the locker room. That was the extent of his basketball activities.
Juzang added 19 points in a foul-plagued performance in which he played only 19 minutes. Bernard rebounded from his early stumbles to finish with eight points and guard Jake Kyman added eight off the bench for the Bruins.
Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Cody Riley (nine points) showed some extreme athleticism early in the second half when he followed a steal with a dunk in which he was fouled. The Bruins won comfortably despite committing 13 turnovers, their most in more than a month.
As promised, UCLA coach Mick Cronin changed his team’s starting lineup to revive its sagging defense, going with center Myles Johnson in place of Riley. The move paid quick dividends when Johnson scored on a layup for the game’s first points and blocked a shot by Efe Abogidi to trigger a fast break that ended in Juzang’s three-pointer.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s full-court press flummoxed Washington State, helping the Bruins force five turnovers and steal two inbounds passes before the midpoint of the first half.
The Bruins lost some offensive punch when Juzang, their leading scorer, pushed off for his second foul and barely four minutes into the game went to the bench for the balance of the first half.
That could have been troublesome for UCLA given the opponent. The Cougars (14-11, 7-7) entered the game leading the Pac-12 in scoring defense, holding teams to 62.5 points per game, while also limiting teams to a conference-low 30.7% on three-pointers.
But the Bruins got hot, making 51.9% of their shots and 10 of 20 three-pointers.
Everyone left happy, fans winning free fries after a Cougar missed consecutive free throws in the second half and the band playing “Rover” in celebration of the victory that made things feel slightly more normal.
