SEATTLE — By halftime Monday night, UCLA did not look ready for March. More like a team in need of a season reboot.
In a showing as dreary as the cold, wet weather outside Alaska Airlines Arena, the Bruins couldn’t make a shot and their usually sturdy defense was not offering much resistance.
The dual disappointment left UCLA in need of a comeback against Washington to avoid another bad road loss and fueling further doubt about whether the Bruins could make it to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend, much less another trip to the Final Four.
It was then that an old friend reemerged to provide a reminder of what this team can do.
Looking as spry as he has all season, Jaime Jaquez Jr. blistered the Huskies with a variety of moves. He scored on layups, turnaround jumpers, putbacks and a three-pointer while powering the No.17 Bruins to a badly needed 77-66 victory.
Those ankles that have hindered Jaquez for most of the season didn’t seem to bother him on the way to a career-high 30 points while making 11 of 17 shots. Jules Bernard added 12 points for the Bruins (22-6, 14-5 Pac-12), who outscored the Huskies 52-37 in the second half while shooting 59.3%.
Badly in need of a spark after trailing by four points at halftime, the Bruins found it with their defense. They held Washington (14-14, 9-9) scoreless over the first four minutes of the second half while rolling off nine straight points to take a 34-29 lead on a Jaylen Clark steal and layup.
Bernard added a 3-pointer, and the Bruins eventually surged into a 45-33 lead on a Tyger Campbell floater to quiet the crowd.
UCLA’s David Singleton provided the knockout blow when he took a pass from Cody Riley after Riley’s offensive rebound and buried a straightaway 3-pointer to extend the advantage to 60-46.
UCLA arrived here having participated in the fish toss at Pike’s Place Market a day earlier, hoping for a far bigger catch.
The Bruins needed to beat Washington and USC this week — and get some help from Arizona, which plays the Trojans on Tuesday night — to overtake their crosstown rivals for the No.2 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Piling up wins would also help the Bruins improve their NCAA Tournament seeding with Selection Sunday less than two weeks away. Most bracket projections listed UCLA as a No.4 seed, though CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm listed the Bruins as a No. 5 seed, opening the tournament in Buffalo.
A strong close to the regular season and a couple of victories in the Pac-12 Tournament could help the Bruins avoid a cross-country trip and remain on the West Coast, opening the NCAA Tournament in either San Diego or Portland, Ore.
For the Bruins, this was the end of a hectic stretch in which they played six games in 12 days. They certainly looked weary in the first half, making 34.5% of their shots and only two of eight 3-point tries in the first half.
A fan provided a fitting tribute when he tried to make a half-court shot for $50,000 during a timeout and the ball landed around the 3-point arc.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin juggled his starting lineup, reinserting Myles Johnson after a one-game absence in which Riley got the nod as the team’s starting big man, and going with Singleton over Clark. Johnson got yanked only a few minutes into the game after getting beat for a rebound, with Cronin going back to Riley.
Clark endured an uneasy sequence in which he had a 3-point attempt blocked, committed a frustration foul and then got immediately removed from the game only to be waved out of Cronin’s seat, having to take another spot farther down the bench.
For a second consecutive game, the Bruins were without leading scorer Johnny Juzang because of the sprained right ankle that forced him out of the team’s game at Oregon last week. Juzang also missed UCLA’s first game against Washington this season because of a sore hip after falling off a scooter.
Even amid a third-consecutive disappointing season, Washington has remained a force at home. The Huskies had won six of seven Pac-12 games on their home court entering Monday, falling only to conference leader Arizona.
The Huskies were in position for an upset after UCLA made only three of its first 16 shots before Jaquez lifted his team’s percentage with a layup.
He was just getting started, propping up a team that needed everything he could provide.
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