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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
UCLA 98, UC Riverside 56
When: 11:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
Officials: # Eric Curry, # Tony Padilla, # Marques Pettigrew
Attendance: 6328

Eleventh-ranked UCLA rolled to another resounding victory in preparation for this weekend's clash with the nation's top team, beating UC Riverside 98-56 Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Isaac Hamilton scored 27 points, made seven 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds for UCLA (8-0), which will face No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday. The Bruins will visit Rupp Arena for the first time, one year to the day after they beat the then-No. 1 Wildcats by 10 in Westwood.

"Obviously, if we go in there and take care of business, we'll get a lot of national attention," Hamilton said, "but it's just a regular-season game. It's not going to make or break our season. We definitely want to go in there and play our best."

TJ Leaf had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bruins, who matched their best start since the 2013-14 team won its first eight games. Aaron Holiday came off the bench to score 18 points, Thomas Welsh had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Lonzo Ball handed out a career-high 13 assists on a night when his younger brother, UCLA commit LiAngelo Ball, scored 72 in a high school game.

Secean Johnson led UC Riverside (1-4) with 17 points. Chance Murray had 13 points, and Gentrey Thomas added 12.

Going into the game, UCLA was leading the nation in field-goal percentage (54.7 percent) and assists per game (24.1). The Bruins were third in the nation in scoring, averaging 96.9 points per game despite being held to 74 on Sunday in a victory over Texas A&M in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy tournament.

The Bruins started fast against the Highlanders, racing out to an 11-2 lead over the first three minutes. They went up by 10 on a dunk by Welsh and took a 17-3 lead on a layup by Leaf.

UC Riverside battled back to get within seven following a 3-pointer by Johnson and a layup by Dikymbe Martin. The Highlanders cut the deficit to six on a 3-pointer by Thomas, but the Bruins ended the half with an 11-2 run to carry a 42-27 lead into the break.

The Bruins continued to pull away in the second half. Hamilton made a 3-pointer to put them up by 22 and later sank another to stretch the lead to 32. Ball's final assist led to a dunk by Leaf that gave them their largest lead of the night, 85-42.

UCLA shot a scorching 59.7 percent from the field and made 13 of 27 from 3-point range. The Bruins accumulated 29 assists on 37 made baskets, amassed a 45-29 rebounding advantage and outscored the Highlanders 32-14 on points in the paint.

"That team is equipped offensively with things we can't match," UC Riverside coach Dennis Cutts said.

UC Riverside shot 30 percent and made 8 of 25 from beyond the arc. Martin, a freshman guard who had a combined 41 points, 10 assists and seven steals in the previous two games, struggled against UCLA. The Highlanders' leading scorer was held to five points on 2-of-8 shooting.

Malik Thames, UC Riverside's second-leading scorer, was held to two points on 1-of-9 shooting. Thames missed the previous game due to an illness in his family.

NOTES: UCLA improved to 5-0 all-time against UC Riverside. ... The Bruins are No. 11 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, the first time they have been ranked in the top 10 in one of the two major polls since they were ranked No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll in February 2009. ... UC Riverside has lost 11 of its past 13 games dating back to last season. ... G Chance Murray, UC Riverside's third-leading scorer, starred at Price High School in Los Angeles, which is about 15 miles southeast of UCLA.
Top Game Performances
 
UC Riverside   UCLA
Secean Johnson 17 Scoring Isaac Hamilton 27
Chance Murray 2 Assists Lonzo Ball 13
Chance Murray 7 Rebounds Thomas Welsh 12
Chance Murray 3 Free Throws Made Ike Anigbogu 3
Dikymbe Martin 3 Steals Lonzo Ball 3
N/A Blocks Thomas Welsh 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
UC Riverside 56 30.0 8-25 6-9 8 29 0 8 12
UCLA 98 59.7 13-27 11-16 29 45 8 6 12