UCLA cruises past Utah, regains top spot in Pac-12

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    UCLA guard Johnny Juzang shoots as Utah forward Timmy Allen defends during the first half of Thursday’s game in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah forward Riley Battin, right, and UCLA forward Mac Etienne (12) reach for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Tyger Campbell (10) defends against Utah guard Alfonso Plummer during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah center Branden Carlson, top rear, and UCLA guard Jaylen Clark (0) vie for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA’s Jaylen Clark, left, and Johnny Juzang (3) defend against Utah forward Riley Battin (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah center Branden Carlson shoots as UCLA forward Cody Riley (2) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA coach Mick Cronin shouts to the team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Utah on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) shoots as Utah guard Rylan Jones (15) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA forward Mac Etienne (12) lays the ball up as Utah center Branden Carlson, left, defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak shouts to the team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UCLA on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah center Branden Carlson, rear, defends as UCLA guard Tyger Campbell (10) drives in the first half during an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah forward Timmy Allen, right, shoots as UCLA guard Jules Bernard defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) shoots over Utah center Lahat Thioune (32) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) runs up court in the first half during an NCAA college basketball game against Utah Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) defends against Utah forward Timmy Allen (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah center Branden Carlson (35) defends against UCLA forward Cody Riley (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) scores against Utah center Lahat Thioune during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Tyger Campbell (10) shoots as Utah guard Rylan Jones (15) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA forward Logan Cremonesi (23) celebrates a teammate’s three-point basket in the second half during an NCAA college basketball game against Utah, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jules Bernard (1) lays the ball up in the first half during an NCAA college basketball game against Utah Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (4) lays the ball up as Utah center Branden Carlson, right, defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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    Utah forward Timmy Allen walks off the court following the team’s NCAA college basketball game against UCLA on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

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Statistical trends can lend interesting insight on how a team is performing, they can also be somewhat of an eye roll – at least that’s how UCLA coach Mick Cronin reacted to hearing some of them after the Bruins’ 76-61 victory over Utah on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

Eye roll or not, some are hard to ignore.

Trend No. 1: When Jules Bernard scores nine points or more, the Bruins are unbeaten this season (now 10-0). The junior wing scored a game-high 19 points in 35 minutes with four rebounds and three assists, going 4 for 6 from3-point range to help the Bruins (17-5 overall, 13-3 Pac-12) move back atop the conference standings, a half-game ahead of USC (19-5, 13-4) following the Trojans’ loss in Colorado.

“When Jules (Bernard) takes his time, he can really shoot and then his strength comes into play,” Cronin said. “He lets the game come to him and he takes what they give him. He gives us toughness on defense, which we desperately need on this team. We need him in the lineup for athletic and toughness reasons.”

Trend No. 2: Anytime the Bruins lead by 10 or more points during the course of a game, they’re 9-0. Their largest lead of the night was 21 at the 11:52 mark of the second half. It never dropped below 14 in the last 10 minutes of the game, a less stressful scenario for UCLA than their previous meeting, when the Bruins escaped with a 72-70 win at Pauley Pavilion on New Year’s Eve.

“Utah is a very good team, we made them look average tonight,” Cronin said.

A bonus stat, that’s far from a trend: Utah (9-11. 6-10) didn’t attempt one free throw, marking the first time UCLA has held an opponent without one since a game against Delaware State on Nov. 19, 2005.

“I’ve never had that in a game,” Cronin said, who has been a head coach for 18 years. “We only had four.”

Johnny Juzang had 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, making four 3-pointers, and a team-high eight rebounds. Cody Riley scored 15 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored nine of his 11 points in the second half for the Bruins, who won their fourth in a row.

“We have a lot of weapons,” Bernard said. “When we play together and play with confidence we’re a very hard team to stop.”

UCLA took an eight-point lead into halftime after shooting 60% from the 3-point line. But the shooting only got better in the second half. The Bruins used a 15-5 run to start the second half and made 11 of their first 13 shot attempts.

The Bruins finished the game shooting 58% from beyond the arc (11 for 19).

It was a swift victory for UCLA, building confidence for Saturday night’s game at Colorado (18-7, 12-6), when the Buffaloes will be looking to avenge a 65-62 loss to the Bruins in early January. The mountain trip to Utah and Colorado is often referred to as the toughest road trip in the Pac-12.

“We know we’re going to get (Colorado’s) best shot,” Bernard said. “They’re a great team, we know it’s not going to be a walk in the park.”

UCLA has three games left in the regular season, with a road game at Oregon before the home finale against USC on March 6. USC plays at Utah on Saturday then hosts Stanford before the game at UCLA.

UTES DEPLETED

Branden Carlson led the Utes, who lost their fourth in a row, with 17 points (four after halftime), while Riley Battin and Ian Martinez added 10 each. Utah was playing without 6-foot-9 forward Mikael Jantunen, who has been in quarantine since returning from a stint on the Finnish national team last week. Point guard Rylan Jones played for the first time since missing four games with a shoulder injury and dished seven assists but was scoreless in 17 minutes.

Check out the highlights from UCLA’s #Pac12Hoops road win at Utah, courtesy @Pac12Network ??#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/N3hEDvHB6h

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) February 26, 2021

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