UCLA routs St. Francis in season opener to give Mick Cronin a milestone win – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES — UCLA’s 6-foot-10 duo of sophomore forward Adem Bona and redshirt senior center Kenneth Nwuba combined for 38 points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots and five first-half dunks to lead the Bruins to a convincing 75-44 victory over St. Francis (Pennsylvania) in the season opener for both teams on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Bona, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year last season, scored 22 of his career-high 28 points in the second half as the Bruins turned a 10-point lead into a blowout. Bona scored eight of the Bruins’ first 12 points in the second half as they stretched their lead to 44-27. He added nine rebounds and a career-high four blocks.

Junior guard Lazar Stefanovic (a Utah transfer) added 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Nwuba had 10 points. Aday Mara, a heralded 7-3 freshman center from Spain, had two points, one block and three fouls in five minutes in his college debut.

The Bruins shot 55% from the field overall (29 for 57) and scored 48 points in the paint.

The Bruins’ victory was a milestone for Coach Mick Cronin, who won his 100th career game at UCLA to begin his fifth season in Westwood. The program has also won 26 consecutive home games, the longest active home winning streak in the nation.

Cronin’s starting five was sophomore guard Dylan Andrews, freshman guard Sebastian Mack, Stefanovic, Bona and Nwuba, the only player left from the UCLA squad that reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in 2021.

Bona and Nwuba had two dunks apiece to stake the Bruins to an 8-2 lead, but St. Francis kept it interesting after that, tying the score at 17-all with 7:26 left in the first. The Bruins seized momentum with a 15-5 run to close the half and led 32-22 at halftime. Nwuba had eight points – on 3-for-3 shooting – in the first half.

UCLA, who held St. Francis to 33% shooting, was 31-6 last season and won the Pac-12 regular-season title with an 18-2 record, but Bona is among a handful of players who will be counted on as UCLA experiences its biggest roster overhaul under Cronin. Bona, Andrews, Nwuba and redshirt sophomore Will McClendon are the only returning players who were part of last season’s rotation.

Freshman Berke Buyuktuncel, a 6-9 forward from Turkey, did not play because he has not been cleared yet by the NCAA. Mara was cleared late last week.

The Red Flash, who had 21 turnovers, were led by sophomore forward Gestin Liberis with 12 points.

UP NEXT

UCLA (1-0) will return to action when it hosts Lafayette (0-1) on Friday at Pauley Pavilion.