UCLA Basketball: 3 takeaways from triple-overtime victory over Pepperdine

In one of the most entertaining games of Friday night, the Bruins came away with their first win of the season in a nail-biter – with some positives and negatives aplenty.

After a disappointing 15-point loss to San Diego State on Wednesday night, UCLA Basketball earned a much-needed, gritty triple-overtime victory over Pepperdine on Friday, claiming a 107-98 win behind three 20-plus point scorers.

First and foremost – obviously – this win is incredibly important for UCLA, who desperately needed an optimistic rebound after never leading in their game against the Aztecs.  There is cause for concern given that it took the Bruins 55 minutes to knock off the Waves, but there are also numerous reasons to be optimistic moving forward.

The Bruins were led by a quintuplet of double-digit scorers, powered by star guard Chris Smith, who recorded a double-double of 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds – alongside six assists.

Joining Smith were fellow teammates Tyger Campbell (22 points), Jules Bernard (21 points), Jaime Jaquez, Jr. (16 points and 11 rebounds), and Cody Riley (13 points).  Their contributions were, obviously, necessary against a Pepperdine squad that also featured five double-digit scorers.

I wrote about Chris Smith and Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross – two of basketball’s top guards – in an article prior to this game, and, although Smith did not win the individual battle – that honor belonged to Ross, now Pepperdine’s all-time leading scorer behind an incredible 33-point performance – his leadership and play was instrumental in keeping UCLA’s momentum from last year alive.

This win, truthfully, is both a good win and a bad win.  Obviously, it is a good win just by the sake of it being a win – but one so desperately needed after Wednesday’s outcome.  Contrarily, there a number of issues that plagued the Bruins in this game – ones that could ruin their season if they are not addressed.