The scattered cheers that serenaded the home team at Pauley Pavilion before half-time were well deserved.
UCLA trailed by two points after putting in little effort against a mid-major team with a losing record in the Big West Conference.
The Cal Poly logo on the front of opponents' jerseys did not generate the same spirited effort that the Bruins brought to their more established opponents, continuing a troubling trend that began early in the season.
Sky Clark ultimately bailed out UCLA with another big offensive play to lead the Bruins to relief victory with a score of 108-87 It's Friday evening, but there are still a lot of worries.
Why does UCLA continue to play at the level of its rival? How do the Bruins account for giving up 45 points in the first half? And what happens to Xavier Booker?
Apparently unhappy with what he saw from his center during three unproductive minutes of the first half, UCLA coach Mick Cronin started Jamar Brown Instead of Booker, he will start the second half with a three-guard lineup. Cronin said earlier this week that Booker sprained his ankle in practice, an injury the big man appeared to aggravate in Wednesday's game against Arizona State. Booker did not play in the second half against the Mustangs.
Booker's removal from the lineup meant moving forward Tyler Bilodeau back to center, a position he has played increasingly over the past week. The Bruins (9-3) went on a 15-0 run early in the second half, turning a two-point deficit into a 60-47 lead, eliminating any doubt about the outcome.
It was another case of UCLA simply outshooting its opponent, with the Bruins shooting 57.4% to Cal Poly's 51% during a game in which the defense was only in spurts.
Clark continued his recent hot streak, scoring a season-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting, hitting six of 12 3-pointers and earning a loud ovation after leaving with 2 1/2 minutes left. He got plenty of help from Bilodeau (24 points and eight rebounds) and point guard Donovan Dent (16 points, 11 assists and five steals) as the Bruins notched their second straight win.
Kayden Ward scored 21 points for Cal Poly (5-8), which had a 2% chance of winning, according to basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy.
By halftime, the likelihood of a tough loss at UCLA had increased dramatically.
Giving up open shots due to weak defense wasn't the worst thing for the Bruins.
Trent Perry fouled out twice on a 3-point shot, once prompting Cronin to yell, “Get over here!” after Perry sent Ward to the free throw line for three shots. A new low came late in the first half when Brown fouled Hamad Musa on a 3-pointer and Musa made the free throw to end the four-point game.
Brown was immediately replaced by Perry, whose defensive inattentiveness quickly showed when Ward picked him off on a one-handed dunk.
UCLA defenseman Donovan Dent (center) gets past Cal Poly defenders Guzman Vasilic (left) and Kieran Elliott to score in the second half Friday night.
(Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press)
Cal Poly shot 56% to take a 45-43 halftime lead, making nine of 17 shots (52.9%) from 3-point range. After Peter Bandel took one shot from long range, he kissed his hand and raised it to the rafters in a modified chef's kiss gesture.
UCLA trailed by just two points, largely due to the continued offensive push of Clark, who repeatedly looked for opportunities from long range and hit three of his eight 3-pointers en route to 15 points at the game's midway point.
Luckily for the Bruins, that was yet to come.
