LOS ANGELES — Former University of Utah basketball star Jerry Chambers, who won the Most Outstanding Player award in the 1966 NCAA Final Four, attended Thursday night's game. He lives in the Los Angeles area and is a mentor for Utes guard Brandon Taylor.
Chambers said it was "fantastic" to see the Utes and despite Thursday's 69-59 loss to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, he noted that the 11th-ranked squad is "playing very well."
HOMECOMING NUMBERS: Utah's four Los Angeles-area players had mixed results in their homecomings. Delon Wright and Taylor finished with 15 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the Utes. Dakarai Tucker had eight and Chris Reyes scored three points.
BACK AT HOME: This was just the third home game UCLA has had since hosting Gonzaga on Dec. 13. The Bruins then went on to face top-ranked Kentucky in Chicago before visiting Alabama. Road trips to Colorado and Utah were followed by home dates against Stanford and California. After those games, they hit the road again — venturing to USC, Oregon State and Oregon.
EXTRA STUFF: The attendance was 7,008. … UCLA guard Bryce Alford, who missed all 10 shots he took from the field when the teams played earlier this month in Salt Lake City, was 4-of-12 and finished with 14 points this time around. … UCLA's honorary captain for the game was Lucius Allen, who helped the Bruins win national championships in 1967 and 1968. The guard was also on the Milwaukee Bucks' 1971 NBA title team.
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