Shhh! Nobody tell Xavier Booker he was brought here for defense and rebounding.
At least not on a night like this.
UCLA’s big man was an offensive dynamo Tuesday during a game in which defense was only a suggestion.
Take your pick of highlights. There was a two-handed dunk off an inbounds pass. Another dunk off a drive-and-dish. A beautiful pass to a cutting Eric Dailey Jr. for a ferocious one-handed dunk.
Booker was nearly flawless offensively during the Bruins’ 98-66 victory over Rutgers at Pauley Pavilion. He made 10 of 11 shots — missing only a layup — and all four 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 24 points along with five rebounds and three assists.
“Great to see Xavier Booker smile,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said, alluding to what’s been a trying season at times for the Michigan State transfer who appears to be firmly on the upswing.
It was just what UCLA (16-7 overall, 8-4 Big Ten) needed to get over its draining double-overtime home loss to Indiana from three days earlier.
“Definitely haven’t had a game this good in awhile,” said Booker, whose previous career high was 18 points against Oakland last season. “I mean, the main thing for me is just staying confident in everything I do and just trusting the work I put in outside of practice. Just trusting that, and then just being around a great group of guys that are encouraging.”
Booker’s success from long range this season – he’s now making 48.5% of his 3s – recently prompted Cronin to stop practice and instruct his players to get the 6-foot-11 center the ball when he’s open from beyond the arc.
“You don’t have to be a math major to figure out,” Cronin said, “an open 3 from Book is better than a contested two from anybody else.”
What does it mean?
The Bruins got a win they absolutely had to have given their NCAA tournament standing.
Most projections listed UCLA as a No. 10 or No. 11 seed entering Tuesday, placing them firmly on the bubble. A home loss to Rutgers, which has now lost six consecutive games and failed to notch a road win in Big Ten play, would have effectively burst that bubble.
Turning point
After allowing Rutgers to shoot 53.3% in the first half, UCLA decided to start playing defense.
The Bruins continually got stops while going on a 12-3 run to open a 64-43 cushion and remove any lingering doubt about the outcome. They also held guard Kaden Powers scoreless in the second half on 0-for-3 shooting after he had scorched them for 18 points on seven-for-eight shooting in the first half.
MVP: Donovan Dent
While Booker led his team in scoring, Dent had the best all-around game with a double-double.
His 13 points and 11 assists were all the more impressive considering he had just one turnover, continuing a recent stretch in which he’s limited mistakes.
“He wants to have any chance at a pro career,” Cronin said, “Donny had to come here and do three things: one is make us win [and] two and three are how to make us win – take care of the ball and play harder on defense than he did at New Mexico. Much harder.”
Up next
The Bruins end their three-game homestand against Washington on Saturday before getting a rare weeklong break. Then they’ll hit the road for their toughest trip of the season for games against No. 2 Michigan and No. 10 Michigan State.
