UCLA has played games in the morning and games at night, on the road and at home, in cool temperatures and in humidity.
The one constant? The Bruins can’t seem to score in the first quarter.
The team has scored just 22 points in the opening frame this season, by far their lowest point total by quarter. Their next-lowest total is the third quarter, with 49 combined points. The two highest quarters are the second and fourth, totaling 74 and 65 points, respectively. Those stats are essentially saying that regardless of whether it’s the pregame or halftime break, the Bruins are taking a while to get their offense going after a rest.
And, according to Brett Hundley, UCLA hasn’t been able to identify a reason as to why the team continues to deal with slow starts.
“No, no,” he said Monday. “We just have to come out ready to go, basically. Finishing strong is something I feel like we’re good at, but at the same time we have to be able to put that together at the beginning of the game as well.”
It’s not just Hundley. Several other players interviewed Monday had similar answers
This hurt the Bruins last weekend against Oregon, when they were held scoreless in the opening frame while the Ducks scored eight points. Maybe not a huge score discrepancy, but it put UCLA in a hole they never climbed out of. Against opposing offenses that can put up a lot of points in a hurry — like Cal this weekend — starting off this slow doesn’t make anyone’s job easier.
For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook
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