UCLA basketball: Ragged Bruins lead Chaminade, 40-38, at halftime

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So much for the notion that some sand, surf and a game against Chaminade could cure what ails UCLA.

With forward Reeves Nelson sitting out the first half as punishment for missing the team bus on the way to Los Angeles International Airport two days earlier, the winless Bruins continued to struggle while taking a 40-38 halftime lead over the Division II Silverswords on Monday evening at the Lahaina Civic Center in the Maui Invitational.

UCLA closed the half on a 15-7 run, wiping out a six-point Chaminade lead that would have grown to nine had a Darko Vukasovic three-pointer not rolled out of the rim.

The Bruins went with a three-guard starting lineup with Nelson on the bench and sophomore forward David Wear sidelined by a concussion that he suffered in practice last week. The guards combined for 26 points with Tyler Lamb scoring a team-leading 10 despite missing all four of his three-point attempts. Jerime Anderson scored nine points and Lazeric Jones had seven points despite missing all four of his shots from beyond the arc.

UCLA made only three of 14 three-point attempts, continuing a season-long trend of struggling from behind the arc, but the Bruins outrebounded Chaminade, 22-14. Waly Coulibaly had eight points for the Silverswords, who have a spirited student section about 100 strong.

The Bruins can only hope Nelson’s return helps them stave off the upset in the second half. However, Nelson remained on the bench when the half started.

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--Ben Bolch in Lahaina, Hawaii