Bruins Get Right Results This Time

ST. LOUIS — Kris Johnson scored a season-high 20 points in his first start of the year to spark UCLA to a 64-57 victory over St. Louis on Monday night.

The Bruins (4-3), who dropped out of the top 25 after a 16-point loss to Illinois on Saturday, made all eight of their free-throw attempts down the stretch to hold off the Billikens (5-5).

Toby Bailey added 14 points and J.R. Henderson had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds for UCLA. Jeff Harris led St. Louis with 17 points, 15 of them in the second half.

Harris’ basket underneath got Saint Louis to 55-56 with 3:51 remaining, but then Henderson hit four free throws in a row. After a field goal by the Billikens’ Jeff Luechtefeld made it 60-57, Cameron Dollar and Johnson made two free throws each and St. Louis missed three three-point shots in the final minute and a half.

The lead changed hands 13 times and the score was tied twice in the opening 16:14 before the Bruins scored the final eight points of the first half for a 32-26 lead at the break.

St. Louis’ Virgel Cobben nailed a pair of three-pointers to open the second half for a 32-all tie, but then the Bruins ran off 10 unanswered points, four by Johnson.

The Billikens battled back behind Harris and got within a point on four occasions but could not tie the score or go ahead.