UCLA Basketball: Why Starting Guard Came Off Bench Vs Oregon State

He still had a big night.

Freshman UCLA Bruins guard Brandon Williams had a monster night off the bench during the club's Thursday road victory over the Oregon State University Beavers, its first win in weeks.

Now we know why, according to UCLA Communications.

“Obviously, Brandon Williams continues to get better," head coach Mick Cronin noted. "He woke up with a stomach bug – our luck just keeps on turning. Our training staff did a great job to get him ready for the game or he would have started.”

“My stomach was bothering me a little bit," Williams added. "Just rested after our shootaround, got some food, and I was good.”

Williams nevertheless was an important contributor to the W. Across just 19 minutes, the 6'7" first-year guard out of Queens, New York scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting splits (1-of-1 from long range), three rebounds and one assist.

It marked the first double-digit scoring night of Williams' collegiate career. On the year overall, he is averaging 2.5 points on 39.3% shooting from the field, 1.9 rebounds and 0.4 dimes, across 11.2 minutes per.

"...Brandon Williams, the fact that he could hardly go through shootaround and he has the game he had, he continued to get better," Cronin continued. "He’s a huge bright spot for us.”

With the win, UCLA has now improved to a 6-6 record on the year. The Bruins will have a quick turnaround ahead of their next opportunity They're slated to suit up against the Oregon Ducks tomorrow afternoon, again on the road, at Matthew Knight Arena.