SEATTLE _ In the days leading up to the most hyped individual matchup of freshmen in Pac-12 Conference basketball in years, Lonzo Ball insisted that what he did against Markelle Fultz shouldn't be the primary talking point.
"People are going to say what they want," Ball said of the battle involving the players who could be the top two picks in the NBA draft four months from now. "I'll go out there and play No. 11 UCLA versus Washington."
The Bruins freshman point guard was onto something. A supporting cast matters.
With Ball and Washington's Fultz largely canceling each other out with their brilliance, it was Ball's teammates who made the difference as the Bruins defeated the Huskies, 107-66, Saturday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.
There was TJ Leaf, countering the best efforts of Washington's zone defense with jumpers and drives to the basket. There was Bryce Alford, making three-pointers that helped extend a burgeoning lead. And there was Aaron Holiday, flipping in a layup off the glass in the final seconds of the first half, punctuating his basket by yelling "And one!" so loudly that it could be heard all the way across the arena.
UCLA was the team making most of the statements. Some were made by Ball, who blocked a Fultz jumper early in the game and then outmaneuvered his counterpart for a layup. Fultz responded later in the half with a three-pointer over Ball's outstretched arm, part of his 12 first-half points. The problem was that none of his teammates had more than six.
Ball had six rebounds and three assists by halftime and was only his team's third-leading scorer, trailing Leaf (13 points) and Holiday (12) as Washington's first home sellout in five seasons turned into largely a nonevent with 21 NBA scouts and executives in attendance. Fans started streaming toward the exits with about 12 minutes left and UCLA leading by 34 points.
Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar had said it was the most anticipated matchup involving a Huskies player since Isaiah Thomas faced James Harden in 2009 and Brandon Roy had gone up against Adam Morrison several years before that.
One of the more entertaining sequences came early in the second half when Ball made a three-pointer, Fultz countered with one and then Ball continued the long-range fun with another three-pointer. The Bruins made their first five three-point shots after halftime.
Romar lavished so much praise on Ball one might think he considered him the second coming of Magic Johnson. Actually, that's exactly the comparison Romar made between Ball's Bruins and Johnson's Lakers.
"They get Magic Johnson and within a year it's 'Showtime' and guys passing the ball and chest-bumping," Romar said Friday. "That's what Lonzo Ball has brought to that team, to me. In one year, it's just changed."
Ball versus Fultz was the main storyline, though there were other intriguing subplots.
UCLA was seeking its 21st victory on the fourth day of February, which would have been the earliest they had done that in any season. Washington was trying to climb within three games of .500.
Fultz had said he ventured across the country from his home in Upper Marlboro, Md., to help the Huskies reach the NCAA tournament, but he'll probably be in the NBA by the time that happens. He has said he'll evaluate his future after the season, a decision that could take about five seconds considering he's widely projected to be the top pick in the draft.
At least he'll be able to put his accounting coursework to good use stacking all the money he'll make.
There was a different kind of tabulation going on for UCLA. Alford was also closing in on Bill Walton for 11th place on the school's all-time scoring list, needing 30 points to move past the center. Alford had eight at halftime.
UCLA forward Ike Anigbogu returned from a one-game absence after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired right knee and announced his presence late in the first half when he snagged an alley-oop pass from Ball for a ferocious dunk.
