LOS ANGELES -- UCLA had 14 steals in their 80-47 victory over Cal State Fullerton.
The UCLA defense showed up big in the blowout victory as they forced 21 turnovers. From these turnovers, 14 of them were steals.
Before this game, the Bruins averaged 8.8 steals, which is the fourth highest in the Big Ten.
While the Bruins may rank high in steals for the Big Ten, they are outside the top 90 in the country.
A consistent set of 14 steals per game would be on pace for second in the entire nation.
The Bruins already have a top 10 defense in the fewest points allowed and blocks per game. The only defensive category that is missing is steals.
Senior guard Kobe Johnson and junior Skyy Clark are huge factors in creating more steals. They combined for eight steals, which was more than half for the Bruins.
Clark and Johnson both rank in the top 10 for most steals in the Big Ten.
If the guards can continue to create more turnovers, then they can help UCLA further down the road.
For the Bruins to have success in conference play, it is vital that the Bruins are forcing steals.
While Cal State Fullerton is a 1-5 team in the Big West, the UCLA defense still executed like they were supposed to.
This game could generate momentum for UCLA to improve in the only non-elite aspect of the defense.
UCLA will look to create more turnovers against Southern Utah on Tuesday. This is the last test at Pauley Pavillion before the Bruins start conference play.