All it took to cure some of UCLA’s ills was a visit by conference cellar-dwelling Utah.

The Bruins went on a 14-4 to close the half as the team’s shooting improved down the stretch. That coincided with a concentrated effort to get Joshua Smith the ball.

Smith had a team-high nine points at the half on 3-of-4 shooting, with 3-of-5 from the free-throw line, in 10 minutes. David Wear added seven points and Tyler Lamb and Jerime Anderson each added five points.

UCLA’s defense improved as well, as Utah shot just 8-for-23 from the field and 3-of-9 from 3-point range. Only Chris Hines (eight points) has more than three for the Utes.