UCLA's Cody Riley has a sprained knee ligament, could return in a few weeks - Los Angeles Times
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UCLA Sports

UCLA’s Cody Riley has a sprained knee ligament, could return in a few weeks

UCLA forward Cody Riley collides with Cal State Bakersfield guard Grehlon Easter.
UCLA forward Cody Riley collides with Cal State Bakersfield guard Grehlon Easter during the first half Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.
(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
Los Angeles Times staff writer Ben Bolch
By Ben Bolch
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UCLA redshirt senior forward Cody Riley has been diagnosed with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee after hurting it during the team’s season opener, coach Mick Cronin said Wednesday.

Riley will be reevaluated in a week and might miss only a few weeks, which is something of a relief for the Bruins after forward Mac Etienne and guard Will McClendon suffered more serious knee injuries. McClendon is out for the season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament and Etienne is awaiting confirmation that he has the same injury.

Riley went down midway through the first half of second-ranked UCLA’s 95-58 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday night, grabbing his knee in anguish.

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“We were all shaken up,†Cronin said. “It took all the satisfaction of opening night away because of our concern for him.â€

UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, right, drives past Cal State Bakersfield guard Kaleb Higgins during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, in Los Angeles. UCLA won 95-58. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

UCLA Sports

No. 2 UCLA routs Cal State Bakersfield in opener, Cody Riley departs with knee injury

Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard led No. 2 UCLA to a 95-58 season-opening rout over Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion.

Riley averaged a career-best 10 points and 5.4 rebounds last season while playing through lingering pain from a serious ankle injury late in the season.

Graduate transfer Myles Johnson probably will start in Riley’s absence Friday against fourth-ranked Villanova at Pauley Pavilion, with Kenneth Nwuba coming off the bench. Johnson finished with five rebounds, two points and two blocks against the Roadrunners, and Nwuba had four points, two rebounds and two blocks.

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UCLA Sports
Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.†He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters†as the “Worst of the Week†after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

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