UCLA men's basketball defeats Cal in Pac-12 opener
By MANSI SHETH
The Daily Bruin
Published January 4, 2013, 3:20 am in Men's BasketballSports
After a thrilling overtime win against a top 10 opponent and five days to bask in the victory, it would have been easy for UCLA to lose the sense of urgency that had been driving its five-game win streak.
In the early minutes of Thursday’s game, it seemed they might have. The Bruins got off to a slow start offensively, falling behind the Golden Bears early, but were able to build a 10-point lead by the end of the first half.
Even though Cal cut the deficit to as little as two possessions during the second half, UCLA held on for a 79-65 win in its Pac-12 opener. The Bruins have now won their last six games.
“We were a little anxious early,” coach Ben Howland said.
“Everybody was because we knew what a big game this was. It’s conference play.”
The Bruins were not as dynamic as in their recent win against Missouri but they did enough to defeat the Golden Bears, who have now lost five of their past seven. UCLA shot 44.8 percent from the field, including 4 for 12 from three-point range. Cal was 0 for 13 from behind the arc.
UCLA held Cal to 39.5 percent shooting, a percentage Howland was especially pleased with. On a night where the Bruins were not at their peak offensively, the team’s defensive improvement was evident.
“We played man to man the whole game and I thought we did really good, help(ing) side defense and especially helping off penetration and rotation down – the second rotation especially,” redshirt junior Travis Wear said.
“I think our defense performed well. Once we cut down on second opportunities we will be really good.”
Howland singled out sophomore Norman Powell’s defensive performance as “absolutely unbelievable in the first half.” Powell did not seem to be bothered by an ankle sprain sustained against Missouri, adding 10 points off the bench, including two crowd-pleasing dunks.
Powell’s second dunk came with 12:22 left in the second half, giving UCLA a 53-43 lead. Cal countered with a 14-8 run to cut the deficit to four before the Bruins came storming back with seven straight points to eventually put the game out of reach.
Freshman guard Kyle Anderson had four of those seven critical points. The freshman led the team with 19 points and 12 rebounds, notching his fourth double-double of the season. Anderson’s boards were especially crucial for a UCLA squad that had eight fewer rebounds than Cal on the game.
“Well I think it all started with defense. We got some stops, we were able to score on the other end and it just opened it up for us. But it all started with defense,” Anderson said.
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In the early minutes of Thursday’s game, it seemed they might have. The Bruins got off to a slow start offensively, falling behind the Golden Bears early, but were able to build a 10-point lead by the end of the first half.
Even though Cal cut the deficit to as little as two possessions during the second half, UCLA held on for a 79-65 win in its Pac-12 opener. The Bruins have now won their last six games.
“We were a little anxious early,” coach Ben Howland said.
“Everybody was because we knew what a big game this was. It’s conference play.”
The Bruins were not as dynamic as in their recent win against Missouri but they did enough to defeat the Golden Bears, who have now lost five of their past seven. UCLA shot 44.8 percent from the field, including 4 for 12 from three-point range. Cal was 0 for 13 from behind the arc.
UCLA held Cal to 39.5 percent shooting, a percentage Howland was especially pleased with. On a night where the Bruins were not at their peak offensively, the team’s defensive improvement was evident.
“We played man to man the whole game and I thought we did really good, help(ing) side defense and especially helping off penetration and rotation down – the second rotation especially,” redshirt junior Travis Wear said.
“I think our defense performed well. Once we cut down on second opportunities we will be really good.”
Howland singled out sophomore Norman Powell’s defensive performance as “absolutely unbelievable in the first half.” Powell did not seem to be bothered by an ankle sprain sustained against Missouri, adding 10 points off the bench, including two crowd-pleasing dunks.
Powell’s second dunk came with 12:22 left in the second half, giving UCLA a 53-43 lead. Cal countered with a 14-8 run to cut the deficit to four before the Bruins came storming back with seven straight points to eventually put the game out of reach.
Freshman guard Kyle Anderson had four of those seven critical points. The freshman led the team with 19 points and 12 rebounds, notching his fourth double-double of the season. Anderson’s boards were especially crucial for a UCLA squad that had eight fewer rebounds than Cal on the game.
“Well I think it all started with defense. We got some stops, we were able to score on the other end and it just opened it up for us. But it all started with defense,” Anderson said.
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UCLA beats California 79-65 for 6th win in a row
View Photo California guard Justin Cobbs, center, puts up a shot as UCLA guard Larry Drew II, left, and guard Kyle Anderson defend during the first half of their …
View Photo California guard Allen Crabbe, right, puts up a shot as UCLA forward Travis Wear defends during the first half of their NCAA basketball game, Thursday, …
View Photo UCLA head coach Ben Howland yells to his team during the first half of their NCAA basketball game against California, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Los Angeles. …
View Photo UCLA forward Shabazz Muhammad, right, is fouled by California forward David Kravish during the first half of their NCAA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. …
View Photo UCLA guard Norman Powell misses a dunk during the first half of their NCAA basketball game against California, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, in Los Angeles. …
By | The Associated Press via Yahoo!Sports.com – 8 hours ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- UCLA had piled up five straight wins with its high-octane offense. In their Pac-12 opener, the Bruins got it done with defense.
Shabazz Muhammad overcame a slow start to finish with 16 points and Travis Wear had 15 for the Bruins (11-3, 1-0 Pac-12), who have won six in a row for the first time since the 2010-11 season when they had two such streaks and last made the NCAA tournament.
''We're an offensive team and to show we played good defense shows we're up for a good outing in the Pac-12,'' Muhammad said.
UCLA never trailed in the second half, when its biggest lead was 16 points.
''It all started with defense,'' Anderson said. ''We got some stops and were able to score on the other end. When somebody gets beat off the ball, someone is there to help.''
The Golden Bears (8-5, 0-1) rallied behind Allen Crabbe to close within four points with 6:33 to play.
Crabbe, the Pac-12's leading scorer, was limited in the first half while being guarded by Norman Powell. He had 16 of his 21 points in the second half, on 10 of 21 shooting.
Justin Cobbs added 12 points and Richard Solomon had 11 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds. The Bears have lost two in a row and five of their last seven.
''We seemed like we were kind of nervous about this game,'' Crabbe said. ''They made shots and they capitalized on our mistakes. They just did a good job defensively.''
Crabbe played 39 of 40 minutes, with the Bears lacking a solid bench player to relieve him.
''I'm not going to use (being tired) as an excuse,'' he said. ''Coaches are expecting me to play big minutes in a game like this, so I just have to push through it. I got to the basket for the second time in the first half and then I stopped doing it. I've got to be aggressive for all 40 minutes.''
UCLA snapped a three-game skid against Cal, having been swept last season.
The Bruins had scored at least 89 points in their previous four games this season, but they needed their man-to-man defense to preserve this victory.
''I've been really practicing my defense,'' Muhammad said. ''People think I can't. I can play defense, I know I can. That was the one thing that was a hole in my game. That's why I came here, to improve my defense, and it really shows.''
The Bruins limited the Bears to 39 percent shooting and held them without a 3-pointer, the second straight game Cal hasn't hit from long-range. The Bears went 0 for 11 against UCLA and were 0 of 6 in a previous loss to Harvard.
Cal rallied in the second half with runs of 6-0, 7-0 and 6-0 before Crabbe's layup drew the Bears to 61-57. From there, the Bruins ended the game on an 18-8 run. They made 11 of 14 free throws down the stretch, with Anderson hitting six.
Early in their run, Muhammad hit a 3-pointer that pushed UCLA's lead back to double digits.
''I always want the ball down the stretch,'' he said.
Cal jumped out to a 6-0 lead when UCLA missed its first six shots and committed two turnovers to start the game.
The Bruins got back into it and took their first lead on a flurry of 3-pointers by Muhammad, Wear and Powell. Cobbs' basket tied the game at 21-all before UCLA closed the half on a 17-7 run to lead 38-28. Powell scored five points and Wear had four in the spurt.
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Bruins get win in Pac-12 opener over the Golden Bears, 79-65
Struggling for much of the game, Shabazz Muhammad hits key shot to secure UCLA's sixth win in a row.
By Baxter Holmes
D' Los Angeles Times
10:35 PM PST, January 3, 2013
Shabazz Muhammad couldn't connect, missing left and right, long and short, anything and everything.
But with the final bell tolling, with momentum and a win slipping, and with unease spreading throughout Pauley Pavilion, the UCLA freshman delivered a knock-out blow.
"The guy's got ice water in his veins," Bruins Coach Ben Howland said after his team's 79-65 win against California in its Pac-12 Conference opener Thursday in front of a crowd of 9.406.
Indeed. Muhammad made a clutch three-point shot with 4 minutes 11 seconds left that pushed UCLA's lead back to double digits and helped seal its sixth consecutive win.
UCLA (11-3) had four players score in double figures, led by 19 points and 12 rebounds from Kyle Anderson. Travis Wear added 15 points and Norman Powell had 10.
Muhammad finished with 16 points, but few of them — if any — came easy. This could be considered his first true off-night as a Bruin, as he hit five of 13 shots.
Before his clutch three, Muhammad had missed eight of 11 shots, an off-night for a player who averaged 23.2 points in his previous five games.
Moreover, California (8-5) had trimmed the Bruins' lead to four points behind a flourish of baskets from former Los Angeles Price High star guard Allen Crabbe.
But following a short jumper and a pair of free throws from Anderson that pushed UCLA's lead back to eight, Muhammad spotted up and hit what proved to be a dagger.
"Shabazz is a mentally tough kid," Anderson said. "He's going to make it happen, somehow."
Crabbe was fabulous, finishing with a game-high 21 points. He scored 10 of the Golden Bears' 14 points during a stretch when they threatened to overtake the Bruins.
UCLA came out of halftime with a 10-point lead, which it mostly maintained until California's late run.
The Bruins' defense was key, as it held California to 39.5% shooting from the floor (30 for 76). Larry Drew II was again steady, with nine assists and zero turnovers.
UCLA started slow, laying bricks (a 0-for-6 start) while Cal built a 6-0 lead.
A hangover from an emotional overtime upset against then-No. 7 Missouri last week? Perhaps.
But then UCLA started to tighten up some loose screws, tying the score at 10, then taking its first lead on a Norman Powell three-point shot with 12:49 left in the first half.
From then on, the Bruins pushed it at the pace that produced 90-plus points in their last two games.
The Bruins did find some piece-of-cake transitions baskets, but they also missed their share, Muhammad especially.
Then, with the score tied at 21, UCLA found momentum, and ended the half on a 17-7 run to take a double-digit lead into intermission.
At that point, the Bruins' Big Three of Muhammad, Anderson and Jordan Adams had just 15 combined points, scant figures when considering they average about 46 per game.
In other words, UCLA led by double digits without huge production from its stars — a bad omen for the Golden Bears.
And lo and behold, that foreshadowing proved true.
It's onto the next Pac-12 foe for UCLA, and in a conference that looks like it's up for grabs, these baby Bruins are looking more and more like they may be the ones to snatch the league title.
baxter.holmes@latimes.com
Twitter: @BaxterHolmes
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Bruins go deep to win
By RYAN KARTJE
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
LOS ANGELES – Fresh off the best week of any player in college basketball, with four consecutive games of 21 points or more, Bruins freshman Shabazz Muhammad appeared ready to take center stage for UCLA (11-3) on Thursday — just in time for the curtain to open on Pac-12 play.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Bruins' first Pac-12 victory of the season, a 79-65 triumph over Cal (8-5). Muhammad struggled to get into any rhythm the entire first half. He shot just 1-for-7 in the stanza, struggled around the basket at times and couldn't seem to get much of anything to fall. Muhammad would bounce back to finish with 16 points — after shooting 4-for-6 from the field in the second — but his frustration was palpable.
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| UCLA guard Norman Powell dunks during the second half against California on Thursday in Los Angeles. UCLA won 79-65. Mark J. Terrill, AP |
Click here to read some notes and quotes from the game
And yet, without their most dynamic playmaker carrying the load as he had in the past two weeks, the Bruins would still win convincingly, as the team's supporting cast carried over its near-masterful performance from last week's upset of Missouri. Travis Wear, who hadn't put up double-digit points in any December game other than against Missouri, followed up his 22-point effort against the Tigers with 13 points against Cal, 11 of which came in the first half. Norman Powell, who had played through a sprained ankle all week, finished with 10 off the bench — eight in the first.
But perhaps most impressive was fellow freshman Kyle Anderson, who had taken a backseat to Muhammad on offense in recent games. Anderson scored plenty of tough baskets down the stretch — putting up 13 points in the second half — and finished with his second double-double of the season, collecting 12 rebounds.
Still, even with a much better team effort than UCLA would've turned in just a month ago, the Bruins would need their star down the stretch to win their 10th consecutive conference home opener. With four minutes remaining and the Bruins having pushed their lead back to eight points, Muhammad caught the ball behind the arc and launched a smooth left-handed stroke for his second 3-pointer of the game, putting the game out of reach.
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UCLA 79, CALIFORNIA 65: Bruins man up in winning Pac-12 opener
Posted: 01/03/2013 11:28:18 PM PST
Updated: 01/03/2013 11:35:29 PM PST
The message at Pauley Pavilion was clear: UCLA isn't content trying to outscore opponents every night.
"That's not our mindset," point guard Larry Drew II said this week.
After the Bruins' 79-65 win over Cal on Thursday night in the Pacific-12 Conference opener, it looks like head coach Ben Howland's beloved man-to-man philosophy may finally be sinking in.
UCLA opened conference play at home by stifling the Bears into 39.5percent shooting, holding them without a 3-point field goal despite 13 attempts. It was the first time the Bruins had blanked an opponent from beyond the arc since April 1, 2006.
The team's fifth straight victory showed a noticeable turnaround from its recent run-and-gun ways. In last week's upset of then-No. 7 Missouri, the Tigers shot 42.9 percent from long range.
Freshman Kyle Anderson led the Bruins in scoring for the first time this season, and logged his fourth double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cal guard Allen Crabbe scored a game-high 21 points.
Shabazz Muhammad wasn't far behind with 16 points, making big shots down the stretch after shooting 1 of 7 in the first half. Forward Travis Wear chipped in 15.
The Bruins (11-3, 1-0) led by as much as 16 after opening the second half on an 8-2 run, and held on as the Bears fought back to within single digits.
"It all started with defense," Anderson said. "We got some stops. We were able to score on the other end. It
opened the game up for us."
"That's not our mindset," point guard Larry Drew II said this week.
After the Bruins' 79-65 win over Cal on Thursday night in the Pacific-12 Conference opener, it looks like head coach Ben Howland's beloved man-to-man philosophy may finally be sinking in.
UCLA opened conference play at home by stifling the Bears into 39.5percent shooting, holding them without a 3-point field goal despite 13 attempts. It was the first time the Bruins had blanked an opponent from beyond the arc since April 1, 2006.
The team's fifth straight victory showed a noticeable turnaround from its recent run-and-gun ways. In last week's upset of then-No. 7 Missouri, the Tigers shot 42.9 percent from long range.
Freshman Kyle Anderson led the Bruins in scoring for the first time this season, and logged his fourth double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cal guard Allen Crabbe scored a game-high 21 points.
Shabazz Muhammad wasn't far behind with 16 points, making big shots down the stretch after shooting 1 of 7 in the first half. Forward Travis Wear chipped in 15.
The Bruins (11-3, 1-0) led by as much as 16 after opening the second half on an 8-2 run, and held on as the Bears fought back to within single digits.
"It all started with defense," Anderson said. "We got some stops. We were able to score on the other end. It
Cal (8-5, 0-1) started the game on a 6-0 run, but went scoreless for nearly three minutes midway through the first half. That gave UCLA a big enough opening, as the Bruins scored six straight points and never trailed again.
UCLA closed the first half on a 17-7 run, and headed into halftime with a 38-28 lead.
Meanwhile, the Bruins bothered the Cal backcourt all game long. The Bears duo of Crabbe and Justin Cobbs entered the day as arguably the top guard combo in the conference, a tandem that averaged 37.1 points per game.
Crabbe, the Pac-12's leading scorer, shot just 2 of 9 in the first half for 5 points. Cobbs, 11th in the conference scoring list, shot 3 of 9.
Drew - whose defensive improvement as of late often has Ben Howland beaming in postgame news conferences - helped bug Cobbs, but it was Norman Powell's job on Crabbe that stood out most.
Powell, a sophomore guard, lost his starting job after UCLA's embarrassing home loss to Cal Poly in late November.
As the team's freshman trio began to jell, he also saw his scoring load and minutes gradually decrease. After averaging 11 points through the first eight games of the season, he mustered 4.6 over the next five - a stretch that coincided with the Bruins' largest winning streak of the season.
Powell chipped in 10 points off the bench, eight of them coming in the first half. As the team's best man defender, he also hounded Crabbe for most of the night.
"His defense was absolutely unbelievable in that first half," Howland said. "He was great defensively. Norman had one of his best games of his career here. A lot of what he did doesn't show up in stats."
But Crabbe, the former Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, soon turned up his game.
He scored 10 of Cal's 14 points through one stretch to cut the deficit to 61-57 with 6:32 left.
The Bruins scored the next seven points, all by Anderson and Muhammad.
They later sealed the game on nine straight free throws.
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UCLA 79, Cal 65: Bruins’ defense no longer ‘horrible’
For the first time this season, UCLA can credit a win to its defense. Cal shot below 40 percent, and its top two scorers were held to an abysmal first-half outing that created too deep a hole.
“It means a lot,” Shabazz Muhammad said. “We’re an offensive team. … It really sets our team up for a good outing in the Pac-12.”
Ben Howland said earlier this week that the Bruins’ defense was “horrible” five or six weeks ago — something that no longer looks to be the case after the Pac-12 opener. During its winning streak, UCLA also held both Texas and Prairie View A&M to below 40 percent, but the former was unspeakably sloppy while the latter was barely a Division-I caliber team. (The Bruins’ 3-point defense had been particularly abysmal.)
UCLA forced Justin Cobbs and Allen Crabbe into a combined 5-of-18 start, and blanked the Bears from the 3-point line. It was the time the Bruins had held an opposing team without a 3-point field goal since April 1, 2006 — when they beat LSU in the Final Four. (Those Tigers took six attempts while Cal took 13.)
That it was Cal’s second straight game without a 3-pointer dulls the accomplishment, the Bruins’ defensive ceiling still seems to be inching up.
Key players: Kyle Anderson had one of his best offensive showings of the year, logging is fourth double-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. He led the team in scoring for the first time, and was also perfect on nine free throws. He had entered the game shooting 65.3 percent from the line.
But Norman Powell needs to get credit for blanketing Crabbe in the first half. Howland has long called the sophomore guard the team’s best man defender, and it showed Thursday night as he pestered the conference’s leading scorer into missing seven of nine shots. Crabbe, who finished with a game-high 21 points, didn’t really hit his offensive stride until Powell was resting.
“His defense was absolutely unbelievable in that first half,” Howland said. “He was great defensively. … Norman had one of his best games of his career here. A lot of what he did doesn’t show up in stats.”
Muhammad also played well on Crabbe, and said he’s been working to correct that hole in his game: “I know I can play defense. People say I can’t.”
Shabazz in the clutch: Muhammad hit just one of his seven shots in the first half and often looked frustrated sitting on the bench. Still, he turned his game up near the end, drilling a 3-pointer at 4:11 that extended UCLA’s lead to 11. Not quite as dramatic a performance as his two big shots in overtime against Missouri, but still one that helped keep Cal at bay.
“I love shooting those shots,” Muhammad said. “If I miss, I have to deal with the consequences. I love shooting those shots. If you feel confident, you’re gonna knock it down and that’s what I did tonight.”
Added Howland: “The guy has ice water in his veins. He wants the ball.”
Tony Parker update: The freshman was bothered again by back spasms, but played well in his (very) brief appearance against Cal. In his two minutes of playing time, he stood firm at the top of the key to stop one of Cobbs’ drives, and then set a screen on the guard at the other end. He also got layup off a nice dish from Jordan Adams, and hustled for a pair of rebounds. He likely got the most cheers per minute of anyone Thursday night.
“It means a lot,” Shabazz Muhammad said. “We’re an offensive team. … It really sets our team up for a good outing in the Pac-12.”
Ben Howland said earlier this week that the Bruins’ defense was “horrible” five or six weeks ago — something that no longer looks to be the case after the Pac-12 opener. During its winning streak, UCLA also held both Texas and Prairie View A&M to below 40 percent, but the former was unspeakably sloppy while the latter was barely a Division-I caliber team. (The Bruins’ 3-point defense had been particularly abysmal.)
UCLA forced Justin Cobbs and Allen Crabbe into a combined 5-of-18 start, and blanked the Bears from the 3-point line. It was the time the Bruins had held an opposing team without a 3-point field goal since April 1, 2006 — when they beat LSU in the Final Four. (Those Tigers took six attempts while Cal took 13.)
That it was Cal’s second straight game without a 3-pointer dulls the accomplishment, the Bruins’ defensive ceiling still seems to be inching up.
Key players: Kyle Anderson had one of his best offensive showings of the year, logging is fourth double-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. He led the team in scoring for the first time, and was also perfect on nine free throws. He had entered the game shooting 65.3 percent from the line.
But Norman Powell needs to get credit for blanketing Crabbe in the first half. Howland has long called the sophomore guard the team’s best man defender, and it showed Thursday night as he pestered the conference’s leading scorer into missing seven of nine shots. Crabbe, who finished with a game-high 21 points, didn’t really hit his offensive stride until Powell was resting.
“His defense was absolutely unbelievable in that first half,” Howland said. “He was great defensively. … Norman had one of his best games of his career here. A lot of what he did doesn’t show up in stats.”
Muhammad also played well on Crabbe, and said he’s been working to correct that hole in his game: “I know I can play defense. People say I can’t.”
Shabazz in the clutch: Muhammad hit just one of his seven shots in the first half and often looked frustrated sitting on the bench. Still, he turned his game up near the end, drilling a 3-pointer at 4:11 that extended UCLA’s lead to 11. Not quite as dramatic a performance as his two big shots in overtime against Missouri, but still one that helped keep Cal at bay.
“I love shooting those shots,” Muhammad said. “If I miss, I have to deal with the consequences. I love shooting those shots. If you feel confident, you’re gonna knock it down and that’s what I did tonight.”
Added Howland: “The guy has ice water in his veins. He wants the ball.”
Tony Parker update: The freshman was bothered again by back spasms, but played well in his (very) brief appearance against Cal. In his two minutes of playing time, he stood firm at the top of the key to stop one of Cobbs’ drives, and then set a screen on the guard at the other end. He also got layup off a nice dish from Jordan Adams, and hustled for a pair of rebounds. He likely got the most cheers per minute of anyone Thursday night.
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Rapid Reaction: UCLA 79, Cal 65
By Peter Yoon
ESPNLosAngeles.com
January, 3, 2013
10:37 PM PT
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA opened Pac-12 play with a 79-65 victory over California on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion. It was the Bruins' sixth victory in a row. Here's a quick breakdown:
How it happened:
After using an offensive explosion in their past four victories, the Bruins ground out a slow-paced victory against a well-coached and disciplined California team that kept hanging around even when UCLA opened double-digit leads in the second half.
The 79 points by the Bruins were their fewest since a 65-63 victory over Texas on Dec. 8. Credit goes to a Bruins defense that has been under scrutiny after giving up 70, 78 and 94 points the past three games, but held the Golden Bears to 39.5 percent shooting.
UCLA led 46-30 early in the second half, but Cal cut the lead to 49-43 just three minutes later. The Bruins went back up 56-45 with 10:48 to play, but Cal closed it to 61-57 with 5:30 to play. The Bruins then extended their lead to 70-59 and made 9 of 9 free throws in the final 1:32 to seal the game.
The Golden Bears jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and were up 12-10 before a Norman Powell 3-pointer gave UCLA its first lead at 13-12 with 13 minutes left in the first half. The score was tied at 21-21 with 8:34 to play in the first half, but the Bruins took control from there and went on an 11-4 run to end the half for a 38-28 lead.
Four UCLA players scored in double figures, as Kyle Anderson had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Shabazz Muhammad had 16 points, Travis Wear had 15 and Norman Powell had 10.
Player of the game:
Anderson's double-double was his fourth of the season. He made 4 of 4 free throws down the stretch and also grabbed several key rebounds in the waning minutes. Larry Drew has nine assists, his fifth consecutive game with nine or more, and has 47 assists and six turnovers on the current home stand.
Stat of the game:
California was 0-12 on 3-pointers and has now gone consecutive games without making one. The last time UCLA held a team without a 3-point basket was April 1, 2006, against Louisiana State in a Final Four game.
What it means:
UCLA opened conference play with a victory, which is an improvement over last year when the Bruins were swept at Cal and Stanford in the opening week of conference play. Those games were on the road, however, and the home victory Thursday means UCLA has now won 10 consecutive home conference openers.
What’s next: UCLA plays Stanford Saturday at noon PT at Pauley Pavilion.
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