Cal's strength is built on its backcourt, a dynamic duo responsible for carrying more than half its scoring load.

So the task was obvious for UCLA as it opened Pac-12 play with a 79-65 win over the Bears on Thursday night: limit either point guard Justin Cobbs or shooting guard Allen Crabbe, and the win should fall into place.

Much of the task fell to Bruins point guard Larry Drew II, whom the coaching staff has hounded in recent weeks to step up his defensive intensity. Head coach Ben Howland has been happy with the returns lately; he has often praised Drew's athleticism, and has high hopes for him as a perimeter defender.

Against Phil Pressey last week, Drew's solid efforts belied a 19-point, 19-assist outburst by the Missouri point guard. The game plan had been to force Pressey into taking shots rather than distributing, so UCLA's lone senior was surprised by the stats when he walked toward the bench after the first 20 minutes.

"To be honest with you, I didn't realize how good of a game he was having until halftime," Drew said. "I was like, `What?' … I thought I was doing a pretty decent job on him. As good a job as anybody could do given the type of player that he is. That's why I was so surprised coming into halftime (and hearing his stats)."

The box score looked more pleasing against the Bears.

Cobbs and Crabbe, who entered the day averaging 37.3 combined points, scored just 11 points together in the first half. Cobbs shot 3 of 9 from the field, while Crabbe - the Pac-12's leading scorer - missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. The former Pac-10 Freshman of the Year shot 2 of 9, but had four rebounds and two assists.

UCLA also had a 7-3 turnover edge at halftime, with Drew, Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Travis Wear logging a steal each. No Cal player stole the ball in the first half.


Shaking the injury bug

Sophomore guard Norman Powell sprained his left ankle in last Friday's win over Missouri, but practiced on it through the week. Freshman Tony Parker's back spasms flared up during Wednesday's practice, something that last bothered him during UCLA's November trip to Brooklyn.

Powell entered the game at 15:50 in the first half. His first shot of the day, a 3-pointer, sank to put the Bruins up 13-12 at 13:04 - the team's first lead of the game. He scored 8 points in the first half, topping his final totals from the past three games.

Parker checked in at 9:06 and missed two free throws 15 seconds later, but later made contributions at both ends of the floor. Shortly after getting his hands up to stop a drive by Cobbs, Parker set a nice screen against the Cal guard on the other end before hustling back for a defensive rebound.

The Bears were missing backup guard Brandon Smith, who suffered a concussion two games ago against Prairie View A&M.