No. 19 UCLA soars past Northwestern to run record to 7-0

Nov 29 2013
AP, ESPN.com
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LAS VEGAS -- Sharing the ball is paying dividends for No. 19 UCLA.

The Bruins nearly scored 100 points for a third consecutive game as Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford scored 18 points apiece in a 95-79 win over Northwestern in the final round of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday night.

The Bruins (7-0) made 13 of 17 attempts from 3-point range to finish 4-0 in the round-robin tournament for a share of the crown with Missouri.

Tournament MVP Kyle Anderson added 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as the Bruins shot 64 percent (35-of-55) from the field.

"Guys were doing a great job sharing the ball," coach Steve Alford said. "We have to share the ball. We have a lot of room to improve. We're a fun group to watch. We're athletic and we like playing together. We're a versatile group."

Alford had to be proud of his freshman son, Bryce, who hit all four of his 3-point tries and set a career high for points.

"As we go, I feel a lot more comfortable," Bryce Alford said. "I'm settling into my role. I'm really starting to know the offense. My teammates got me really open shots today."

Steve Alford became the first UCLA coach to win his first seven games. Hall of Famer John Wooden started his Bruins stint 6-1 in 1948-49.

The Bruins made 76.5 percent of their 3-pointers, falling just short of the school record. They shot 76.9 percent (10-for-13) from long range at California on Jan. 21, 1990.

JerShon Cobb led Northwestern (4-4) with 22 points.

Northwestern's leading scorer, Drew Crawford, did not play due to back spasms.

Crawford is averaging 14.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He played only 12 minutes Thursday in a loss to Missouri, scoring just two points.

"Crawford is day to day," said Northwestern coach Chris Collins, whose team finished 2-2 at the Invitational. "We tried to get him some treatment, but it just didn't happen. Our next game is Wednesday, so we'll see."

Kale Abrahamson added 19 and Tre Demps 15 for the Wildcats, who went 2-2 in the Invitational.

"Take away an 18-point-game scorer and play one of the best teams in the country and they shoot 13-of-17 from 3, it's going to be really tough," Collins said. "When you play these games, it is a great indicator of where you are. My guys fought for 40 minutes, and I'm proud of that. The way UCLA shot tonight, we could have easily quit."

The first half was a scoring fest for the Bruins, who went 19-of-25 from the field, including 9-for-11 from beyond the arc. They jumped out to a 12-1 lead and never trailed.

UCLA was up 51-32 with two minutes left in the first half, and the Bruins had their largest lead of 25 with 4:56 left in the game.

"I think we have a lot of guys that can shoot the basketball and stretch defenses," Steve Alford said. "And because of our lineups, there a lot of things we can do and how we play."

The Wildcats went 12-of-32 from 3-point range and 21-of-27 at the free throw line.

The tournament's championship format was changed to round robin this year to accommodate the Tigers and Bruins, who have a game scheduled for Dec. 7 at Missouri and didn't want to play twice this season.

The last time UCLA scored 100 points three straight games was during the 1971-72 season from Dec. 3 to Dec. 29. That team won the national championship, going 30-0.

This was the first time the Bruins and Wildcats had met since 1969, when UCLA won 81-67 at Chicago Stadium. Lew Alcindor led the Bruins with 35 points and 16 rebounds.

UCLA now leads the series 4-1.

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No. 19 UCLA routs Nevada 105-84 in Las Vegas

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Nov 28 2013 

Associated Press
ESPN.com
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For more on the game plus The Box check out link

LAS VEGAS -- UCLA coach Steve Alford had plenty to be thankful for Thursday night.

His 19th-ranked Bruins' athleticism, offensive prowess and deep bench proved to be too much for Nevada in a 105-84 victory in the opening round of the Las Vegas Invitational.

Led by Jordan Adams and Zach LaVine, who each had 21 points, five players scored in double figures for the Bruins (6-0), who quickly erased an early five-point deficit and built a double-digit lead less than 10 minutes into the game.

UCLA's lead got as high as 19 in the first half, when the Bruins shot 16 of 25 (64 percent) from the field and 17 of 18 at the free throw line. They finished at 60.7 percent from the floor, including 10 of 20 from 3-point range and 27 of 29 (93.1 percent) from the foul line.

"Any time you play well, you appreciate the effort," said Alford, in his first season at UCLA. "That's a maturity level, that when you've got somebody down 25 to 30 points, you take it to another level."

The Bruins used a 23-14 run to open the second half to extend their lead to 79-53 with 12:58 remaining. Nevada followed with a 7-0 run of its own but could never get into an extended groove against UCLA's tenacious zone defense, which forced 16 turnovers, tied for the most the Wolf Pack have committed this season.

Conversely, the Bruins had 21 assists against 13 turnovers for the game. UCLA limited the Wolf Pack to 45 percent shooting (27 of 60) from the field , while Nevada shot just 19 of 25 (76 percent) from the free throw line.

Ten players in all scored for UCLA, including Kyle Anderson, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double in 41 career games for the Bruins. Coming into the game, the 6-foot-9 sophomore was averaging 11.6 points and a team-best 9.8 rebounds.

"I hope that all of our guys are confident, not because of whether they score or make shots, but just by the way we play," Alford said. "When it's all relied on making shots, confidence can be a fragile deal. I've always believed that you got confidence because you know you can play, period."

Deonte Burton and Jerry Evans Jr. each scored 20 points for Nevada (3-4), while Michael Perez added 18.

It was the second consecutive 100-point game for the Bruins, who beat Tennessee-Chattanooga 106-65 on Sunday.

"We tried to change defenses and get them off of their rhythm, but we really didn't do a good job of that," Nevada coach David Carter said. "I'm not that deep in the frontline, so when you get deeper you can't score. (And) when you are not getting any stops you can't run.

"I thought we were too tentative in the first half and the game got away from us."

After falling behind 7-2 only 2 minutes into the game, UCLA scored nine straight points in a 16-4 run to pull ahead 18-11 at the 13:06 mark. LaVine hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark the first spurt.

The freshman guard scored 10 of UCLA's first 25 points to help the Bruins extend their lead to 10 points midway through the first half. The Wolf Pack refused to go away early, though, scoring the next four points to cut the lead to 25-19. But that was the closest they would get the rest of the game.

Adams quickly ended Nevada's mini-run with a 3-pointer and the Bruins went on a 10-for-10 run from the free throw line to go back up by 12 with 5:29 left. The teams traded buckets before LaVine's double-handed, windmill slam on a fast break put UCLA up 42-28 with 4:21 left, putting an exclamation point on the first half.

"I take a lot of shots before games," LaVine said. "I feel confident with my shot right out of the gate. (And) once you get a dunk, it gets you rolling a little more and gets you a little bit more rhythm."

David Wear scored the Bruins' final nine points of the half to give UCLA a 56-39 lead at the break.

UCLA will play Northwestern on Friday, and the Wolf Pack will face Missouri.

UCLA Basketball to Play in 2015 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational

Head coach Steve Alford and the Bruins will play in Maui in Nov. 2015 (photo by Scott Chandler)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Monday 11/25/2013

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MAUI, Hawaii – UCLA will join a field of eight talented basketball programs in the Championship Round of the 2015 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, it was announced Monday.

The 2015 field, joining Chaminade at the Lahaina Civic Center, will include UCLA, Indiana, Kansas, St. John’s, UNLV, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest. The Championship Round will take place Nov. 23-25, 2015 on the beautiful island of Maui.

UCLA last participated in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational in Nov. 2011. Previously, the Bruins won the tournament title in Nov. 2006.

The group of Championship Round participants includes four of the top 10 most successful programs in NCAA Division I history – Kansas, St. John’s, UCLA and Indiana. Led by the Bruins’ record 11 NCAA Championships, the seven Division I schools have combined to win 19 NCAA titles and have made 47 total trips to the NCAA Final Four.

The eight-team field also had tremendous success as of late. The group had 44 former players begin the 2013-14 season on NBA rosters. Both Kansas and Indiana were No. 1 seeds in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, and all seven NCAA Division I programs have earned at least one NCAA Tournament bid since 2010.

Since the inception of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational in 1984, 99 schools representing 23 conferences and 40 states have competed in the event. Schools that have participated in the tournament in November have finished their seasons with 104 NCAA Tournament appearances, 36 trips to the Sweet 16, 18 Final Fours and eight national championships.

About the 2015 Championship Round Teams

UCLA
Among the most successful programs in college basketball history, UCLA has played in 45 NCAA Tournaments and 18 Final Fours, winning more national championships (11) than any other school. The Bruins are the eighth winningest program in Division I history, having earned seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the past nine years and advancing to three consecutive NCAA Final Fours from 2006-08. Last year’s squad won 25 games and enters this week ranked No. 19 in the AP poll. Head coach Steve Alford begins his tenure at UCLA this fall after compiling a 155-52 record over six years at New Mexico. Alford coached Iowa to the championship game of the 2004 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. The Franklin, Ind. native played collegiately at Indiana, a team he could face in the 2015 Tournament. Alford finished his collegiate career as Indiana’s all-time leading scorer (now ranks second to Calbert Cheaney). The Bruins will make their fifth Tournament appearance in 2015 and first since 2011. They are 7-6 overall in the Tournament and won the 2006 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational behind Tournament MVP Darren Collison.

Indiana
The Hoosiers are the 10th winningest program in NCAA history and entered 2013-14 coming off two straight trips to the Sweet 16. Last year, they earned a No. 1 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. During the 2012-13 campaign, Indiana spent 10 weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the country and won the Big Ten regular season title. Head coach Tom Crean will return for his fourth EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. He previously led Indiana to a 1-2 mark in the 2008 Tournament and Marquette to a runner-up finish in the 2007 Tournament. Crean served as an assistant coach for Michigan State at the 1995 Tournament. This will mark Indiana’s sixth appearance in Maui and first since 2008. The Hoosiers are 9-6 overall in the Tournament and won the 2002 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational as Bracey Wright was named Tournament MVP.

Kansas
The Jayhawks return to Maui for the sixth time, and first since its runner-up finish at the 2011 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. Kansas is the second-winningest Division I program all-time and the winningest since 1990. The program has won nine consecutive Big 12 regular-season championships, has the longest active NCAA Tournament streak in the country (24 years) and entered the 2013-14 season ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll. Kansas capped off the 2012-13 campaign with a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and its third straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. This will mark the fourth trip to Maui for head coach Bill Self, who has taken two teams to the championship game of the Tournament – Kansas in 2011 and Illinois in 2000. The Jayhawks are 10-6 overall in the Tournament and won the 1996 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, when Raef LaFrentz earned Tournament MVP honors.

St. John’s
The seventh winningest program in Division I history, 2015 will mark the Red Storm’s first trip to the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. The storied program has made 27 NCAA Tournament appearances, has played in two Final Fours, and has produced 13 AP All-Americans. The Red Storm are led by Steve Lavin, who is currently in his fourth season as the program’s head coach. Lavin led St. John’s to a No. 6 seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, his first season as head coach. The Queens, N.Y. native spent seven years as the head coach at UCLA, whom the Red Storm could meet in Maui. Lavin led the Bruins to a 2-1 record in the 2001 Tournament and was an assistant on the 1995 UCLA team that traveled to the islands. St. John’s was picked to finish the 2013-14 campaign in the top half of the Big East standings and freshman Rysheed Jordan was named preseason BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.

UNLV
The Runnin’ Rebels will make their third appearance in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational and first since 2000. UNLV has earned 20 bids to the NCAA Tournament and played in four Final Fours, including 1990 when they were crowned national champions. Recently, the Runnin’ Rebels have made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances including six of the past seven years. Led by head coach Dave Rice, the Runnin’ Rebels have won 25-plus games in each of his two seasons at the helm and earned a No. 5 and No. 6 seed in the past two NCAA Tournaments. A longtime assistant at UNLV, Rice was on the staff when the Runnin’ Rebels made their last appearance in the Tournament in 2000. UNLV is 3-3 overall at the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational.

Vanderbilt
The 2015 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational will mark Vanderbilt’s fifth trip to the Tournament, its first appearance since 2009. The Commodores have been very successful recently, earning three straight NCAA Tournament bids from 2010 to 2012 and winning the SEC Tournament in 2012 by handing eventual-national champion Kentucky just their second loss of the season. Head coach Kevin Stallings has led the Commodores to the postseason in eight of the past 10 seasons. The 2013-14 campaign will mark Stallings’ 15th as head coach. The Collinsville, Ill. native was at the helm when the Commodores won two games at the 2009 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. Vanderbilt is 8-4 overall and won the 1986 Tournament behind a stellar MVP performance by Will Perdue.

Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons will make their first appearance in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational. The program has earned 22 NCAA Tournament bids all-time and seven in the past 13 years. Wake Forest earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010 and won 20-plus games each season. The Demon Deacons enter the 2013-14 season with 11 sophomores on their roster – players who are projected to be in their final year of eligibility in 2015. Head coach Jeff Bzdelik led Colorado in the 2009 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational and spent 16 years in the NBA as a scout, assistant coach and head coach. As head coach of the Denver Nuggets, he helped lead a 26-game turnaround and earn a playoff berth in 2004.

Chaminade
The Silverswords have hosted the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational and participated every year since its inception in 1984. Over the past 30 years, Chaminade has won seven games in the Tournament, upsetting the likes of Texas, Oklahoma and Villanova. The Silverswords won 19 games in 2012-13 and advanced to the PacWest Championship Game. They also earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament, competing in the West Regional for the fifth time in school history. The 2013-14 campaign will be Eric Bovaird’s third as head coach. Chaminade’s best finish in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational came in 1984 when they finished as the runner-up. Two Silverswords have won Tournament MVP honors – Patrick Langlois in 1984 and George Gilmore in 1991. Gilmore’s 93 points over three games is still the Tournament record for most points scored in the Championship Round.

No. 19 UCLA Takes Down Nevada, 105-84

Jordan Adams scored 21 points against Nevada on Thusday (photo by Scott Chandler)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: Associated Press
Release: Thursday 11/28/2013

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LAS VEGAS - Jordan Adams and Zach LaVine each scored 21 points to lead No. 19 UCLA to a 105-84 victory over Nevada on Thursday in the opening round of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.

Five players scored in double figures for the Bruins (6-0), who quickly erased an early five-point deficit and built a double-digit lead less than 10 minutes into the game. LaVine finished with a season-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

The Bruins registered 100 points or more in consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 27 and Dec. 1, 1999, after having defeated Chattanooga, 106-65, in Pauley Pavilion last Sunday evening.

Kyle Anderson logged his fourth double-double in six games, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes.

Against Nevada (3-4) on Thursday in Las Vegas, UCLA’s lead got as high as 19 points in the first half, when the Bruins shot 16 of 25 (64 percent) from the field and 17 of 18 at the free throw line. They finished at 60.7 percent from the floor, including 10 of 20 from 3-point range.

Deonte Burton and Jerry Evans Jr. each scored 20 points for Nevada, while Michael Perez added 18.

UCLA, off to its best start since opening the 2007-08 season with seven straight wins, will face Northwestern on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The Wolf Pack will take on Missouri.

After falling behind 7-2 only two minutes into the game, UCLA scored nine straight points in a 16-4 run to pull ahead 18-11 at the 13:06 mark. LaVine hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark the first spurt. The freshman guard scored 10 of UCLA's first 25 points to help the Bruins extend their lead to 10 points midway through the first half.

The Wolf Pack refused to go away, scoring the next four points to cut the lead to 25-19. But that was the closest they would get the rest of the game. Adams quickly ended Nevada's mini-run with a 3-pointer, then the Bruins went on a 10-for-10 run from the free throw line to go back up by 12 with 5:29 left.

David Wear scored the Bruins' final nine points of the half to give UCLA a 56-39 lead at the break.

Thursday night’s game marked the first collegiate contest for UCLA freshman Wanaah Bail, who missed the first five games recovering from offseason knee surgery. Bail finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists in nine minutes off the bench.

Z Box.

UCLA dunks its way to rout over Chattanooga

Video recap from uclabruins.com

By Jill Painter, Los Angeles Daily News

POSTED: 11/24/13, 9:37 PM PST  |    Article link

The UCLA men’s basketball team continued to steamroll inferior opponents, this time Chattanooga in a 106-65 blowout Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.

Fun was the name of the game as Norman Powell, Zach LaVine and Co. had quite the dunkfest and never lost focus, not even with a gargantuan lead. Powell scored 19 points and most of those with flair, especially with a windmill dunk.

“That’s one of the main dunks I’ve been trying to do all year,” Powell said. “It’s the first windmill I’ve had in college basketball.”

Fans haven’t been treated to these kinds of high-scoring affairs in quite some time. UCLA hadn’t scored more than 100 points since it scored 113 points in a home game against Wyoming on Dec. 23, 2008.

The Bruins had 10 dunks Sunday — making this seem more like a midnight madness festivity than a game — and Powell had five dunks.

UCLA guard Jordan Adams had a team-high 22 points and Kyle Anderson nearly had another triple double — he recorded one Friday — with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

The Bruins also had 48 rebounds (including a career-high 14 from Tony Parker) and shot 62.9 percent from the field. Just about everything they did went right.

“We didn’t have to make a lot of adjustments (at the half),” UCLA coach Steve Alford said. “It’s a new deal. It’s a new staff. They’re learning that the emphasis is how you start games and how you start halves. We had a 19-2 run (to start the second half) and did a good job with that.”

The Bruins led 47-25 at halftime, and Powell had four crowd-pleasing dunks within the first five minutes of the second half. Former NFL star Terrell Owens was on hand to watch the fireworks.

UCLA increased its lead to 40 points five minutes into the second half to squelch any ideas the Mocs could make this close.

Powell still was in the game with seven minutes left and had that ridiculously impressive windmill dunk. He took off from just inside the free-throw line and flew through the lane for a one-handed slam.

“I was just glad to see him finally do it,” Adams said.

Bryce Alford scored UCLA’s 100th point on a 3-pointer from the baseline with three minutes left. The Bruins scored a season-high 106 points, which is such a stark departure from former coach Ben Howland and his defensive-minded teams. UCLA beat Cal State San Marcos 109-79 but that was an exhibition game.

UCLA has started a season 5-0 record for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

The Bruins next play Nevada in the Las Vegas Invitational.

UCLA stays undefeated with 106-65 victory over Chattanooga

UCLA guard Norman Powell pulls down a rebound in front of Chattanooga guard Casey Jones, left, during the Bruins' blowout victory Sunday. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press / November 24, 2013)

By Diane Pucin

LA Times

November 24, 2013, 10:54 p.m.

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Jordan Adams scores 22 points and Kyle Anderson finishes with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bruins, who improve to 5-0.

Sunday was an evening for providing pyrotechnic dunks and trying to outdo teammates with the most extravagant pass or unlikeliest rebound.

Certainly UCLA was never tested basketball-wise by Chattanooga at Pauley Pavilion.

The 22nd-ranked Bruins beat the Mocs, 106-65, and will head off for the Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, with a 5-0 record, their health and momentum.

GAME SUMMARY: UCLA 106, Chattanooga 65

But they still have something to prove to the fans. Only a handful of a crowd announced as 5,739 was left when that 100th point was scored.

For the record it was Bryce Alford, son of UCLA Coach Steve Alford, with a three-pointer with 2:59 left that turned the scoreboard over into triple digits, putting the Bruins ahead, 102-60. The last time the Bruins hit 100 or more was Dec. 23, 2008.

Jordan Adams led the way with 22 points and sophomore center Tony Parker had a career-high 14 rebounds, something he wasn't aware of until it was pointed out to him after the game. “Doesn't matter,” he said, “as long as we won.”

Coach Alford said he thought his team played its best game of the season.

“It was our quickest turnaround,” he said, noting the Bruins had played Friday night, “and we did our best job on the backboard, shared the basketball, doubled the assists to turnovers [23-11], didn't shoot a ton of threes, attacked the basket, just followed the plan.”

Junior Norman Powell, who finished with 19 points, had a flurry of four dunks in the second half including his favorite, the windmill. “I don't think I've had one in college,” he said, “and I wanted one.”

If Chattanooga (2-5) was going to give itself a chance, missing all five of its first-half free throws and making only one of 12 three-point attempts was not the correct formula.

With the help of a 14-2 run and a nonchalant collection of 15 points from Adams, the Bruins led, 47-25, after the first 20 minutes. Freshman Zach LaVine added 10 off the bench, including a massive dunk off a pass from fellow freshman Bryce Alford. LaVine, who finished with 19 points, was one of four Bruins who scored in double figures.

The Bruins also avoided what had become an unhealthy habit of letting big early leads against lesser competition go mostly away.

They came out briskly after halftime, starting out with a 10-2 run that was highlighted by a perfect pass from Adams to Powell that ended in a dunk, a 57-27 UCLA lead, and a Mocs timeout.

That seemed the perfect roadblock to what Alford called the second half “ebbs and flows” that had plagued the team.

Powell's flurry of four dunks was exciting enough that heads were raised by many of the fans who were busy checking out their hand-held devices.

Etc.

Alford said he hopes freshman forward Wannah Bail, who has missed the first five games with a left knee injury, will be available by Thursday in Las Vegas.

“He's practicing with us,” Alford said. “I believe he'll be ready.”

diane.pucin@latimes.com

Twitter: @mepucin

UCLA men’s basketball overpowers Chattanooga, 106-65

Sophomore forward/center Tony Parker had a career-high 14 rebounds against Chattanooga on Sunday.
(Erin Ng, Daily Bruin.)

BY ANDREW ERICKSON

daily bruin

nov 24 2013

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With just a couple minutes gone in the second half, Norman Powell dribbled up the baseline full speed ahead.

By the time he realized there was a Chattanooga defender with his shoulders squared standing just outside the key, it was too late. The junior guard rose up and threw down a powerful right arm.

UCLA defeated Chattanooga 106-65 on Sunday night in its highest-scoring affair since December 23, 2008, and from about the sixth minute onward, it was a laugher filled with high-flying dunks from Powell and fellow height enthusiasts like freshman guard Zach LaVine.

“I was just being aggressive,” said Powell of the dunk. “I saw that he gave me the lane and I took it. The easy part was dunking it.”

On UCLA’s next possession, he saw an opening, sprinting and leaping to receive an alley-oop pass from sophomore guard Jordan Adams.

The crowd went wild. The Mocs called a timeout. They were two plays powerful enough to change the momentum of a game, but the Bruins already led by 30.

With 13:06 left to play in the first half, an Adams three-pointer brought the tally to 19-8, a Bruin lead that would grow to 22 at the half.

Two nights after the Bruins shot a pedestrian 6-for-18 from beyond the arc against Morehead State, their attack from long range was more conservative and altogether more successful. Leading by a wide margin in the second half, it wasn’t a shot UCLA needed to take, so it didn’t, letting it fly just three times from deep after the break.

“I feel like we did a great job (with shot selection),” said Powell, who finished with 19 points. “Throughout the game I feel like we missed some easy layups at the rim, but our mindset was just to stay aggressive and share the basketball.”

And they shared efficiently, too, playing at a 23-11 assists-to-turnovers clip, one of their best of the season so far. Sophomore forward Kyle Anderson led the team with seven assists.

The Mocs (2-4), who finished eighth in the Southland Conference last season, certainly aren’t the marquee-caliber opponent the Bruins will start to face come December. Still, coach Steve Alford said he was pleased with his team’s effectiveness, particularly because Sunday marked the completion of UCLA’s first two-games-in-three-days swing of the season.

“Playing that Friday-Sunday deal, it’s like Pac-12 play. We’ll come back to this in about a month to six weeks and say, ‘We’ve done this already,’” Alford said. “I thought we played better tonight than on Friday night, and that’s always a good thing that guys can respond after a win and play better.”

One individual who responded after putting UCLA in jeopardy with early foul trouble on Friday night was sophomore center/forward Tony Parker, who grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds against the Mocs. To Parker and the No. 25 Bruins (5-0), Sunday’s win was unique in that it was a more complete performance.

“(Coach Alford) really got on us about playing the whole game and not having any mental lapses and I feel like we really reached our goal tonight with playing the whole 40 minutes,” Parker said. “Down the stretch I think that’ll really help us against elite teams.”

The elite may wait, but the Bruins will be tested away from Pauley Pavilion for the first time all season Thursday when they travel to Las Vegas take on the University of Nevada in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.

Email Erickson at aerickson@media.ucla.edu.

No. 22 UCLA Registers 106-65 Win Against Chattanooga

Jordan Adams has led UCLA in scoring in all five regular-season games (photo by Scott Chandler)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: Associated Press
Release: Sunday 11/24/2013

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UCLA vs Chattanooga Video Highlights

LOS ANGELES – Jordan Adams scored a game-high 22 points and Norman Powell and Zach LaVine each added 19 points as No. 22 UCLA defeated Chattanooga, 106-65, in Pauley Pavilion on Sunday night.

UCLA head coach Steve Alford based his game plan on attacking the basket against a small Chattanooga lineup. His team responded with a stellar defense that allowed it to turn the game into a dunk contest.

Kyle Anderson, coming off the first UCLA triple double since 1995, had 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the undefeated Bruins (5-0) in a regional game of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. UCLA will play its next two games in Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday evening.

Powell had five of UCLA’s 10 dunks as UCLA shot 62 percent from the field and scored more than 100 points for the first time since a 113-62 win against Wyoming on Dec. 23, 2008.

Alford doesn't know if this scoring is sustainable, but he was pleased with his team on the second game in three nights and defending home court through five games.

"We're sharing the ball right now," Alford said. "We're shooting the ball well. The schedule constantly changes. As I told the team, we needed to get out of the gate quickly. We had five home games to start the season. As you look at college basketball, there's already been teams that have lost home games. We didn't fall into that trap. Our guys have done a good job. It's a new program, a new system."

UCLA opened the second half on a 19-2 run to stretch its lead to 41 points. Powell made four of his five dunks during the run, including a baseline drive and an alley-oop from Adams on consecutive possessions. The fourth was on windmill dunk to complete the run.

"I just wanted to finish it," Powell said. "The windmill came easy, but that's one of the main dunks I've been trying to do this whole year on a fast break, and I was just happy to get it this game."

Martynas Bareika scored a season-high 17 points in a reserve role and Z. Mason had 15 points for the Mocs (2-4). Chattanooga entered the game averaging 49 percent from the field but shot a season-low 35 percent.

The Mocs went 1 for 11 to start the second half until Mason scored on a layup at 13:59. Leading-scorer Gee McGhee had five points. LaVine's dunk gave UCLA its biggest lead at 82-35.

"It was an embarrassment to our program," Chattanooga coach Will Wade said. "We played scared. We played timid. Give UCLA credit, but we did not do what we needed to do."

Adams, coming off a career-high 30-point game, led UCLA with 15 points in the first half. He completed a three-point play to give the Bruins a 24-point lead and made a highlight block on McGhee before halftime.

Five of Powell's eight field goals were dunks. Freshman LaVine scored 10 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer and a breakaway one-handed dunk to finish a 14-2 run. Both recorded season highs in points.

Powell and Adams liked the offensive output but are proud of the overall improvement from the season opener.

"I think we've grown tremendously as a team, not only in our chemistry but in our defensive end," Powell said. "We're starting to help each other out, talk on defense, and that's what coach has been talking to us about. For us to go far with this season and continue what we're doing, it's going to be on the defensive end. We're really talented. We know we can put up points, but being a great team that you want to be we've got to get defensive stops."

UCLA took a 47-25 lead into the break.

Chattanooga missed 13 of its first 20 shots and shot 36 percent in the first half. It went 1 for 12 from 3-point range. Mason scored consecutive baskets inside and had 10 points at halftime but no other Mocs player had more than three points in the first half.

Chattanooga was coming off back-to-back last-minute losses but this was over early.

"They are a very talented team," Wade said of UCLA. "They space you out and really took it to us tonight."

The box is here!