Norman Powell (left) alongside teammate Jordan Adams (photo by Don Liebig)
Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
LOS ANGELES - The No. 24 UCLA basketball team received a game-high 22 points from Jordan Adams in a 91-60 victory against Oakland on Tuesday evening in Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA (2-0) had three players scoring in double figures, as Tony Parker logged career-highs with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Norman Powell scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the host Bruins.
UCLA pulled away by closing the first half on a 27-9 run to take a 44-24 lead. An 18-2 run in the second half sealed the victory.
"I learned that they did have some toughness in grinding out a win in the opener but as a whole, I wasn't overly thrilled with their toughness in the opener," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "I thought we were tougher. We've got a long way to go with that.
"Toughness is something you create as an identity as a team. We were much harder to play against in this game than we were against Drexel. That's the demeanor this team has to take on."
UCLA dominated in all aspects of the game, shooting 52.5 percent from the field and outrebounding the Golden Grizzlies 49-28. Oakland shot 30.8 percent from the field.
The Bruins were coming off a five-point, season-opening win over Drexel, one in which they nearly blew a 13-point lead. They seemed to work much better as a unit Tuesday.
The Golden Grizzlies (0-2) were coming off a 21-point loss to No. 12 North Carolina, and came to Los Angeles with only 10 players on their roster.
They tried in vain to keep up by launching 3-point shots but they connected on just two of 15 attempts in the first half and were 6 of 25 for the game.
The Golden Grizzlies stayed even with the Bruins through the opening minutes only to be left in the dust when UCLA got down to business.
The Golden Grizzlies trailed by two points with 9:22 remaining in the first half thanks, in part to their strong rebounding and their ability to get the ball inside against the Bruins.
It didn't last. The Bruins picked up the tempo and ended the first half on a 27-9 run.
"I'm not pleased with our performance," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "We have got to figure out our issues."
Parker, who notched a career high in points and had 12 rebounds for the first double-double of his career, said that it was important for him to stay on the court. That meant adhering to Alford's request that he stay out of foul trouble.
"Coach has been on me about keeping my hands up and staying out of foul trouble," Parker said.
"The coach has to trust me so I have to play hard. I tried to do my dirty work early. It was hard to box me out but I know I also have to work on my free throws."
Alford challenged both Parker and David Wear to stay out of foul trouble. That's because he needs them on the court until his taller reinforcements – 6-foot-10 Travis Wear and 6-9 Wanaah Bail – get healthy.
"Travis and Wanaah are close to getting back," Alford said. "Tony was terrific. These two bigs [Parker and David Wear] have gotten a lot of experience early in the season and hopefully have gained some confidence."
Travis Bader scored 19 points to lead the Golden Grizzlies, while Tommie McCune added 12. Norman Powell scored 18 points for the Bruins.
Alford coached in his 700th game and his career record stands at 465-235.
UCLA's 18-2 run gave it a 68-34 lead with 11:36 remaining in the game.
Alford started to empty his bench with 5:04 left in the game, and the Bruins leading 80-45.
"It's UCLA," Bader said. "We have played North Carolina. We're up, positive and understand that these are two of the top programs in the country. It's not the results we wanted but we know we are going to play as hard as we can."
The Bruins will return to action against Sacramento State on Monday, Nov. 18. Game time in Pauley Pavilion is 8 p.m. The non-conference contest will be televised live by Pac-12 Networks and will also be available on the radio on AM 570 (KLAC).
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