UCLA tops Stephen F. Austin to advance to Sweet 16

UCLA leads Stephen F. Austin 42-32 at halftime

DAILY BRUIN | MARCH 23 2014 5:14 PM

SAN DIEGO — The opening minutes of Viejas Arena’s first round of 32 game Sunday proved a battle of pace, as UCLA charged in the open court while Stephen F. Austin tried to force the Bruins into a half-court offense.

UCLA struggled on the offensive glass against a much smaller lineup and missed on several open layup opportunities, but leads Stephen F. Austin 42-32 at the half.

Junior guard Norman Powell blew past a Lumberjack defender for an easy layup to give UCLA a 12-9 lead with 15:53 remaining, but Stephen F. Austin countered with a methodical attack, earning trips to the free throw line on two straight possessions and evening up the tally at 12 less than a minute later.

The Bruins built on their early advantage behind the hot jump shooting of sophomore guard Jordan Adams and sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson. Adams nailed two straight jumpers, while sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson hit a straight-on 3-pointer to give No. 4 seed UCLA a 19-12 lead.

No. 12 seed Stephen F. Austin went 6:24 without a field goal before a layup from Thomas Walkup and a 3-pointer from Desmond Haymon less than a minute later cut UCLA’s advantage to just three points.

A long two-point jumper from freshman guard Bryce Alford breathed life into a UCLA offense that likewise went several minutes without a field goal. The Bruins built an 11-point lead before allowing back-to-back Lumberjack threes to bring the tally to 32-27 with 3:53 remaining.

Stephen F. Austin’s Walkup leads all Lumberjack scorers with 12 points, with Haymon adding nine points. Adams has 12 points after converting five of his first six field-goal attempts, while Anderson has 11 points and three rebounds.

UCLA is shooting 53.6 percent from the field to Stephen F. Austin’s 37.9 percent.

Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.

UCLA tops Stephen F. Austin to advance to Sweet 16

DAILY BRUIN | MARCH 23 2014 7:08 PM

After defeating Stephen F. Austin 77-60, UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.

The Bruins came out of the gate hot, as junior guard Norman Powell converted on a layup off of an alley-oop on the first possession. The Lumberjacks hung around for a few minutes, but the Bruins’ height advantage and hot shooting eventually swung momentum in their favor.

UCLA pounded the ball inside to the tune of 42 points in the paint, boosting its field goal percentage to a blistering 54.7 percent. Meanwhile, the Bruins’ length on defense caused problems for the Lumberjacks, who managed to shoot just 35.1 percent from the field.

Sophomore guard Jordan Adams led the Bruins with a team-high 19 points, while Powell chipped in 16 points and sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson had 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

With the win, the No. 4 seeded Bruins will travel to Memphis, Tenn., where they will face the No. 1 overall seed Florida Gators on Thursday.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.