LOS ANGELES - Freshman Kevon Looney totaled 17 points and 14 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double to lead UCLA past Coastal Carolina, 84-71, Sunday evening in a matchup of NCAA tournament teams from last season.
Bryce Alford added 17 points, all in the second half, for UCLA (2-0). Norman Powell registered 13 points before fouling out and Isaac Hamilton had 16 for the Bruins.
Tony Parker recorded his second collegiate double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Sunday’s game marked UCLA’s second consecutive contest in which five or more players scored in double figures. The Bruins had six players scoring in double figures in Friday night’s 113-78 win over Montana State.
“We had good balance again with five guys in double figures, two guys with double-doubles,” head coach Steve Alford said. “We took care of the ball again with another low turnover game. This is a really good win for us. It may not look like it now, but as we move on I know we’re going to look at this as a really good win. I liked what we did.”
Josh Cameron led Coastal Carolina (1-1) with 22 points, and Warren Gillis added 16 to extend his streak of double-figure scoring to 23 games. Badou Diagne had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the visiting Chanticleers, who were playing a Pac-12 school for the first time.
Neither team led by more than six points in the first half, as UCLA entered the locker room at the break with a 32-28 advantage.
Coastal Carolina trailed by just three points (42-39) with 14:59 to play in the second half before UCLA used a 17-3 scoring run over the next four minutes to secure a commanding 59-42 lead. That run was capped by four points from Bryce Alford – one jump shot followed by a pair of free throws.
Leading by 17 points, UCLA’s advantage never dwindled to fewer than 12 points the rest of the way. The Bruins pushed their cushion to as many as 20 points (69-49) at the 7:51 mark.
UCLA has opened its season with two consecutive victories for the third straight season, and for the fourth time in the last five years.
The Bruins return to action against Nicholls State in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Nov. 20. Game time is 8 p.m. UCLA’s game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
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