Kevon Looney finished with 11 points on Thursday night (AP Photo)
Courtesy: Associated Press
No. 22 UCLA Basketball Drops 78-56 Decision to No. 5 North Carolina
Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Thursday 11/27/2014
Release: Thursday 11/27/2014
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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - Norman Powell scored a team-leading 15 points and had five steals as No. 22 UCLA lost to No. 5 North Carolina, 78-56, in a consolation game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday evening.
Kevon Looney finished with 11 points and six rebounds, and Bryce Alford netted 10 points and three assists in the Bruins’ second loss in as many days.
Marcus Paige scored a game-leading 21 points for North Carolina (4-1), a team that rebounded from a 74-66 loss to Butler one day prior.
The Tar Heels led UCLA (4-2) at halftime by a 43-29 margin and used a 15-0 scoring run midway through the second half to secure a comfortable 62-38 cushion with 9:09 remaining.
“We have to learn and we’ve got a big one tomorrow night to get out of here with a win,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “We need to get to 5-2 before we leave the island and go back home. It’s been a very difficult stretch, and we knew it would be. But, we had a lot of lessons tonight.”
North Carolina had four players who scored in double figures, including Paige. Justin Jackson totaled 12 points and five rebounds, while Isaiah Hicks and J.P. Tokoto each scored 10 points.
UCLA led midway through the first half, 18-11, before North Carolina closed the opening half with a 32-11 scoring run to enter halftime with a 14-point advantage. The Tar Heels took a 20-19 lead with 9:27 to play on Tokoto’s first 3-pointer of the game.
Looney, who had a streak of four consecutive double-doubles snapped, picked up his fourth foul of the game just six seconds into the second half. The freshman from Milwaukee, Wis., did not return to the game until the 12:11 mark.
The Bruins, who entered the game with 89 assists and 53 turnovers through its previous five games, committed 23 turnovers and logged a season-low seven assists against the Tar Heels.
UCLA received solid contributions off its bench from freshmen Thomas Welsh and G.G. Goloman, Welsh finished with six points, eight rebounds and one block in 14 minutes. Goloman, who did not play in UCLA’s loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday, had two points, three rebounds and one steal in 10 minutes of action.
The Bruins will return to action in the seventh-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Friday, Nov. 28. UCLA will play at 7:30 p.m. (PT) against either No. 18 Florida or UAB (Alabama-Birmingham).
The Box
Fish wrap round-up (what the e-papers are sayin about the game)
Daily Bruin (they don't even bother writing up an article for this one)
LA Daily News (link)
LA Times (link)
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