LOS ANGELES - Norman Powell scored 23 points to help UCLA earn a 69-59 victory over No. 11 Utah in a Pac-12 game in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night.
The Bruins’ senior guard made 9 of 16 shots as UCLA (12-9, 4-4 Pac-12) registered its first win over a top-25 ranked opponent this season.
“We did a good job in the first half to start the game, and then we were terrific in the second half,” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “Getting a double-figure lead a couple minutes into the second half was big for us.”
Utah (16-4, 6-2) trailed during the entire second half. In fact, the Bruins took a 29-28 lead with 2:47 to play before halftime and led the rest of the way. UCLA entered the intermission with a 33-30 advantage.
Bryce Alford scored 14 points and dished a game-leading seven assists, while Isaac Hamilton finished with 11 points as the Bruins’ only other player to score in double figures.
Delon Wright totaled a team-leading 15 points for the visiting Utes. Brandon Taylor scored 14 points, connecting on 5 of 11 shots and 4 of 9 attempts from 3-point range.
UCLA improved its home record to 10-1, as Thursday’s win came in the team’s third home contest since mid-December.
The Bruins pulled away by using a 12-0 scoring run to open the second half. That helped UCLA extend its margin to 45-30 with 13:00 remaining in regulation. Including the final 1:49 of the first half, UCLA held Utah scoreless during a 9:09 span midway through the game. A 3-point basket by Taylor with 12:40 to go in the second half broke the scoring drought for the Utes.
Utah closed UCLA’s gap to 58-48 on a layup from Wright at the 6:06 mark.
Leading 58-50, Powell and Alford each nailed two consecutive free throws to push UCLA’s cushion to 62-50. Utah answered with a layup from Wright and a 3-pointer from Taylor, cutting UCLA’s margin to 62-55 with 2:58 remaining.
The Bruins’ lead never fell to fewer than eight points in the game’s final two minutes.
UCLA center Tony Parker returned to the Bruins' starting lineup after having missed the team's previous two games with back spasms. Parker finished with four points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.
UCLA returns to action against Colorado (11-9, 4-4) on Saturday evening. Game time in Pauley Pavilion is 7:30 p.m. (PT). The Bruins’ game versus the Buffaloes will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
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