UCLA basketball: Travis Wear finds his stride in Bruins' surge

Bruins forward Travis Wear (24) pulls down a rebound against Stanford forward Josh Huestis during a game earlier this season at Pauley Pavilion. (Harry How / Getty Images / January 23, 2014)

By Chris Foster

LA Times

February 21, 2014, 6:30 p.m.

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T. Wear says the start of the season 'was a little tough' coming off his appendectomy, but now he's getting in a groove. He and his twin brother, David, are praised by their coach for their production.

Travis Wear has had an unusual final season at UCLA.

It started last spring, when Coach Ben Howland was fired. It continued in the fall, when he underwent an appendectomy.

But things are going better for Wear in recent weeks. He had 13 points, making six of eight shots, Thursday in a win over California. Heading into Saturday's game at Stanford, he has made 26 of 40 shots in UCLA's last six games.

"The beginning of the season was a little tough, coming off the surgery," Wear said. "I'm getting into a groove. It took a little while. I think I'm there now."

Wear and his twin brother, David, are a reason for the Bruins' surge the last two weeks, according to UCLA Coach Steve Alford.

"They are both doing so much," said Alford, who credited the Wears with effective rebounding and defense before commenting on their production on offense. "Against Cal, they had four assists and no turnovers. They are making a ton of shots. They are making their foul shots."

They are also creating matchup problems for opponents because they are shooting well from behind the three-point arc. After attempting only seven three-pointers in the first 21 games, Travis Wear has made seven of 13 in the last six games. David Wear is seven of 15 from three-point range during the same span.

LaVine fine?

If there is one thing a shooter has to accept, it's that sometimes he is going to miss. Occasionally, he's going to miss often.

UCLA's Zach LaVine has had more shots bounce harmlessly off the rim than he would care to count in the last four weeks. He had made only six of 37 shots in six games before Thursday's win at Cal.

LaVine made two of four shots against the Bears, all from behind the three-point arc.

"I thought he was very active cutting," Alford said. "He didn't stay on the perimeter, he engaged the defense. Any time you have a player who cares and works hard, good things happen."

Whether good times are back remain to be seen. It was one game.

But Alford, a shooting prodigy as a youth in Indiana, noted: "Every shooter has gone through a period when they're not shooting well. You get back in the gym and get back to good habits."

Alford's shooting slump? "I had a bad two- or three-game stretch when I was at Indiana," he said.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfosterlatimes

Twins David, Travis Wear become solid secondary pieces for UCLA basketball

Travis (left) and David (right) Wear. Photo Link

By Jack Wang, Los Angeles Daily News

POSTED: 02/21/14, 7:53 PM PST |  article link

As UCLA takes a four-game winning streak into a crucial 3 p.m. Saturday tipoff at Stanford, a pair of senior forwards are rounding into peak form.

David Wear has played at least 20 minutes in each of his last five games, his longest such streak since November. Travis Wear, meanwhile, seems to have finally shaken off a preseason appendectomy; he is averaging 25.5 minutes and 11.3 points in his last four appearances.

These are not flashy numbers, but they’re important given the reduced load the twins have been given. In two seasons under former coach Ben Howland, they touched the ball last on 40.3 and 35.5 percent of Bruin (21-5, 10-3) possessions. This year, they only do so on 28.7 percent.

First-year head coach Steve Alford agreed that it has taken some time for both of the Wears to acclimate to their roles in his offense. They’ve become more efficient on offense, with Travis Wear getting particularly hot; in his past five games, he is 6 of 7 from beyond the arc.

“I think Travis is healthy and feeling good about himself again,” Alford added. “That makes a big difference as well. Both of them are doing so much for us. They’re rebounding. They’re making a ton of shots.”

But it’s their defense that Alford continues to highlight. Neither Wear is a traditional big man despite standing 6-foot-10, but are versatile and experienced enough that they can stretch out and defend other stretch forwards.

“That’s helped us take our game to the next level,” he said. “Whether we’re man or zone, we haven’t had a lot of matchup issues this year.”

That could come in handy against the Cardinal (17-8, 8-5), whose forwards, Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis, both take over 60 percent of their shots away from the rim.

Edney to join Pac-12 Hall

Former UCLA guard Tyus Edney, best known for his 4.8-second dash against Missouri in the 1995 NCAA Tournament, will be the school’s latest inductee into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor.

He will officially join those ranks on March 14, during a ceremony before the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals at MGM Grand Arena.

The Bruins’ current director of operations was an all-conference selection in each of his last three seasons, and helped the team to its 1995 championship as a senior. He has the second-most all-time assists (652) in UCLA history and the third-most all-time free throws made (450). He also holds the single-game conference record with 11 steals.

“This is a huge honor for me,” Edney said in a statement. “I am so humbled to be recognized alongside some of our conference’s most respected and accomplished players. To even be considered for this induction is a tremendous privilege.”

The league established the Hall of Honor in 2002, with each member school selecting one honoree each year. UCLA’s first was legendary head coach John Wooden.

Jordan Adams powers UCLA basketball in win at Cal

Jordan Adams scored 28 points for UCLA (AP Photo)

Courtesy: Associated Press

By Jack Wang, Los Angeles Daily News

POSTED: 02/19/14, 10:02 PM PST | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO | article link

BERKELEY — For a moment in UCLA’s 86-66 win Wednesday night, Cal breathed in hope.

With less than four minutes left until halftime, senior point guard Justin Cobbs hit a running floater against heavy contact. He pumped his fist and headed to the line. He hit the free throw.

What had been a double-digit Bruins lead less than three minutes earlier was cut to four.

It would be Cobbs’ only field goal of the first half. He missed an 18-footer on the Bears’ next possession, and UCLA unleashed a 7-0 run in 88 seconds. The Bruins walked into the locker room with a commanding 44-32 lead, and never felt threatened again in arguably their best performance of the year.

Powered by Jordan Adams’ game-high 28 points, UCLA (21-5, 10-3) led by as many as 27 and never by less than nine after the break. In addition to shooting 12 of 19 from the field, the sophomore wing filled in an all-around effort with six rebounds, five assists and five steals.

Point guard Kyle Anderson, a Bob Cousy Award finalist, had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Forward Travis Wear had 13 points, his fourth double-digit outing in six games.

“This was as well as we’ve played in a while,” said Bruins head coach Steve Alford, whose team stayed one game back of Arizona for the Pac-12 lead.

UCLA opened the game on a 14-5 run, and never trailed through 40 minutes. It held the Bears (17-9, 8-5) to 39.3 percent shooting in the first half.

Cal freshmen Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews combined for 27 points, and were the only players with multiple field goals in the first half. None of their teammates finished the game with double figures. Cobbs, Tyrone Wallace and Richard Solomon — the team’s three leading scorers — ended up with 18 combined points on 4-of-21 shooting.

The Bruins hadn’t won at Haas Pavilion since a 76-75 overtime victory on Jan. 6, 2010, a game capped by a Michael Roll jumper with 1.9 seconds left. There was far less drama on Wednesday night, but the team left with a far more meaningful outcome.

Whereas the 2010 win came in the midst of a 14-18 season — the second-worst of former coach Ben Howland’s 10-year tenure — this one kept UCLA within striking distance of the Pac-12 lead.

A few minutes before the final buzzer in Berkeley, UCLA almost got some help over 700 miles east. Utah put a scare into No. 4 Arizona, taking the Wildcats into overtime before falling 67-63. Sean Miller’s squad had been undefeated until a two-point loss at Cal on Feb. 1, and sits one game ahead of the Bruins.

Meanwhile, UCLA coasted past the Bears, shooting a blistering 64 percent in the second half. In a conference race that could go down to the final weekend, Alford looks in control of the league’s best team. During their four-game winning streak, the Bruins are shooting 51.7 percent, including 50.7 percent from beyond the arc.

“We’ve been playing some good basketball as of late,” forward Travis Wear said. “This is the perfect time to be doing it. I think we’re really dangerous.”

Cal thumped at home by UCLA in showdown for 2nd place

Video highlights ESPN.com

John Crumpacker

SF Gate

Updated 7:01 am, Thursday, February 20, 2014

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• Erratic Cal men's basketball team tries to avenge UCLA loss
• Cal women alone in 2nd place after defeating Devils

Cal had everything to play for and got nothing in return for its faulty effort Wednesday night in a continuing pattern of inconsistency as No. 23 UCLA scored an 86-66 victory at Haas Pavilion to remain in second place in the Pac-12 basketball standings.

It was Cal's worst loss of the season, home or away.

"We need to find consistency to help us ride out these (last) five games," said freshman Jordan Mathews, who led Cal with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. "These five games are critical."

With hopes of splitting its season series with UCLA, Cal instead came up well short to a better team and dropped to 17-9 overall and 8-5 in conference. The Bruins notched their 21st win against five defeats and are 10-3 in the Pac-12.

"They certainly were better than us tonight," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. "They have some very good athletes. They played extremely well across the board. ... At this juncture, you'd have to be stupid to think they're not better than us. They beat us handily twice."

Cal could still finish in the top four in the conference and avoid playing on the first day of the Pac-12 tournament in March, but it would have to finish strong in its remaining five games, three of them at Haas Pavilion.

"We're trying to finish in the top four," Montgomery said. "We've just got to win as many games as we can and get in the top four and not spend a lot of time dwelling on this game."

Against an active UCLA defense playing zone and man-to-man, Justin Cobbs was held to seven points, Richard Solomon to six and Tyrone Wallace to five.

Speaking to the Bruins' defense on Solomon, Montgomery said, "We didn't pass the ball to him cleanly. Half the time we hit him in the ankles. They were loading up on him."

The Bears were done in by UCLA's interior defense and the 28 points poured in by 6-foot-5 guard Jordan Adams. He was supported by Kyle Anderson, who had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

At the start of the second half, the Bears played no better than they had in the first half. With 15:59 left in the game, they found themselves on the wrong end of a 55-41 score when UCLA's David Wear drained a three-point shot.

The Bruins' lead reached 61-44 with 13:18 remaining when Adams scored over Mathews, but the Bears responded with a Cobbs jumper and a Mathews three-point shot to trail 61-49 with 12:32 to go, giving the illusion they were still in this game.

Minutes later, though, UCLA had its biggest lead of the game, 79-52, after a layup by Adams with 7:01 left.

For as bad as Cal played for much of the first half, trailing by 12 less than 10 minutes in, it was remarkable the Bears trailed by only four points, 34-30, after a running jumper and subsequent free throw by Cobbs at 3:46.

But this is Cal and UCLA finished out the half outscoring the Bears 10-2 to take a 44-32 lead at intermission.

"I remember it being a close game and looking up and it was 12 points," Bird said.

From there, it only got worse for the Bears.

John Crumpacker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail:jcrumpacker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @crumpackeroncal

No. 23 UCLA Basketball Prepares to Face Stanford on Saturday

Travis Wear has shot 65.0 percent through UCLA's last six games (photo by Scott Chandler)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Friday 02/21/2014

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STANFORD, Calif. – No. 23 UCLA continues its road trip with a game at Stanford on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m., PT). The Bruins (21-5, 10-3 Pac-12) are looking to become the first time this season to sweep the Pac-12 “Bay Area” schools (California and Stanford). UCLA defeated California, 86-66, on Wednesday evening at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Maples Pavilion (7,329)
Tipoff Time: 3:05 pm (PT)
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Sean Farnham (analyst)
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC)
Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)

WHAT’S NEXT? 
UCLA will conclude its road trip at Stanford on Saturday at 3 p.m. (PT). The Bruins have won seven of their last eight games and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. UCLA has won 15 of its last 18 games against Stanford since the start of the 2005-06 season. The Bruins defeated Stanford in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 23 by a 91-74 margin. In that contest, Tony Parker scored a career-high 22 points and added seven rebounds.

DOWN THE STRETCH
UCLA will play three of its final five remaining regular season games on the road. The Bruins opened their week with an 86-66 win at California on Wednesday night. Jordan Adams scored a game-high 28 points for UCLA in that contest, helping the Bruins sweep the regular-season series against Cal.

HEATING UP
Travis Wear has averaged 10.7 points in UCLA’s last six games, shooting 65.0 percent in those contests. Wear has made 6 of 7 three-point attempts in the Bruins’ last five games (85.7 percent).

REACHING 20
The Bruins defeated Utah, 80-66, last Saturday to reach the 20-win plateau for the 48th time in school history and for the 31st time in the last 39 years (since John Wooden retired in 1975). UCLA has won at least 21 games in seven of its last nine seasons. Steve Alford has led his teams to at least 21 victories in each of the last seven seasons (nine of the last 10 years). He guided New Mexico to at least 22 wins in each of the previous six years.

THE LATEST
UCLA ranked 10th in the nation in scoring, second among Pac-12 teams (83.1 ppg), through Feb. 16.

The Bruins lead the Pac-12 in assists (17.6), steals (10.0), turnover margin (+4.34) and assist turnover ratio (1.7).

Through 26 games, Kyle Anderson (15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.8 apg) has become the first UCLA player to average at least 10.0/5.0/5.0 since Bill Walton finished with 19.3 ppg, 14.7 rpg and 5.5 apg as a senior in 1973-74.

Kyle Anderson has become the first NCAA Division I player to average at least 14.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.0 apg in one season since Ohio State’s Evan Turner finished the 2009-10 campaign with 20.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 6.0 apg.

UCLA’s roster features seven players who have scored at least 20 points in one career game, with six of those seven players having registered at least 20 points in one game this season.

TRIPLE THREAT
No player in the country has averaged as close to a triple-double as has Kyle Anderson (15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.8 apg). Through games played Feb. 20, Anderson was the nation’s only player averaging at least 10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.0 apg. In addition, Anderson is the only player to rank in the top five (in his conference, BCS conferences only) in rebounds, assists and steals and be among the top 15 scorers (includes AAC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC).

PROTECTING THE BALL
UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams in assists per game (17.6), steals per game (10.0), assist turnover ratio (1.7) and turnover margin (+4.4), through games played on Feb. 19. The Bruins have committed the second fewest turnovers per game (10.6) of any Pac-12 team. UCLA’s defense has forced the highest average of turnovers among Pac-12 teams (15.0). Kyle Anderson (176 assists, 83 turnovers) has accounted for 38.4 percent of UCLA’s total assists.

KEY SCORER
Sophomore guard Jordan Adams leads UCLA with 17.5 points per game, the seventh-highest scoring average among Pac-12 players (through Feb. 19). Adams scored a career-high 30 points against Morehead State (Nov. 22, 2013) and registered his third double-double of the season at Colorado with 14 points and 13 rebounds (Jan. 16). He finished second in scoring for UCLA last season, averaging 15.3 points per game as a freshman. Adams has shot 37.5 percent from three-point range (42 of 112) as a sophomore after having shot 30.7 percent from three-point distance (46 of 150) as a freshman.

PICKED THEIR POCKETS
UCLA has three players that rank among the Pac-12’s top eight leaders in steals (through Feb. 19). Jordan Adams (78 steals, 3.0 spg) leads all Pac-12 players, having logged at least two steals in 21 of 26 games. He had a career-high eight steals against Sacramento State on Nov. 12. Kyle Anderson (42 steals, 1.6 spg) ranks fourth in the conference, while Norman Powell (36 steals, 1.4 spg) is eighth. UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams with 10.0 steals per game.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Kyle Anderson became the fourth player on record in UCLA history to register a triple-double (13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists) in UCLA’s 81-70 win over Morehead State on Nov. 22, 2013. That marked UCLA’s first triple-double since Dec. 18, 1995, when Toby Bailey had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Stephen F. Austin. Since UCLA consistently tracked assists as a statistic beginning in 1971-72, the Bruins have had four triple-doubles (including one point-rebound-block effort from Jelani McCoy).

FROM DOWNTOWN
Kyle Anderson has made 22 of 42 three-point attempts (52.4 percent), a strong increase over his freshman year totals (8-for-28, 21.1 percent). Anderson shot a perfect 5-for-5 from long range in UCLA’s 74-69 loss to Utah on Jan. 18. That marked UCLA’s first “perfect” effort from three-point range with a minimum of five attempts since Ray Young went 5-for-5 from downtown on Feb. 22, 2003, in UCLA’s 93-84 loss to Stanford.

POWELL’S PRODUCTION
Norman Powell enters UCLA’s game against Stanford as the Bruins’ third-leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points per game. Powell’s 55.3 overall field goal percentage ranks seventh among Pac-12 players (through Feb. 19). The junior guard from San Diego, Calif., has scored in double figures in 16 games this season, leading UCLA to a 15-1 record in those contests. Powell has played in more games in a UCLA uniform (94) than any other current Bruins’ player.

UNIQUE TALENT
Kyle Anderson has become UCLA’s first player since 1994-95 (Charles O’Bannon) to register at least 200 rebounds and 100 assists in one season. A sophomore in 1994-95, O’Bannon finished the year with 201 rebounds and 110 assists (Anderson has 227 rebounds and 176 assists). Since UCLA officially recorded assists (1973-74), Anderson, O’Bannon and Bill Walton are UCLA’s only players to have logged 200+ rebounds and 100+ assists in one season.

MIDSEASON ACCOLADES
Kyle Anderson is one of six players in the nation who have been named to “watch lists” for the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy and the Bob Cousy Award (top point guard). Anderson is among 30 players listed on the John R. Wooden Award midseason list and is one of 23 point guards selected to the latest Bob Cousy Award midseason list. Anderson was among five players to be named a “midseason” All-America selection by The Sporting News.

HIGH OCTANE
The Bruins have averaged 83.2 points through 26 games, the program’s highest per game offensive output through the first 23 games in any season since averaging 87.6 ppg after 26 games in 1994-95, the last year in which UCLA won the NCAA Championship. Earlier this season, UCLA compiled a seven-game streak of at least 80 points scored in victories. That feat had not been accomplished since the 1994-95 campaign (streak from Feb. 22-March 17, 1995).

BENCH PERFORMANCES
UCLA’s Zach LaVine, Bryce Alford and Tony Parker have played major roles off the bench. The Bruins’ bench has accounted for 28.7 percent of UCLA’s scoring (620/2164). LaVine ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and is sixth among Pac-12 players with a 42.6 three-point FG percentage (40/94). Both LaVine and Alford rank in UCLA’s freshman top-5 list for three-point field goal percentage (miminum 0.75 three-pointers made per games played). LaVine’s 40 three-point field goals is tied for the fourth-highest total in school history for any freshman.

INJURY REPORT
UCLA does not currently have any major injuries. Noah Allen missed 12 games after suffering multiple fractures to his face in a collision sustained with a player from Oakland (Nov. 12) in the game’s final minutes. Wanaah Bail missed UCLA’s first five games recovering from left knee surgery which was performed on June 28, 2013. Travis Wear missed UCLA’s first three games after having underwent an appendectomy on Oct. 28, 2013.

UCLA avenges last year’s loss with 86-66 defeat of Cal

Junior guard Norman Powell and redshirt senior forward Travis Wear, along with the rest of the Bruins, defeated California 86-66 on Wednesday night. According to the players, a strong second half performance helped them get the victory. (Katie Meyers / Daily Bruin senior staff)

UCLA leads Cal 44-32 at the half

BY KEVIN BOWMAN

DAILY BRUIN

FEB 19 2014 8:36 PM

BERKELEY, Calif. — After struggling with lagging first-half energy in recent games, UCLA men’s basketball turned things around Wednesday night at Cal, jumping out to a fast start, both in scoring and tempo. Pushing the ball in transition, the Bruins opened the game with a 14-5 run and didn’t let up, leading the Golden Bears 44-32 at the break.

UCLA’s initial run was powered by sophomore guard Jordan Adams, who raced down the court for seven points in that opening stretch. Adams finished the half with 12 points on 5-9 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.

The Bruins earned a 10-point lead after a fast-break dunk by sophomore forward/center Tony Parker with just over seven minutes to go, which left the rim rattling and the Haas Pavilion crowd livid at the lack of a foul call on the other end of the court.

Aided by Cal’s frequent fouling, UCLA maintained that 10-point separation for much of the first half. The Golden Bears finished the half having committed nine fouls, giving the Bruins nine free-throw attempts.

Cal’s freshman guard Jabari Bird reprised his role as a UCLA headache. After scoring 12 points in his last game against UCLA, then totaling 12 points in next five games, Bird led the Golden Bears with nine first-half points.

Bird’s breakout performance covered up a quiet first half from Cal’s leading scorer, senior guard Justin Cobbs. Cobbs was limited to just five points on 1-4 shooting.

Sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson continued to fill the stat sheet for UCLA, tallying just four points, but adding five rebounds and five assists.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.

UCLA avenges last year’s loss with 86-66 defeat of Cal

BY KEVIN BOWMAN

daily bruin

feb 19 2014 11:24 pm

BERKELEY, Calif. — Last year’s road game against Cal was nothing short of a disaster for UCLA men’s basketball, as the Bruins fell behind by 25 in the first half and eventually lost by 13.

In their home game against the Golden Bears earlier this season, the Bruins (21-5, 10-3 Pac-12) bounced back with a strong first half but let Cal sneak back into the game after halftime.

But in Wednesday night’s 86-66 beat down of the Golden Bears (17-9, 8-5) in Haas Pavilion, the No. 23 Bruins finally put together a complete performance.

UCLA shot nearly 60 percent from the field, committed only six turnovers and held all of Cal’s starters in single-digit scoring. Coach Steve Alford called this his team’s best game of the season thus far, despite its struggles from the free-throw line, where UCLA was just 12-22.

“If we made our free throws, it would have been maybe a nearly flawless game,” Alford said. “But I thought this was as well as we’ve played in a while.”

UCLA’s complete game was matched by a comprehensive standout performance from sophomore guard Jordan Adams, who saw his hot shooting from Saturday’s win over Utah carry over. Adams not only finished with a game-high 28 points on 12-19 shooting, but also rounded out the box score with six rebounds, five assists and five steals, bringing him within four steals of tying UCLA’s single-season record.

Adams didn’t wait around for his impact to be felt. He scored the games first points and contributed seven points in the Bruins’ game-opening 14-5 run. However, offense, Adams said, was not the team’s focus coming out of the gate.

“Early, we didn’t care about scoring or offense,” Adams said. “We wanted to establish our defense and come out strong defensively. We know our offense will eventually follow along.”

That initial run, Adams said, “sucked the life” out of a rowdy Haas Pavilion crowd of 10,837, one that both Alford and his players acknowledged created a tough environment to play in. After listening to the crowd’s jeers a year ago in UCLA’s 76-63 loss, Adams said the Bruins came in with a mindset of quieting that crowd down.

“From the returning players who came here last year, we know how badly we got beat, so we told the younger guys and the new coaching staff we really wanted to avenge,” Adams said.

While the quick push to start the game sent Cal reeling to the ropes, UCLA delivered its knockout punch in the second half, storming out of halftime with the same intensity it opened the game with. After having slow starts in so many recent games, the Bruins have become adept at coming out of halftime strong, which redshirt senior forward Travis Wear said was key to his team’s win.

“I think we come in at halftime more confident because we’ve been playing so well out of half, and today was no different,” Wear said. “We came out and really gave it to them. Never stopped, never looked back.”

Email Bowman at kbowman+@media.ucla.edu.

No. 23 UCLA Basketball Secures 86-66 Win at California

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Wednesday 02/19/2014

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BERKELEY, Calif. - Jordan Adams scored a game-high 28 points as No. 23 UCLA cruised past California, 86-66, before 10,837 at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday evening.

The Bruins (21-5, 10-3 Pac-12) never trailed against California (17-9, 8-5), opening a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes and taking a 44-32 lead by halftime. UCLA won for the seventh time in its last eight games, extending its winning streak to four games.

"Getting this big of a win on the road, that's a big positive," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "I thought we played really well. Jordan Adams is really in a groove, and I think it's because we are really deep in our ability to score baskets."

Travis Wear finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Kyle Anderson registered 11 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

UCLA was particularly efficient on offense, shooting 57 percent from the field, logging 21 assists and just six turnovers.

The Bruins led by double digits the entire second half, pushing their cushion to as many as 27 points with 6:47 to play in regulation.

Adams finished just two points shy of his career high, scoring 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field. The sophomore from Atlanta made 2 of 3 three-point attempts, recorded five assists and logged five steals.

Wednesday evening’s win allowed UCLA to keep pace in the Pac-12 standings, remaining just one game behind Arizona. The Wildcats edged Utah on the road in overtime, 66-62.

Jordan Mathews scored 16 points off the bench for California. None of the Golden Bears’ five starters scored in double figures, with leading scorer Justin Cobbs being limited to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.

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