UCLA Beats Fresno State 91-78 For 4th Win In A Row
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Shabazz Muhammad scored 20 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to lead a dominant effort by UCLA's freshmen, and the Bruins defeated Fresno State 91-78 on Saturday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Fellow freshmen starters Jordan Adams added 25 points and Kyle Anderson had career bests with 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Bruins (9-3), who improved to 8-0 all-time against the Bulldogs in the teams' first meeting since Dec. 27, 1990. Larry Drew II had 10 assists.
It was the first time three UCLA freshmen scored 20 or more points in a game.
Freshman Marvelle Harris scored a career-high 19 points and Tyler Johnson added 16 in Fresno State's fourth straight loss. The Bulldogs (5-7) are winless in three games against the Pac-12 this season, having lost at Washington State and to Colorado this month.
The Bruins trailed for much of the game before building a double-digit lead early in the second half. Adams' 3-pointer made it 57-46 just before a dominant stretch by Muhammad. He keyed a 13-5 run with 11 points, pushing UCLA's lead to 70-54 with 8:42 to play. Muhammad grabbed seven rebounds in helping the Bruins dominate the boards, 42-26.
Adams, Norman Powell and Anderson combined to score six straight points in extending UCLA's lead to 79-63.
UCLA is 3-0 in the midst of playing six straight home games.
UCLA scored 10 points in the last 1:50 to lead 39-36 at halftime. Adams and Anderson had four points each during the stretch.
Fresno State built its largest lead, 25-16, during a 10-2 run that included two 3-pointers by Kevin Olekaibe. An 8-0 run led to the Bulldogs' first lead early in the game, capped by Allen Huddleston's 3-pointer -- one of their five in the half, when their bench outscored UCLA's reserves 19-2.
AP-WF-12-23-12 0626GMT
