Powell's 24 Leads UCLA Past Long Beach State, 77-63
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Powell scored 24 points to lead all five starters in double figures and UCLA beat Long Beach State 77-63 on Sunday night to give coach Steve Alford a win on his 50th birthday.
Powell hit four of the Bruins' eight three pointers and finished 8 of 14 from the field. Bryce Alford had 17 points and seven assists, Isaac Hamilton scored 12 points and Kevon Looney and Tony Parker each had 10 to help UCLA (4-0) win its fourth straight to open the season.
The 49ers (2-3) committed 19 turnovers and lost to UCLA for the 13th time in 14 meetings between the schools.
Mike Caffey scored 19 points, all in the second half, and David Samuels had 11 for Long Beach State.
UCLA led just 66-61 with three minutes remaining but closed on an 11-2 run to secure the victory.
The 49ers outshot the Bruins 43-40 percent and outrebounded them 39-38, but UCLA scored 25 points off turnovers to overcome those deficits.
The Bruins never trailed in the second half but had to hold on tight.
They led 42-31 at halftime largely on the strength of a 21-3 run midway through the first half, but Caffey scored nine straight points out of the break to cut UCLA's lead to 46-40.
Alford halted the momentum with a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with a defender in his face. He found Powell in the corner for another 3-pointer on the next possession and Parker added a tip-in to complete an 8-0 run that put the Bruins back in front by double-digits.
Long Beach State again battled back and cut UCLA's lead to 66-61 with 3 minutes remaining, but Looney put down a dunk to retake some of the momentum for UCLA. Alford followed with a jumper and Parker put home another tip-in, and the 49ers didn't have enough time to muster another rally.
áTIP-INS
Long Beach State: Monson is one win away from tying Jerry Tarkanian for most career wins in program history.
UCLA: The Bruins had 15 steals in the game, including six by Powell and three by Looney.
áUP NEXT
Long Beach State: Plays Western Michigan on Thursday in the Wooden Legacy tournament in Fullerton, Calif.
UCLA: Plays Oklahoma on Wednesday in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Nassau, Bahamas.
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