No. 21 UCLA Escapes With 91-80 Win Over Long Beach State
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Moses Brown had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 21 UCLA pulled away in the second half to beat Long Beach State 91-80 on Friday night.
It was the freshman's second straight double-double for the Bruins (2-0). Kris Wilkes added 17 points.
The 49ers led 59-58 on Deishaun Booker's career-best fifth 3-pointer, but the Bruins took over and appeared on their way to putting the game out of reach.
They outscored Long Beach State 23-5 to lead 81-64. David Singleton came off the bench to hit two 3s as part of his 10 points during the spurt.
But the 49ers weren't done.
They scored 12 unanswered points, getting four straight free throws by KJ Byers and consecutive 3-pointers by Bryan Alberts, to trail 81-76 as fans groaned.
But then Brown dunked and Chris Smith made a pair of free throws as UCLA kept control over the final 2:21.
Booker finished with a career-high 31 points for Long Beach State in its season opener. He made all eight of his free throws.
After twice trailing by seven, the Bruins rallied over the final 5:44 of the first half, outscoring Long Beach State 23-11 to lead 45-41 at halftime.
Jaylen Hands had two 3-pointers in the spurt, the last one coming at the buzzer to give UCLA its largest lead of the half.
Temidayo Yussuf and Breyon Jackson each committed flagrant-1 fouls on Brown, who made 3 of 4 free throws over the final four minutes.
Byers had a flagrant foul late in the game.
The 49ers led most of the first half. They shot 48 percent from the floor and controlled the boards 22-14.
BIG PICTURE
Long Beach State: The 49ers have just two home games this month and a tough road schedule. After UCLA, they play at Arizona State, at No. 18 Mississippi State, host Oregon State and visit Southern California. Last season, they beat Oregon State on a neutral court and beat Stanford at home. The 49ers have six seniors, but four of them have transferred in from the junior college ranks.
UCLA: After winning their opener by 25 points over Fort Wayne in a game in which they led all the way, the Bruins struggled with their shooting, rebounding and 3-point defense. They have two lesser opponents to improve against before facing No. 10 Michigan State on Nov. 22.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State: Hosts Menlo on Saturday in a game that begins less than 24 hours after its tipoff against the Bruins.
UCLA: The Bruins have a week off before hosting Saint Francis on Nov. 16.
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