UCLA 77, Long Beach State 63

[November 24, 2014]  UCLA 77, Long Beach State 63: Norman Powell recorded 24 points, six rebounds and six steals to lead the host Bruins past the pesky 49ers.

All five UCLA starters scored in double figures with Bryce Alford getting 17 points and seven assists, although he struggled going 4-of-15 from the floor, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Freshman Kevon Looney had his third double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaac Hamilton had 12 and Tony Parker added 10 for the Bruins (4-0).

Despite being held scoreless in the first half, Mike Caffey finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor for Long Beach State (2-3). David Samuels added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Trailing 54-40 with 15:04 remaining, the 49ers outscored UCLA 12-2 by holding the Bruins to only Isaac Hamilton's layup over nearly six minutes and pulled within 56-52. Caffey kept the 49ers close, scoring six points in a row at one stretch to keep the Bruins in sight at 66-61 with 3:12 to go, but UCLA answered with Looney's dunk, Alford's jumper and Parker's tip-in to push the lead to 11 with 1:12 left.

The 49ers led 19-13 on Bradford Jones' layup midway through the first half, but the Bruins responded with a 15-0 run over a five-minute span. Alford contributed seven of those points as UCLA led 28-19 on its way to a 42-31 halftime advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: 49ers G Tyler Lamb played two seasons for the Bruins before transferring and his ex-teammates held the guard to three points on 1-of-8 shooting. … Caffey was held scoreless in the first half going 0-for-3 from the floor but came out firing after intermission, scoring the 49ers first nine points to pull them within 46-40. … UCLA Coach Steve Alford turned 50 on Sunday and with the win is 495-244 as a college head coach, averaging 21 wins in his first 23 seasons.

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