UCLA Escapes With 83-76 Win Over Long Beach State
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bryce Alford scored 24 points, tying his season high with five 3-pointers, and UCLA escaped with an 83-76 victory over Long Beach State on Sunday night.
The Bruins (6-3) blew most of a 12-point lead in the second half, when the 49ers (5-5) twice got within one.
Isaac Hamilton's 3-point play with 51 seconds left sealed it for UCLA, which was coming off an 87-77 upset of No. 1 Kentucky three nights earlier at Pauley Pavilion. He finished with a season-high 21 points. Tony Parker had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Thomas Welsh had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Nick Faust led the 49ers with 24 points, tied his career high with five 3-pointers and had seven rebounds.
The 49ers led the entire first half, when UCLA fell behind by nine before trailing 38-37 at the break.
UCLA opened the second half with a 21-10 run to take its largest lead, 60-48. Alford scored six points, Hamilton five, and Welsh and Parker four each in the spurt that ended with Alford's fourth 3-pointer of the game.
The 49ers hung in and got to 76-74 on a 3-pointer by Justin Bibbins with 2:09 to play. But Parker dunked, Hamilton got fouled coming across the lane for a layup and Alford hit two free throws to close out the win.
Faust hit his fourth 3-pointer seconds before the halftime buzzer for a one-point lead.
The 49ers' largest lead, 32-23, came after an 8-0 run in which Noah Blackwell sandwiched 3s around a basket by Mason Riggins. They had seven 3-pointers in the half.
The Bruins rallied to close the half with a 14-6 spurt, including 10 points by Alford, who had two 3-pointers.
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TIP-INS
Long Beach State: The 49ers concluded their busiest stretch of the season, having played four games in six days. ... They fell to 1-14 all-time against the Bruins.
UCLA: Denny Crum, the 78-year-old Hall of Famer who played for the Bruins from 1956-58, served as honorary game captain. ... Kentucky was the first of three ranked teams the Bruins are playing in just over two weeks. After traveling to No. 13 Gonzaga next Saturday, they will play No. 9 North Carolina in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 19. ... Former Bruins coach Steve Lavin called the game for the Pac-12 Network.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State visits Pepperdine on Wednesday.
UCLA plays at Gonzaga on Saturday.
