UCLA leads Stephen F. Austin 42-32 at halftime
By Daily Bruin
March 23, 2014 5:14 p.m.
SAN DIEGO — The opening minutes of Viejas Arena’s first round of 32 game Sunday proved a battle of pace, as UCLA charged in the open court while Stephen F. Austin tried to force the Bruins into a half-court offense.
UCLA struggled on the offensive glass against a much smaller lineup and missed on several open layup opportunities, but leads Stephen F. Austin 42-32 at the half.
Junior guard Norman Powell blew past a Lumberjack defender for an easy layup to give UCLA a 12-9 lead with 15:53 remaining, but Stephen F. Austin countered with a methodical attack, earning trips to the free throw line on two straight possessions and evening up the tally at 12 less than a minute later.
The Bruins built on their early advantage behind the hot jump shooting of sophomore guard Jordan Adams and sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson. Adams nailed two straight jumpers, while sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson hit a straight-on 3-pointer to give No. 4 seed UCLA a 19-12 lead.
No. 12 seed Stephen F. Austin went 6:24 without a field goal before a layup from Thomas Walkup and a 3-pointer from Desmond Haymon less than a minute later cut UCLA’s advantage to just three points.
A long two-point jumper from freshman guard Bryce Alford breathed life into a UCLA offense that likewise went several minutes without a field goal. The Bruins built an 11-point lead before allowing back-to-back Lumberjack threes to bring the tally to 32-27 with 3:53 remaining.
Stephen F. Austin’s Walkup leads all Lumberjack scorers with 12 points, with Haymon adding nine points. Adams has 12 points after converting five of his first six field-goal attempts, while Anderson has 11 points and three rebounds.
UCLA is shooting 53.6 percent from the field to Stephen F. Austin’s 37.9 percent.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.
