UCLA leads Fullerton 40-23 at halftime

Any lingering foul taste in the Bruins’ mouths after their 1-2 showing at last week’s Battle 4 Atlantis tournament was quickly cleansed from their palates Wednesday night against the Cal State Fullerton Titans.

UCLA men’s basketball jumped out to an early advantage and holds a 40-23 lead over Cal State Fullerton at halftime.

The Bruins took a 13-4 lead through the first five minutes of the game, fueled by eight points from freshman forward Kevon Looney, including dunks on consecutive possessions.

That lead quickly blossomed, the Bruins using their superior size to dominate inside. UCLA scored 18 points in the paint in the first half.

Coach Steve Alford further exploited UCLA’s size advantage by tinkering with some new lineup combinations, having sophomore guards Bryce Alford and Noah Allen, Looney, freshman forward Gyorgy Goloman and freshman center Thomas Welsh play together for an extended stretch. Steve Alford discussed his desire to experiment with different combinations Tuesday.

Free throws and turnovers – two problems that plagued the Bruins in the Bahamas – cropped up as an issue again in the first half.

The Bruins shot just five of eight from the free throw line in the first half and committed three turnovers during a three-and-a-half-minute stretch midway through the half, allowing the Titans to cut their deficit from 14 to seven.

The Bruins hit six of their next eight shots to build their lead to 15 points at 33-18 with 3:28 left in the half.

UCLA shot 50 percent from the field in the half and held Cal State Fullerton to 26.7 percent shooting.

Junior forward/center Tony Parker leads UCLA with 12 points on six of seven shooting and five rebounds. Looney added 10 points and seven rebounds and senior guard Norman Powell contributed 11 points.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.