Norman Powell came up with the steal and charged up the court. As the senior guard drove the lane, he slipped and lost control of the ball as it dribbled out of bounds.
It was that kind of night for UCLA. It was a worse night for Azusa Pacific.
Despite a sluggish offensive effort, the Bruins defeated the Cougars 80-53 Friday.
Though not much can be gleaned from the final score of an exhibition game in October, this much was clear about the Bruins Friday: There’s a lot of work to be done.
“I told them at halftime we weren’t doing a lot of things we’d been practicing, we got out of character a little bit with roles. … You could see some anxieties,” said coach Steve Alford. “There’s just a lot of newness and I think you saw that a little bit tonight, and I think that’s why you play exhibition games.”
UCLA appeared out of sync offensively for much of the night, looking very much like a squad with just one returning starter. The Bruins shot 34.6 percent in the first half and went into halftime with a 33-22 lead.
In all, the Bruins played four new starters and five new players, as Alford experimented with a variety of lineups throughout the game. Nine different players saw more than 10 minutes of playing time.
While UCLA struggled on offense, Azusa Pacific was downright putrid, missing its first 18 shots of the game, before netting its first points seven minutes into the contest. The Cougars were even worse from beyond-the-arc, shooting 7-35 from distance and were clearly bothered by the Bruins length on defense.
Freshman forward Kevon Looney – who said he has aspirations of becoming the Pac-12’s top rebounder – was particularly impressive crashing the boards Friday. The five-star recruit posted nine rebounds in the first half alone, and finished with 12 to lead UCLA.
“He’s an animal in rebounds,” said junior forward Tony Parker. “I think I had one in the first half and I was like, look, we’re going to have to chop this up half-and-half. It’s easy to play with a guy like that.”
Despite posting a double-double in his UCLA debut, Looney was not without his struggles. He shot 33 percent from the field as part of a combined 6-22 effort with fellow newcomers, freshman center Thomas Welsh, freshman forward Gyorgy Goloman and sophomore guard Isaac Hamilton.
“I was pretty nervous, it was my first time in Pauley playing a live game, I didn’t know what to expect, there were just a lot of emotions going on,” Looney said. “We’ve been playing not that long together so you don’t know where everyone is going to be at. … But I think that got better in the second half, we got a better chemistry.”
While the Bruin youngsters adjusted, a pair of UCLA veterans led the way in the second half. Parker was in top form finishing with a line of 16 points and 10 rebounds while Powell looked comfortable in his role as the Bruins’ primary scoring option, finishing with 21 points.
“It was really natural. I feel like I’ve been a scorer all my life,” Powell said. “The last three years I’ve played a different role … now that I know that is my role and that’s what the team needs, I feel comfortable, no pressure. I’m just playing basketball the way I have my whole life.”
Parker was also sharp offensively, moving the ball well while going 8-9 from the free throw line after shooting just 46.8 percent from there a year ago.
Even more impressive for Parker: zero turnovers and just one foul.
It’s an encouraging sign for the Bruins given Parker’s history with foul trouble.
Equally encouraging: UCLA has a full two weeks to clean everything up before its season opener against Montana State on Nov. 14.