LOS ANGELES - Norman Powell scored a team-leading 21 points to pace the UCLA basketball team past Azusa Pacific, 80-53, in an exhibition game on Friday evening in Pauley Pavilion.
Powell, who made 10 of 10 free throws, finished with seven rebounds and three steals.
UCLA also received double-doubles from junior Tony Parker (16 points, 10 rebounds) and freshman Kevon Looney (10 points, 12 rebounds). Looney, a 6-foot-9 forward from Milwaukee, Wis., recorded nine of his game-leading 12 rebounds in the first half.
The Bruins raced to a 12-0 lead to open the game and maintained a 33-22 cushion at halftime, before opening the second half on an 18-2 scoring run.
“I thought the second half was much better than the first, and that's what I wanted to see,” head coach Steve Alford said. “There was a lot of newness for us. I think you saw that tonight. To shoot 40 percent and score 80 points, I thought that was good.”
Bryce Alford rounded out UCLA's list of double-digit scorers, as the sophomore from Albuquerque, N.M., tallied 15 points. Alford connected on 6 of 11 shots, including 3 of 6 field goals from 3-point range.
UCLA won the battle on the boards against the visiting Cougars by a 56-45 margin, limiting Azusa Pacific to 24 percent shooting (18-for-75) from the field. The Cougars attempted 35 of their 75 shots from 3-point distance, connecting on just seven 3-pointers.
Troy Leaf scored a game-high 25 points, making 8 of 20 shots from the field for Azusa Pacific. Leaf nailed 4 of 8 field goals from 3-point range, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the Cougars' total offensive production.
Friday night's contest marked the first collegiate game, granted in an exhibition format, for five Bruins. Sophomore Isaac Hamilton finished with four points and a game-high six assists after having sat out the 2013-14 season. UCLA also received contributions from incoming freshmen G.G. Goloman, Thomas Welsh, Alec Wulff and Looney.
“I was pretty nervous,” Looney told reporters after the game. “Lots of emotion for me for my first game. I just had to get it out of me. I needed a field goal to get rid of the jitters. I knew that once I saw the ball go through the basket, those jitters would go away.”
After missing his only two field goal attempts in the first half, Looney made 3 of 7 shots after halftime, totaling six points in the second half.
Noah Allen and Wanaah Bail, a pair of sophomores who saw little playing time one year ago, both had solid contribution for UCLA. Allen, a 6-foot-6 guard from Pacific Grove, Calif., logged six points in 15 minutes, making 2 of 4 shots, including one 3-point basket.
Bail, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Houston, Texas, grabbed seven rebounds in 14 minutes and added three points.
UCLA will open its regular season against Montana State on Friday, Nov. 14. Game time in Pauley Pavilion is 9 p.m.