Rude awakening: Turnovers doom YSU against UCLA

The second-ranked Bruins forced 23 turnovers in the Penguins’ opener .

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Love and Lorenzo Mata-Real showed how dominating UCLA’s two big men can be when they’re in the lineup at the same time.

Playing together for the first time, Love scored 21 points, Mata-Real added 14 points and 14 rebounds and the second-ranked Bruins beat Youngstown State 83-52 in the first round of the CBE Classic on Monday night.

The Bruins (2-0) extended their home winning streak to 22 games with their second blowout victory. Love just missed his second double-double, grabbing nine rebounds. He made his college debut with 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 21-point win over Portland State on Friday.

“It was another pretty good defensive performance to hold a team under 40 percent, which is always a goal,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said.

UCLA will play Division II Cal State-San Bernardino, which beat Weber State 71-59, in Tuesday’s second round. The winner advances to the semifinals on Nov. 19 in Kansas City.

“We need to get rested,” said Howland, who headed off to watch film of the Coyotes. “They press for 40 minutes and they even press on missed shots. This will be good for us.”

John Barber scored 12 points for Youngstown State (0-1), which had 23 turnovers playing against a Pac-10 team in California for the first time.

“We had too many turnovers and missed too many free throws,” Penguins coach Jerry Slocum said. “We played a lot of freshmen, so it was good for them to be thrown into the fire. This game was good for the long-term.”

Mata-Real’s double-double was the second of his career. He and Love had never practiced together because Mata-Real lost time with a sprained foot.

“We’re playing with great effort,” Mata-Real said. “As long as we win, I’m happy.”

Love took over Mata-Real’s starting role this season, with the senior center coming off the bench. Together, they overpowered the Penguins and helped UCLA control the boards, 49-30.

“Coach wants us to outrebound every team at least by 10,” Love said.

He showed off a variety of moves, stepping out to hit a 3-pointer, scoring down low and playing defense on the perimeter. He left with about 6 minutes remaining and had ice taped to both his knees on the bench.

“I had to play him too many minutes in the first half because of foul trouble with Luc [Richard Mbah a Moute],” Howland said. “It takes a lot out of him. We’re asking him to play really hard at the defensive end of the floor.”

The Penguins fell behind by 17 points in the first half. They quickly trailed by 30 after UCLA opened the second half with a 19-4 run. Mata-Real twice scored off rebounds of missed free throws by Russell Westbrook in the spurt.

Westbrook made his second consecutive start in place of guard Darren Collison, who is recovering from a sprained left knee and won’t play Tuesday. Westbrook had nine points and a career-high nine assists playing on his 19th birthday.

Without Collison running the offense, the Bruins committed 16 turnovers, two less than in their opener. But they outscored Youngstown State 18-6 in second-chance baskets.

The Penguins haven’t beaten a ranked Division I team since La Salle in 1952, and they fell to 1-19 in such games. They went 14-17 last season, the school’s most victories since 2000-01.

Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin was back at Pauley Pavilion in his job as analyst for ESPN2, which broadcast the game. The student section waved sticks with blowup photos of Lavin’s face attached. He was fired in 2003 after seven seasons, paving the way for Howland to take over.