Los Angeles, CA – Jordan Adams scored 21 points and yanked down seven rebounds to pace 13th-ranked UCLA past Indiana State, 86-59, at the newly-renovated Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins (1-0), who are coming off a 19-14 season, also received 17 points from Travis Wear. Identical twin David Wear netted 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Kyle Anderson scored 10 and had 10 rebounds in the win.
Justin Gant and Khristian Smith both had 11 points for the Sycamores (0-1), who compiled an 18-15 mark and went to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament last season.
It was the first athletic event in the new facility since the building closed for renovations in March 2011. New Pauley has 13,800 seats and recently completed a $136 million facelift.
There was one prominent absence for the Bruins. Before the game, UCLA announced guard/forward Shabazz Muhammad has been ruled ineligible due to a violation of NCAA amateurism rules.
Muhammad is widely considered to be one of college basketball's top freshmen. The NCAA is reportedly investigating connections Muhammad's family had with a pair of financial agents.
Gant scored the first points in the renovated arena with a 3-pointer, and RJ Mahurin's jumper had the visitors within 25-23. The Bruins came back by scoring eight in a row, capped by Tyler Lamb's 3-pointer.
The Bruins held a 36-27 lead at halftime and widened the gap to 56-36 on an Adams layup with 11 1/2 minutes remaining. The double-digit margin remained the rest of the game.
Game Notes
Although this was only the second meeting in the all-time series between Indiana State and UCLA, there is a legendary connection. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden was at the helm of Indiana State's basketball team during the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons, where he posted a career record of 44-15 ... UCLA is 8-2 in season-opening games under head coach Ben Howland ... UCLA senior Larry Drew II returned to action after having transferred from North Carolina following the 2010-11 season. He had one point and five assists ... Manny Arop scored 10 in defeat.
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