LOS ANGELES – UC Santa Barbara couldn't match its strong first half against No. 18 UCLA with another solid 20 minutes.
Jordan Adams scored 22 points and Kyle Anderson added 21 to lead unbeaten UCLA to an 89-76 victory Tuesday night.
The Gauchos (3-3) were effective from long range in the first half as leading scorer Alan Williams struggled inside, but they couldn't take care of the ball (17 turnovers) or make free throws (7 of 12) when it counted.
"Shooting was not the issue of this game," UC Santa Barbara coach Bob Williams said. "The free throw line and turnovers were the real difference in this game.
"UCLA did a nice job on Bryson and Kyle. The only way we could play with them was by shooting the 3 or giving the ball to Alan inside. We had to do both."
Alan Williams, who scored a school-record 39 points in the Gauchos' last game against South Dakota State, had 23 points, just six in the first half, which finished tied at 42.
Michael Bryson, who entered the game averaging 12.2 points, had all of his season-high 15 by halftime, thanks to 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. He finished 6 of 10 from the field, 3 of 5 on 3s, and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Kyle Bosworth had nine points in each half and was 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
Williams had some close looks inside but couldn't convert.
"Even though we led during certain points of the game, there are no moral victories for this team," Williams said. "I know that in the second half, I have to deliver, and I missed a few cheapies, however I was able to knock down a couple of shots to help."
UCLA coach Steve Alford said his team's depth made a big difference.
"We're driving the ball very hard, and think we're hard to guard in transition,' ' Alford said. "We've got so many weapons. There are so many guys who can make shots. It's not just one guy getting to the line, or one guy making shots."
One player who did make a big shot for the Bruins is very familiar to Alford.
Bryce Alford, the son of the UCLA coach, hit a 3-pointer with 8:04 remaining in the second half, snapping a 65-all tie and sparking a 7-0 run.
With chants of "over-rated" emanating from the Santa Barbara fans sitting on the east end of Pauley Pavilion, Alford's 3 was followed by a dunk by Tony Parker and two free throws by Norman Powell. The Bruins (8-0) held the Gauchos to nine points the rest of the way.
With UCLA intent on double-teaming Williams in the first half, Santa Barbara turned to its outside shooting to keep pace.
"They made some shots," Steve Alford said of the Gauchos' first half. "They made some NBA 3s. Bryson had a very special first half."
Alford finished with nine points and the big 3 was his only one of the game.
The Bruins trailed by as many as six points in the first half but relied on the outside shooting of Zach LaVine, who scored five consecutive points to cut Santa Barbara's lead to one point with 3:11 in the first half.
The Bruins finished 27 of 36 from the free throw line, with most of them coming in the closing minutes.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.