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UCLA pounds Arizona, pulls even in Pac-10 race

Feb 27, 2011 - 1:07 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Reeves Nelson posted a career-high 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to help UCLA defeat No. 10 Arizona, 71-49, and pull the Bruins into a first-place tie in the Pac-10 with the Wildcats.

Joshua Smith tallied 17 points for the Bruins (21-8, 12-4 Pac-10), who recorded their second straight win. Tyler Honeycutt added 15 points and five rebounds in the win.

Derrick Williams had 15 points and seven rebounds while Kyle Fogg notched 10 points for Arizona (23-6, 12-4), who have lost two straight since going on an eight-game win streak.

The game was tightly matched for most of the first half while Lamont Jones' layup at the midway point gave Arizona a 19-16 lead.

However, UCLA finished out the last five minutes of the half with an 11-2 run. The burst was started by Smith's layup and three-point play. Anthony Stover's free throw completed the run for a 40-30 edge at the break.

The Bruins continued to roll in the second half and scored the first 11 points. Reeves and Smith each had four points in the spurt.

But the Wildcats responded with a run of their own, scoring the next 10 points. Fogg's and Jamelle Horne's back-to-back treys ignited the offense while Kevin Parrom's layup finished the spurt for a 51-40 game 6 1/2 minutes into the final half.

The margin remained in double-digit range until Williams hit his first field goal of the second half with 4 1/2 minutes left sliced it to nine, 57-48.

The home team, though, pulled away for good scoring 14 of the game's final 15 points. The advantage was pushed back to 14 on Nelson's three-point play and they cruised from there.

The Bruins fittingly capped off the win and the final game at the Pauley Pavilion when Tyler Trapani, whose great grandfather was UCLA legendary coach John R. Wooden, scored the last bucket with 12 ticks left.

Game Notes

The Bruins own a 47-35 series advantage over the Wildcats...It was the last men's basketball game to be played at Pauley Pavilion before undergoing a large renovation...UCLA will finish out the season with games at Washington and Washington State...Arizona will host its final two games against Oregon State and Oregon...Reeves was 10-of-13 from the field and made 7-of-8 from the line...Williams was quiet for most of the second half finishing the game shooting 5-of-11 from the field...The Wildcats made just 21.1 percent (4- of-19) of their shots from the three-point arc.