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Second-ranked UCLA faces Youngstown St in tourney opener

Nov 12, 2007 - 3:24 PM Youngstown St (0-0) at No. 2 UCLA (1-0) 11:00 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - UCLA will be without one of its star players in the opener of the CBE Classic against Youngstown State on Monday.

With point guard Darren Collison nursing a sprained knee, the second-ranked Bruins coasted to a 69-48 triumph over Portland State on Friday.

To make up for the lost of Collison's offensive power, freshman Kevin Love collected 22 points and 13 rebounds in his college debut.

"Kevin had a very good game," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "He got a little winded in the second half and started to cramp. That's part of the excitement of playing your first game."

The Bruins enter the contest riding a 22-game winning streak at home, with their last setback coming on January 21, 2006 at the hands of Virginia.

Playing UCLA for the first time in school history, Youngstown State will try to improve on its horrific 1-8 record against ranked opponents. The Penguins' lone victory over a ranked foe came on February 5, 1952.

The 1-2 punch of Byron Davis and John Barber will be counted on heavily for Youngstown State, which finished 14-17 last season - its best mark in two campaigns.