Bears battle back but fall to fourth-ranked Bruins

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BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES - California battled back from a 24-point deficit and came within five points late in the second half but ultimately faltered against the fourth-ranked Bruins, 81-71, on the road at Pauley Pavilion Thursday night. The Golden Bears suffered their second loss in conference play, bringing their record to 10-5, 1-2 on the season.

Ivan Rabb finished the night a career-high 20 rebounds alongside 17 points for his third consecutive double-double, marking his third outing with 15 or more rebounds. Don Coleman had a career-best 15 points in the loss, while Grant Mullins (19 points) and Charlie Moore (13) also added double-figure efforts.

TJ Leaf finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double in the Bruins' fifth straight win over the Golden Bears at Pauley Pavilion. Bryce Alford hit five 3-pointers for UCLA (15-1, 2-1 Pac-12).

The Bruins made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 22 seconds.

After a close opening 5 minutes, the Bruins took over. They scored on seven straight possessions in a 16-3 run that extended their lead from one to 14 points. Alford got things going with a 3-pointer and closed the spurt with his fourth consecutive 3.

In between, Leaf and Lonzo Ball put on a show for the second sellout crowd of the season. Leaf dribbled around a Cal defender and went by another for a one-handed dunk. Ball scored off his own steal before Leaf grabbed a defensive rebound and made a layup at the other end. The Bruins shot 71 percent during the spurt that kept them ahead 26-12.

Ball wasn't done. He dunked off an alley-oop pass from Leaf in a 12-2 run that ended the half. Ball let loose with a 3-pointer from well beyond the line after dribbling the ball behind his back that made it 44-24 at the break. By then, the Bruins' shooting had cooled to a still solid 52 percent.

BIG PICTURE

California: Rabb became the first Cal player with 20 rebounds since Leon Powe had that many against USC on March 9, 2006. It was Rabb's fourth straight game with double-digit rebounds. ... The Bears allowed 44 points in the first half, the most points they've given up in a half this season. ... They fell to 3-6 against ranked opponents since the start of the 2015-16 season.

UP NEXT

California: Visits No. 25 Southern California on Sunday, giving the Bears two days in L.A. between games.

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