UCLA shines in basketball exhibition against NYIT

Moses Brown reached his massive hands toward the ball coming off the rim, snatching it in midair before slamming it through the basket with two hands. The game was less than three minutes old and the UCLA freshman was just beginning to familiarize himself with the rims inside his new basketball home.

The 7-foot-1 center took an alley-oop pass from Jaylen Hands and dunked it. He powered his way toward the basket before going up for another dunk. He took an entry pass underneath the basket from Hands and dunked again.

Brown finished with six dunks on the way to 20 points on eight-for-nine shooting but was equally effective in other areas during the No. 21 Bruins’ 125-73 exhibition romp over the New York Institute of Technology on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Brown added 13 rebounds and four blocks in only 20 minutes during a memorable debut. His first five baskets came on dunks before he diversified his approach early in the second half, scoring on a couple of layups.

Brown was part of a starting lineup that also included Hands, small forward Kris Wilkes, shooting guard Prince Ali and power forward Jalen Hill. Ali led the team with 25 points, making four of eight three-pointers against the NCAA Division II Bears.

It was Hill’s first game as a Bruin after he sat out UCLA’s exhibition game last season with a sore knee before being suspended for the season along with teammate Cody Riley for a shoplifting incident in China. Riley finished with nine points and four rebounds, and Hill added three points and eight rebounds before fouling out.

UCLA’s second team had a strong showing, exhibiting no drop-off while helping the Bruins extend their lead to as many as 26 points in the first half. Freshman David Singleton came off the bench to make all four of his three-pointers on the way to 14 points while adding two steals and four assists with no turnovers. Hands was poised in his first game as the Bruins’ primary point guard, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

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