UCLA toughs it out to beat the Spartans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Russell Westbrook felt the crunch of a Big Ten defense, getting sandwiched by three Michigan State defenders and having his left knee buckle. Kevin Love felt the pow of Big Ten elbows, getting his nose bloodied in the first five minutes.

But it was Westbrook and Love who led a hard-willed second-half comeback and then it was Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who hit the unlikely game-winner as second-ranked UCLA beat 10th-ranked Michigan State, 68-63, in the final of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at the Sprint Center on Tuesday night. Missouri beat Maryland, 84-70, in the consolation game.

Love, UCLA’s freshman center, was the tournament’s most valuable player. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Spartans. Westbrook played all 40 minutes and had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and one turnover. Josh Shipp also made the all-tournament team, and he finished with 18 points, four rebounds and four steals.

The Bruins (5-0) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but slowly chipped at Michigan State’s 11-point halftime lead. They drew within a basket twice. The first time, Westbrook scored a driving layup to cut Michigan State’s lead to 56-54 and then again when he made two free throws with 5:02 left to make it 58-56 Spartans.

And it was Westbrook who stole the ball from Spartans guard Travis Walton and scored a fast-break layup that tied the game at 58 with 4:41 left. Michigan State swiftly scored the next five points, on a layup by Marquise Gray and a three-pointer from senior Drew Neitzel, who had started the game on the bench because of a stomach virus.

But the Bruins were unfazed. Love scored on a hook, was fouled and made the free throw to make it 63-61. What followed were two unlikely offensive highlights. In the first, Alfred Aboya grabbed a steal, dribbled the length of the court, missed the layup and celebrated when Mbah a Moute slammed home the rebound to tie the game at 63 with 1:40 left.

“A shaky drive,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said with a smile.

Then, with 31.5 seconds left, Mbah a Moute made his third three-pointer of the season, beating Michigan State’s zone defense with confidence. Two free throws by Shipp with 11 seconds left capped the comeback.

“I’m really proud of the team, the way they fought back,” Howland said. “At the end of the day, I look at the stat sheet and see 22 offensive rebounds, I’m really proud of our toughness.”

Michigan State (3-1) blocked eight shots in the game, and the Spartans’ pounding defensive pressure harried UCLA into seven-of-29 shooting in the first half.

But the Bruins’ offense seemed kick-started when Love made a perfect alley-oop pass to Aboya. Aboya’s slam brought the Bruins within five points, 41-36, early in the second half.

Their most energizing moments came from Westbrook later.

Westbrook had been taken down by three Michigan State defenders on a drive to the basket with 9:52 left in the first half. His left knee buckled and he fell to the ground. A trainer and Howland rushed to his side, but Westbrook, who has played most of UCLA’s point guard minutes since junior Darren Collison has sprained his left knee in the exhibition season, hopped up, shook his knee and came right back.

“Russell, I think, was more embarrassed that he got his dunk thrown back at him trying to attack the rim instead of trying for a jump shot,” Howland said. “It was convenient his knee bothered him. I’m serious.”

Westbrook said he was scared for a moment but not much more.

“It just hurt for a minute,” Westbrook said. Collison, standing next to his replacement, confessed to a little more angst. “We can’t afford another point guard hurt,” Collison said. “I was glad to see him get up.”

Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo said he felt “sick to his stomach” when he saw UCLA had outrebounded the Spartans, 37-28, and that 22 of UCLA’s 37 rebounds were offensive.

Mbah a Moute said the Bruins were left with a better feeling. “We never quit, we fought hard the whole game,” he said. “That’s great.”

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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Freshman center Kevin Love has led UCLA in scoring in all five of the Bruins’ victories:

*--* OPPONENT, RESULT PTS REB Portland State, W 69-48 22 13 Youngstown State, W 83-52 21 9 CS San Bernardino, W 76-41 19 9 *Maryland, W 71-59 18 16 Michigan State, W 68-63 21 11 * Shared the scoring lead with Josh Shipp. *--*

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UCLA UP NEXT

UCLA vs. Yale, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Pauley Pavilion, 1150 -- The Bulldogs (1-2) have made a holiday journey to California, losing 72-61 at Stanford on Tuesday. The trip is a homecoming for senior Eric Flato, who is from Piedmont. He was named the Ivy League preseason player of the year. Yale has four starters back from last season’s 14-13 team.