Lonzo Ball is strong for the Bruins in exhibition

It looked like a lost sequence for UCLA.

Bruins guard Isaac Hamilton turned the ball over late in the first half against the Master’s University, leading to an outlet pass and what appeared to be an easy layup for Delewis Johnson.

Only here came Lonzo Ball. Sprinting from beyond halfcourt, the UCLA freshman guard chased Johnson from behind, reached out with his right hand and swatted the ball away. Ball was running so hard his momentum carried him into a seated fan who offered a congratulatory pat on the back.

There was plenty to admire about the play of Ball and the No. 16 Bruins on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion during a 100-58 exhibition victory.

“For me, that’s just a regular play,” Ball said of his extra effort. “That’s just how I play. I’m not going to let a person get a free shot if I think I can go get it, and I got it.”

Ball looked every bit like the dynamic talent Bruins fans expected out of Chino Hills High, throwing crisp outlet passes and some flashier ones, including a behind-the-back delivery to Hamilton for a layup after making a steal near halfcourt. He was strong across the board with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in his first game on his home court, his offensive highlight coming on a ferocious two-handed putback dunk.

“I think you saw a little bit of how much Lonzo can impact the game in every single way,” said UCLA guard Bryce Alford, who led all scorers with 22 points.

The getting-acquainted started before tipoff. Ball waved to acknowledge the student section chanting his name and received the loudest cheers from the sparse crowd when he was the last player introduced.

Fans discovered another potential UCLA freshman phenom in power forward T.J. Leaf, who scored 19 points, including four one-handed dunks, to go with 12 rebounds while also pushing the ball on fastbreaks.

It felt as if every UCLA possession was in transition the way the Bruins pushed the pace. UCLA appeared relatively crisp for a preseason game, at least partly because it had played three exhibition games as part of an Australian tour this summer.

Ball was part of a three-guard starting lineup that also featured Hamilton and Alford alongside Leaf and center Thomas Welsh. The Bruins also used four guards during one stretch, something Coach Steve Alford said he would do at times this season to change the tempo or close out games.

“That’s our fastest team that we have, and we go out there with a lot of freedom and pretty much the offense is free-flowing,” Ball said. “As long as we take care of rebounding we should be fine.”

The only negatives in Steve Alford’s view were 20 turnovers and 24 three-point shots; the latter number is one the coach said he would like to increase. The Bruins have a little more than a week to work on their deficiencies, because the games that count start with their season open-er Nov. 11 at Pauley Pavilion against Pacific.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch