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Freshman Arron Afflalo scored 13 first-half points to pace the Bruins to a 15-point half-time lea

Long Beach State’s perimeter shooting may not have threatened the Bruins chances of winning, but UCLA fans nevertheless held a collective breath when the 49ers fired from outside. Despite shooting an anemic 1-for-17 from beyond the arc, the 49ers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, keeping them competitive throughout the night. “We’ve got a real issue to solve in terms of doing a better job of blocking out,” coach Ben Howland said. “I thought we did a better job blocking out in exhibition games and there’s been slippage from there.” The 49ers, who had 18 more field goal attempts than UCLA, had numerous put-back opportunities off their offensive rebounds. Fortunately for the Bruins, the 49ers shot only 41 percent from the field compared to the Bruins’ 56.1 percent. “They outhustled us and outworked us,” point guard Jordan Farmar said. “We have to look in the mirror and take a good look at ourselves.”

PERFECT FRESHMAN: In a mistake-filled game, the Bruins found some perfection in shooting guard Arron Afflalo. The freshman was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and scored a career-high 21 points in the game. “I was so into the game, I didn’t know I didn’t miss a shot until just now,” said Afflalo in the press conference afterward. Afflalo, who also finished with six assists and five rebounds, led all scorers in the first half with 13 points. Yet it was his 3-pointer late in the second half that put the Bruins up eight that essentially sealed the game for UCLA. “Arron had a great game,” Howland said. “Day in, day out, he brings it and that’s why I think he’s going to be an outstanding player for us.”

APPLYING THE PRESSURE: With UCLA starting two freshmen in the backcourt, the 49ers hoped using full-court pressure would throw Afflalo and Farmar off-kilter. However, Farmar attributed UCLA’s 18 turnovers to the tight pressure applied by Long Beach State in the half-court. “Full-court pressure wasn’t the problem,” Farmar said. “We were working on motion all week. We weren’t working against that active pressure. When they’re in on you that close, you have to beat them and we were working on getting catches and spacing the floor. We weren’t ready for it the way we should have been.” But the Bruins were able to prevail in the end, and seeing that type of pressure now will benefit the team in the long run according to Howland. “That’s the kind of pressure we’re going to see in the Pac-10,” Howland said. “They were very active with their defense and had their hands into us, which is a good experience for us.” But the pressure did lead to a total of 26 fouls called on the 49ers, from which the Bruins were able to convert 25 of 31 free throws from the charity stripe.

DRIBBLERS: Ike Williams, who was suspended from the team earlier this season, was on the bench in uniform Tuesday night. ... Lorenzo Mata, who played six minutes, scored his first point as a Bruin. ... UCLA improved to 4-0 for the first time since the 1994-1995 season, the last time they won a national championship.