UCLA In Romp Over Western Illinois
By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report
Freshman Kevin Love was perfect from the field scoring 16 points and grabbing 7 rebounds to lead No.8 ranked UCLA to an easy 77-52 win over Western Illinois before a crowd of 8,189 at Pauley Pavilion.
Love was 5 of 5 from the field, including a three-pointer, and 5 of 5 from the free throw line in just 25 minutes of action.
The Bruins raced out to a 42-19 halftime advantage over the hapless Leathernecks, shooting a sizzling 62% from the field and forcing 12 turnovers on the defensive end.
In the second half, the Bruin team appeared to shift into cruise-control and began settling on too many outside shots while playing too loose on defense as Western Illinois almost matched UCLA's scoring output in the second half, 35-33.
"Sometimes you do lose a little bit of focus," said Kevin Love. "It just happens, whether you realize it or not."
For the game, the Bruins finished shooting 52.9% from the field and an impressive 85.7% (18-21) from the foul line.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting and grabbed 5 rebounds while point-guard Darren Collison finished with 12 points.
UCLA held Western Illinois to just 37% shooting in the game and forced a total of 20 turnovers. Surprisingly, Western Illinois matched UCLA on the boards with 30 rebounds including 12 on the offensive end.
"We got off to a good start," head coach Ben Howland said. "We're right on the brink of getting into Pac-10 play. Our season is all going to rest on how we do in Pac-10. It's going to be a heck of a race."
Reserve guard Michael Roll, still trying to regain his shooting touch, was just 2-7 from the field for 5 points in 21 minutes of action. With Pac-10 play starting in a couple of weeks, the Bruins will need Roll's touch from outside to combat the zone defenses they'll likely see in some conference match-ups.
Lorenzo Mata-Real had 4 points and 4 rebound, however, he bruised his right shoulder during the first half and had it iced after the game.
"Hopefully, it's nothing more serious," Howland said.
UCLA will travel to Ann Arbor on Friday to play in a nationally televised match-up against Michigan on Saturday. It will be the Bruins' first road test of the season. The Wolverines (4-7) were beaten by Central Michigan, 78-67, in their last game.
(photo credit: AP)
Labels: Game Summaries
BBR :: Article Link :: 4:00 PM ::
6 comments
6 Comments:
Boring game. I'm tired of these lower tiered foes. Not exciting at all to watch and hard to get up for.
Well, I left early for the 2nd game in a row...worse than a scrimmage....
All I remember between my yawns, was Westbrook attacking everytime he had the ball...
Oh, BBR, sense I think u sit on the bench...is Collison's need 100% yet?? Also, he needs a better fitting knee brace...he's constantly pulling it up....
It's amazing how many empty seats there were...at least give your tix away people....
Real Bruin fans don't leave games until the buzzer sounds. What's wrong with an ass kicking & then supporting the reserves in the final minutes. They deserve support too, their benchwarmers but they work hard in practice & make our regular rotation better! It's embarrassing to have empty seats for any UCLA basketball game. Pauley should be jam packed every game, even if the opponent is Cal State Fullerton! Also remember this, top recruits don't like seeing empty seats. Go Bruins!
Collison is still not 100%, Coach Howland recently mentioned he felt that Collison was closer to 80% but catching up with his conditioning and mobility quickly. He'll be ready by the time Pac-10 conference play begins.
No idea about his brace other than the fact Collison is a very, lean and thin kid, its not surprising the wrap/brace keeps sliding off his leg. At this point in his comeback the only purpose the wrap/brace is serving is giving Collison some security against further injury.
- BBR
Well, if you want people to go to the games in the L.A. market, stop scheduling boring cupcake walks against bottom of the barrel teams. I'm a huge Bruins fan, always will be - no matter how good or bad the team is. But common', it takes effort to get to the games just as it does for the players to prepare. Reward both by brining in some quality opponents!
Your right, it's just so difficult as a Bruin fan just to get the games. They should schedule Duke, North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas, Pitt, etc. every game so it won't be so extremely hard for us die hard Bruin fans to get to Pauley. They should also send shuttle buses to go to each individual Bruin fans homes and give them rides to & from the games so it's not such an overwhelming effort to get there! Dude, your plain and simple LAAAAAZZZZZYYYYY!!!!! It's no effort to get to Pauley if your a true Bruin fan bro!
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