UCLA Beats Oregon St. In Low Scoring Affair

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Freshman Reeves Nelson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to help UCLA beat Oregon St. 62-52.

With the win the Bruins (10-11, 5-4) split their road trip to the state of Oregon and hold onto third place in the Pac-10.

Seniors Nikola Dragovic and Michael Roll added 13 and 11 points respectively in the low scoring affair in Corvallis.

In a battle of zone defenses the game was played mostly at a snails pace, and as a result, UCLA only attempted 35 shots in the entire contest. 

Fortunately the Bruins were efficient from the field, hitting 65.7% including 75% in the second half.  

After hoisting up 33 three-point shots in their loss against Oregon on Thursday, UCLA made an effort to get the ball inside against Oregon St. 1-3-1 zone.   For the game the Bruins attempted just 9 three-points shots and hitting on 4 of them for 44.4%.  They scored 34 of their points in the paint.Box s

Both teams struggled early in the game to score before UCLA ended the first half on an 11-2 run to lead 24-18 at halftime.

The Beavers stayed close throughout the second half and only trailed the Bruins 38-35 before UCLA went on a 12-2 run to finally pull away for good.

Oregon St. only managed to shoot 37.3% against UCLA's 2-3 zone defense and hit just 5 of 23 from beyond the arc for 21.7%.

With the Pac-10 season now half over, the Bruins return home to play against Stanford on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Bruins Fall to Ducks At McArthur Court

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Playing in its last game at McArthur Court, the Bruins fall to the Oregon Ducks 71-66 in overtime.

UCLA (9-11, 4-4) was down 55-52 with 11 seconds left in regulation when senior Michael Roll hit a long three-point shot to send the game into overtime.

However, Oregon's Matt Humphrey opened the overtime period with two three-pointers to put the Ducks ahead by two possessions, 61-57, a deficit the Bruins could not overcome as the Ducks hit key shots and their free throws in the extra period.

Nikola Dragovic had 10 rebounds and led UCLA in scoring with 19 points but was just 5-13 from beyond the three-point arc.  Michael Roll added 16 points and 6 assists.

Freshman Tyler Honeycutt continued to display his all-around game by recording 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in a season high 40 minutes.

Malcolm Lee struggled all evening on offense scoring 2 points on just 1 of 9 shooting, however, he did dish out 6 assists and 6 rebounds.

The Bruins played zone defense all-evening long and limited the Ducks to just 42% shooting, but the Bruins struggled on their end hitting on just 39%.  

UCLA took way too many three-point attempts, hoisting up 33 from beyond the arc which accounted for over 50% of their total shot attempts in the game.  They finished 10-33 from the arc for 30%.

The Bruins were once again beaten on the boards, 41-37, and gave up way too many second-shot attempts especially in the second half.

Tajuan Porter and Matt Humphrey scored 15 points each for Oregon (11-9-3-5) which snapped a five-game losing streak with the victory over UCLA.  

The third-place Bruins now travel to Corvallis to play the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday.

Bruin Recruiting: Prep News Roundup (1/25)

By Bruin Basketball Report 

Prep News Roundup is published every Monday. 

Commits

Kentwood big man Joshua Smith, who at 6-foot-10 is rated the No. 1 center in the nation, saw his first action in a month, scoring 10 points in a 61-37 win over Tahoma. The UCLA-bound Smith has been sidelined with a knee injury. Smith missed the next two games, including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Max Preps 1/19

Ben Howland is counting down the days until Tyler Lamb arrives? If he’s not, then he should start the countdown ASAP. Lamb, Mater Dei’s senior guard, scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting with 11 rebounds in a 79-71 victory over DeMatha, ranked fourth in the nation, on Monday. While the present might be dark around the UCLA hoops program (last place in the Pac-10?!), the future appears to be a lot brighter with Lamb on the way. OC Varsity 1/19

Four Auburn Riverside players scored in double-figures as the Ravens beat Kentwood 72-56. Forward Joshua Smith scored 13 points for Kentwood in his second game since injuring his knee in December. News Tribune 1/19

Tyler Lamb, another highly recruited guard who has signed a national letter of intent with UCLA, will enroll in summer school so he can get started early. He loves that Howland preaches defense and has a history of sending players to the NBA. UCLA starts two freshmen, and Lamb said he’ll have an opportunity for immediate playing time as well. From his talks with current players, he’s actually encouraged.  “They’re not happy with the way things are going, but they believe in the coaches and are following the system,” Lamb said. “Things will turn around.” ESPN 1/22

Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight was recognized Friday night for breaking the California record for career victories during a 10-minute pregame ceremony....King led the Monarchs with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Gary Franklin and Tyler Lamb had 20 each. OC Varsity 1/22

Recruits

Terrence Jones, a 6-foot-9 University of Washington recruiting wish with extraterrestrial basketball powers, graced the court at Edmundson Pavilion on Monday and put on a show that made you understand just how good he'd look in a Huskies jersey. Showing no emotion, Jones didn't so much play the game as he dissected it. He influenced the action in every way imaginable, handling both the spectacular and the fundamental with ease, guiding Portland's Jefferson High School to a 62-58 victory over Federal Way, the finest squad in Washington state. Seattle Times 1/19

“I really wanted to win bad,” said Hoover center Angelo Chol. “I don’t want to lose to a team in San Diego – that’s my goal.” With 16 points, Chol was one of three Hoover players in double figures. San Diego Reader 1/19

So, Coach, how did Ray McCallum look? "Like an NBA player," Thomas said with a chuckle. "He scores when he wants to, he's a floor general. He's a great point guard for the simple fact that he involves his teammates. He understands that position very well. He can shoot it, drive, score, pass ... just one of those guys who can probably go pretty much anywhere he wanted (for college)." McCallum, a 6-foot-1 point guard whose father is head coach at University of Detroit-Mercy, is a top-50 recruit in the Class of 2010. Scout.com ranks him the seventh-best point guard (23rd overall) and the the top prospect in Michigan. McCallum, a physically strong player who averages 22.7 points, seven rebounds and about three assists, has yet to make a verbal commitment but acknowledged that his top four are Arizona, Florida, UCLA and, of course, his father's U-D program.  MLive 1/22

Another player generating a good amount of buzz in recent months is 6-6 forward Branden Dawson (Gary, Ind./Lew Wallace). Dawson, who moved up from No. 29 to No. 10, is as strong as an ox. A tremendous athlete, Dawson is incredibly productive around the basket. He's a relentless rebounder with strong hands and developing skill. We've been very impressed with his energy and effort. ESPN 1/22

Norvel Pelle (Long Beach, Calif./Price) is a long athletic 4 man with a lot of potential. He has all the athleticism any coach could desire in a power forward and he has the frame to add good bulk. At times, Pelle takes plays off. We'd like to see him approach the game with more intensity. Formerly ranked No. 46, Pelle has dropped out of our Super 60. ESPN 1/22