UCLA Easily Dominates Cal State Northridge

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Josh Shipp and Jrue Holiday each scored 14 points to lead UCLA to an easy 85-67 romp over Cal State Northridge (CSUN) at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday night.

In a game that wasn't as close as even the final margin, the Bruins dominated the game when they needed to and were never in danger despite some momentary lapses and sloppy play.

UCLA committed 19 turnovers in the game although they were outdone by CSUN who committed 23 themselves.

The Bruins got out quickly taking a 22 point lead midway through the first half after outscoring the Matadors 24-6 to take a 37-15 lead.

CSUN did manage to fight back to trail 41-27 at halftime but it would be futile. UCLA put the game out of reach for the final time with another run to stretch the lead in the second half back to 23 points. The run was completed with consecutive three-pointers by Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday.

Collison finished with 13 points and 6 assists. Shipp also added a season-high 6 assists in the game.

Power forward James Keefe had one of his best games of the year, scoring 9 points and grabbing a game-high 7 rebounds in just 22 minutes of play.

Lately Keefe has been looking more comfortable on the offensive end. In this game he hit his first three midrange shots within the flow of the offense. Defensively he has been more disruptive in the paint and has been more aggressive on the boards. The Bruins will need Keefe to continue to improve and be consistent if they expect to go far this season.

All the heralded freshmen played extensively in the game, however, Drew Gordon perhaps shined the most. The San Jose native had 9 points on 4 of 4 shooting and grabbed 5 rebounds, but most impressive was the energy he brought onto the court. His level of intensity and activity was contagious. His jumper from the high post helped to ignite the Bruins second half run.

UCLA's defense sparkled in the first half holding CSUN to a miserable 33.3%. The Bruins' overall quickness and athleticism was too overwhelming for the Matadors to overcome. The Bruins had 13 steals in the game - Jrue Holiday led the team with 6.

In the second half, play got more sloppy and the intensity level fall off the table for the Bruins as they allowed the Matadors to shoot over 60% in the half and score 40 points.

UCLA's next game will be at the John R. Wooden Classic in Anaheim on December 13. The Bruins will take on DePaul in their match-up.

(photo credit: AP)

UCLA Rebounds To Beat Southern Illinois

By Associated Press

Box Score

ALFRED ABOYA UPDATE - A second x-ray on Alfred Aboya's left wrist was negative and a CT scan on the wrist was also negative. The scans and x-rays were performed at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. UCLA will do a precautionary MRI after the team's return to Los Angeles.

Alfred Aboya had his best game for UCLA, and may have paid dearly for it.
The Bruins' senior forward had 22 points and eight rebounds, helping fourth-ranked UCLA rebound from a disheartening loss to beat Southern Illinois 77-60 on Friday night in the consolation game of the 2K Sports Classic.

Aboya helped lead a 20-2 run in the second half that put the game out of reach, but landed hard taking a charge in the closing minutes. Coach Ben Howland said Aboya may have broken his left hand and was headed to the hospital for X-rays.

"He played terrific tonight," Howland said, adding he hoped to know how long Aboya could be out before leaving for the West Coast. "I'm pushing to find out."

Darren Collison added 17 points and Josh Shipp 11 for the Bruins (3-1), who struggled in a semifinal loss to Michigan, turning the ball over 17 times and showing very little patience against the Wolverines' zone defense.

The Bruins had their own problems with Southern Illinois, a team known for its gritty defense, before their big run late in the game.

"I thought Southern Illinois was going to be a very good team, and they are a very good team," Howland said. "They're very much like us, very young with a blend of older guys."

Freshman guard Kevin Dillard scored 14 points and Tony Boyle had 10 for the Salukis, who tested No. 10 Duke in an 83-58 loss in the semifinals of the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Southern Illinois (2-2) managed to tie this one at 48 with about 10 minutes left before wilting in the closing minutes for the second straight night.

"I don't know what it is," coach Chris Lowery said. "We melted down from there. We missed assignments defensively. We have to continue to play the young guys and get better. We can't let this dictate our season."

Nikola Dragovic started the Bruins' decisive run with a 3-pointer from the wing, and Collison hit two more in quick succession, the second time turning around after the wide-open shot from the corner and sticking his tongue out in a half smile to a small but loyal crowd of UCLA faithful.

Aboya converted a three-point play after a basket at the other end, Shipp hit a 3-pointer and Aboya made a pair of free throws to push the lead to 64-50 with 6:31 left.

Then all three of the Bruins' seniors got into the act on one dazzling play.

After forcing a turnover, Shipp swung a behind-the-back pass to Collison starting the break. The go-to guard then spun and delivered another behind-the-back pass to Aboya, whose slam made it 66-50 and put the game out of reach.

"I thought we were a little more patient in the second half," Collison said. "The two biggest things were our intensity and the fact that we were patient in the second half."

Shipp, who flirted with the NBA draft after last season, still struggled to get into a flow on the offensive end. After scoring five points on 2-of-9 shooting in that 55-52 loss to Michigan, Shipp was 1-for-4 from the field in the first half and scored most of his points when the outcome was decided.

The Bruins got off to a quick start, smoothly running their offense for the first time since arriving in New York and building a 24-13 lead midway through the first half.

Things seemed to be well in hand when Carlton Fay, the Salukis' leading scorer, went to the bench with a pair of fouls with 5 1/2 minutes left and UCLA ahead 31-23. But Wesley Clemmons hit an open 3 from the wing and Boyle followed with an inside bucket to draw Southern Illinois close.

Dillard's 3-pointer with a little over a minute left cut the lead to 35-33 at the break.

But the Bruins were simply too much in the second half, forcing 13 turnovers over the final 20 minutes and shooting 48 percent from the field for the game - and finally resembling those UCLA teams that have camped out the past few years in the Final Four.

"This team is talented enough to get there," Collison said. "It's going to take a learning process to get there."

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Survive RedHawk Scare, Advance to Semis

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

UCLA faced an early season challenge Thursday night facing a veteran Miami (OH) team in the second round of the 2K Sports Classic. In a defensive battle, the Bruins outlasted the RedHawks, 64-59, before 7,802 concerned fans at Pauley Pavilion.

A senior-laden team, Miami was confident, well coached and played a strong hard-nosed game. Guard Michael Bramos scored 22 points and almost single-handedly led an upset but the Bruins superior talent and homecourt were just too much to overcome.

Darren Collison scored 16 points including 8 points down the stretch to lead the Bruins. Josh Shipp also chipped in 16 as UCLA improved to 2-0 on the season.

Freshman Jrue Holiday picked up two early fouls and was never able to get in gear and was not a factor in the game. He was removed with five minutes remaining in the game after committing two turnovers. Holiday finished with just 5 points.

Michael Roll helped pick up the slack by hitting 3 of 5 three-pointers and finishing with 9 points in 22 minutes. Roll shot with confidence and appears to be fully recovered from his foot injury.

Miami did a good job in the second half spreading the floor and negating UCLA's help defense. RedHawk guards Kenny Haynes and Michael Bramos took the Bruin guards off the dribble and found open teammates on the wing. Miami shot 50% in the second half and 48.8% for the game.

Offensively, UCLA struggled again with its inside game.

James Keefe played another subpar game, finishing with 3 points on 1 of 3 shooting and missing another easy layup. The junior is playing with a lack of confidence and its showing on both ends of the court. Keefe had just 3 rebounds in 24 minutes. He'll need to step forward soon as the Bruins lack veteran depth up front.

Senior center Alfred Aboya did another yeoman's job in the paint, sitting picks and disrupting offenses with his activity, but his 6 points and 6 rebounds paired with Keefe's minute contributions will not be enough production for UCLA when it faces teams with even more talent than they've faced.

Its not time to panic in Westwood yet, but a clear warning bell has been sounded.

With an unproductive inside game and five freshmen playing major roles, UCLA will be vulnerable in the early going.

The freshmen are extremely talented but they will be inconsistent as they learn how to play at the Division I level.

Post men Drew Gordon and J'mison Morgan played just a combined 10 minutes against Miami. UCLA will need these two to gain more playing time and experience especially before Pac-10 play starts much less NCAA tournament time.

While Holiday, Malcolm Lee, and Jerime Anderson have shown glimpses of brilliance over the past few games it has been matched equally by evidence of uncertain play and inconsistency.

There will be growing pains. UCLA fans will need to be patient.

Next week the Bruins will face Michigan at New York's Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the tournament. Wolverine coach John Beilein always plays Ben Howland teams tough. If UCLA advances past Michigan it will face either No. 8 Duke or Southern Illinois in the championship game.

(photo credit: AP)

Collison Leads Bruins To Victory In Season Opener

By Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Senior Darren Collison scored a team-high 19 points to lead No.4 ranked UCLA to an 82-58 win over Prairie View A&M in the team's home opener and first round of the 2K Sports Classic.

Collison, a preseason All-American selection, did most of his damage in the second-half finishing 6 of 9 from the field including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. The senior point-guard also finished with a team-high 4 assists.

Freshmen Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee also impressed on offense. Holiday did most of his damage from outside and finished with 11 points. Malcolm Lee demonstrated his open court prowess and ball handling skills by dashing through the court for 12 points. Lee also continued to show his ability to rebound by finishing with 6 rebounds.

Another frosh, Drew Gordon, was instant energy whenever he was inserted in the line-up. Gordon was a perfect 3 of 3 from the field including a couple of electrifying dunks and a game-high 8 rebounds. He helped to control the paint using his speed and activity to disrupt the Panther's offensive flow.

UCLA was in control for the entire contest. The Bruins closed the first half on a 31-11 run to take a 38-19 lead into the locker room. UCLA also played stellar defense holding the Panthers to just 22.7% field goal shooting

The Bruin second-team of freshmen J'mison Morgan, Gordon, Lee, Jerime Anderson, and junior Michael Roll played with energy and helped to extend the lead in the first half.

UCLA came out strong to start the second half and built a 27-point midway through with the scoring of Darren Collison who led the run with 7 points to open the half.

With the game seemingly in hand, UCLA Coach Ben Howland inserted the second team again - except this time with mixed results as the Panthers made a run and cut the lead to just 14 points with 4:53 left in the game.

The Bruin second unit started committing turnovers, much of it the result of not being able to break the Panthers full-court press. Jerime Anderson did not play well during this stretch, committing 6 turnovers.

But then Howland went back to Collison who was put back into the game after another Anderson turnover. The senior scored 7 points and made two steals to help push the lead back to 20 and seal the victory.

The Bruins won this game with superior talent and a huge advantage on the boards, outrebounding Prairie View A&M 42-22 that resulted in 10 more field goal attempts by the Bruins.

UCLA was a bit sloppy, likely a symptom of early season action, committing 23 turnovers. However, they also forced 27 turnovers.

The Bruins used its size advantage to work the boards, but their low-post offensive options were still just limited to freshman J'mison Morgan.

Although Morgan was just 2 of 2 from the field, he was the only Bruin to score off the low blocks on set plays. All other inside scoring was off drives from the perimeter or rebound put backs. UCLA's inside scoring continues to be a problem and something the team will need to address quickly.

Forward James Keefe did not play a particularly strong game. Although he grabbed 6 rebounds and scored 7 points, considering he was playing against an undersized Panthers team, Keefe did not provide the team with toughness and defensive presence the Bruins need from his power forward spot.

Moreover, Alfred Aboya still resembles more of a good role player rather than a starter for a top 5 basketball program. Again, the Bruins will need to address their low post needs either through improved play by their returning players or more minutes from their blossoming low-post freshmen.

Senior Josh Shipp played just 23 minutes, 10 minutes in the second-half, as a result of a tweaked ankle he suffered earlier at practice on Tuesday. Shipp still finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Nikola Dragovic was officially suspended for Wednesday's game against Prairie View A&M due to his arrest for misdemeanor battery over the weekend. Dragovic is expected to return for the team's next game.

With the win on Wednesday, the Bruins will face Miami (Ohio) on Thursday, a 70-66 victor over Weber State in the other first-round match-up. Miami (Ohio) won its game on a last second 3-point shot by guard Kenny Hayes.

(photo credit: AP)

Love Carries Bruins To Sweet 16

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Say all you want about UCLA's play the past few weeks. One thing people can all agree upon?

They just know how to win!

Kevin Love scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help UCLA rally from a ten point second-half deficit to beat a tough Texas A&M team, 53-49, and advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament

After allowing 56% field goal shooting in the opening half, the UCLA defense clamped down in the second half as the Bruins slowly chipped away at the Aggies big lead.

Love's 10 foot fadeaway jumper with three minutes remaining tied the game at 45-45. Then with 1:37 left, Love got the ball again on the left side and hit a step back 12 foot shot to put the Bruins ahead 47-45.

Darren Collison scored on two tough lay-ups to keep the Bruins ahead. Then with 8 seconds remaining and the Bruins still up by just two, Texas A&M guard Donald Sloan drove down the lane but his shot was blocked by Josh Shipp who got the ball to Russell Westbrook for a thunderous dunk to end the game.

"That was vintage Darren Collison," Howland said. "Driving down the lane, going right, high off the glass, kissing it in. The second one was really a blessing because that thing kind of rolled in had for us. And, believe me, I'm very thankful."

Collison scored 21 points and almost single-handedly kept the Bruins in the contest with his key three-point shots. He finished 5 of 8 from beyond the arc.

"Once the time clock goes zero, zero, we'll stop playing," Collison said. "We've been through that all season. We knew what we had to do; we knew who was going to win, and all the coaches said we just had to do the right things to win the game."

UCLA struggled offensively, especially in the first half, against a very physical Texas A&M defense. Three Bruin starters, Josh Shipp, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Russell Westbrook shot a cominbed 4 of 18 for a mere 9 points. Collison and Love accounted for 40 of UCLA's 53 points or 75% of the team's offensive output.

But Howland praised the three starters for their other contributions in the game.

"It was Josh's defensive play at the end of the game," Howland said. "Russell gets a dunk. That's one of his three baskets. Josh made the play down the stretch, and he made a couple of rebounds. Luc did not play well today, and you could tell from a week off, from not playing, especially in a game, it hurts you. But he steps up and makes big rebounds down the stretch."

Moreover, UCLA Coach Ben Howland shortened his bench considerably in this game with reserves Alfred Aboya, James Keefe, and Lorenzo Mata-Real combining for just 20 minutes of action. The bench provided just 4 points and 1 rebound.

While Texas A&M's defense held the Bruins down in the first half, its offense was effective in breaking down the Bruin defense off the dribble drive. Aggies guard Donald Sloan repeatedly got into the paint for easy scores, he finished with 12 points.

In the second half, the Bruins stopped doubling and trapping the Aggies and went straight up against them, and it proved successful as they held the Aggies to just 30.8% shooting in the half.

Kevin Love had a career-high 7 blocks in the game which helped to key the Bruins' defensive turnaround in the second half.

"That was reminiscent of a lot of games we seem to be in lately, where we're having to make dramatic comebacks in the last few minutes," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "But the one thing that I love about our team is that they know in their heart they're always going to win the game. They're going to find a way."

UCLA advances to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year under Coach Ben Howland. They will play the winner of the game between No.12 seed Western Kentucky and No.13 seed University of San Diego.

The West Region Sweet 16 games will be played in Phoenix, Arizona.

(photo credit: AP)

Collison Leads Bruins To Pac-10 Tournament Crown

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

With UCLA's front line hurting, the backcourt stepped up its game.

Point-guard Darren Collison scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Bruins to a 67-64 win and Pac-10 Tournament championship. 

The victory should help to cement a No.1 seed for UCLA (31-3) in the West Region at the upcoming NCAA tournament.  Seedings and brackets will be announced on Sunday.

Already missing Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who sat out with a sprained ankle, freshman center Kevin Love experienced back spasms in the opening minutes of the game, causing him to miss much of the first half and limited his movement.  Stanford capitalized by jumping out to an early 19-11 lead.

After a UCLA timeout the Bruins began to step it up on defense, seemingly getting to every loose and tipped ball and raced to the half on a 22-13 run to tie the game 32-32.

In the second half, Stanford moved out to a four point lead after a dunk by Brook Lopez, but then the Bruins went on a 27-13 run to open up a ten point lead, 61-51, with just over two minutes remaining.  Collison took control during this span with a variety of drives to the basket leaving Stanford's Mitch Johnson in the dust while alluding Stanford's Lopez twins for deft defying lay-ups and tear-drop shots. 

The Bruins also ran a high pick and roll for Collison which Stanford was unable to defend. Cardinal coach Trent Johnson was forced to move to a zone defense later in the half to try to control Collison's dribble penetration . He finished 12-22 from the field. 

"I felt real confident," Collison said. "They had a hard time stopping the pick-and-roll. That was a big key for us, so we kept going to it."

Stanford made one final move and managed to cut the lead to one point with seven seconds remaining in the game, but Collison sank two free throws to extend the lead back to three.  Anthony Goods' halfcourt shot with time running out fall short, and the Bruins finished the season as both Pac-10 conference regular season and tournament champions.

Collison was named MVP of the Pac-10 Tournament.  Over three tourney games, the junior point-guard averaged 20 points to lead the Bruins.

Sophomore James Keefe stepped up big for the team, scoring 8 points and grabbing 3 rebounds.  He did a good job defensively against Robin Lopez, blocking one of the 7-footer's shots during the Bruins' key second half run.

Josh Shipp also helped on the boards with 9 rebounds.  Despite being out-sized on the floor by Stanford's massive front line, UCLA outrebounded Stanford 39-34.  In addition, the Bruins grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.

Kevin Love seemed to move better in the second half and finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds.

UCLA completed a three-game sweep of a very tough Stanford team this year.  The Cardinal will likely lose Brook Lopez to the NBA draft this season.  He finished with a team-high 15 points and 6 rebounds.

The Bruins shot just 38% from the field and a season-worst 39.1% (9-23) from the free-throw line.  But UCLA's advantage on the boards, especially on the offensive end, and the fact the Bruins committed just four turnovers were the deciding factors in the game. 

Stanford (26-7) finished shooting 47.9% from the field.

Now the Bruins will rest up and wait for tomorrow's tournament bracket announcements.

BBR Notes:  Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was wearing a walking boot and on crutches at the game.  Its uncertain when he will return although its unlikely he will be available, or needed, for UCLA's opening round game on Thursday.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Advance To Pac-10 Final But Lose Mbah a Moute

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Freshman Kevin Love scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead UCLA to a 57-54 win over USC and advance to the championship game of the Pac-10 Tournament.  However, the victory celebration was tempered by a first half injury to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

Mbah a Moute, who was already playing on a tender ankle, leaped in the air and landed awkwardly on a Trojan player's shoe crumpling to the ground in pain.  He had to be helped off the court by teammates.  Preliminary x-rays showed no break and only a sprain, however, it is likely Mbah a Moute will miss tomorrow's championship game. Without Mbah a Moute, the Bruins are missing one of their best defenders and rebounders.

However, UCLA got very good contribution off the bench from sophomore 6'8 forward James Keefe.  Although he did not score a point, he grabbed four rebounds and played excellent defense on USC's DaVon Jefferson.  Jefferson scored 12 points in the first half but was held scoreless in the final half by Keefe's sticky and active defense.  Keefe played a season-high 23 minutes.

The Trojans have given the Bruins trouble in both their games this season, and outplayed UCLA for most of the first half in this contest.  The Trojans spread the floor and picked the Bruin defense apart, getting easy baskets off back cuts and curls.  After two three-point shots from Keith Wilkinson, yes - Keith Wilknson, the Trojans opened their biggest lead of the half, 30-22, and seemed to be in control of the game.

After baskets were traded, Darren Collison hit a two-point jumper as time expired in the half to cut the lead to six, 34-28, and injecting some life into the Bruins' offense.

In the second half, the Bruins stepped up the defensive pressure and made a concerted effort to get the ball into Kevin Love.  Baskets by Collison and Russell Westbrook off a steal and missed shot pulled UCLA to within two points, and then Kevin Love's slam dunk off a missed shot tied the game at 34-34.

It was just the start of Love's scoring as the 6'9 center scored his team's next 11 points as UCLA went on a 15-2 run, 43-36, capped off by a three-point shot by Love.  The Bruins never relinquished the lead.

USC made one last run at the Bruins, led by O.J Mayo's seven consecutive points to pull within 3 points.  But Mayo's desperation three-point shot with two seconds remaining missed left and the Bruins exited the court on their way to the tournament championship game.

Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook added 13 points apiece.  Westbrook added 3 assists.  UCLA shot just 39.2% from the field and made only 3 of 18 of its three-pointers for 16.7%.

The Bruins (30-3) will play the winner of the Stanford versus Washington State contest on Saturday afternoon.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Crush Bears, Advance To Semifinals

By The Associated Press

Box Score

No controversy, no contest.

No. 3 UCLA buried California under a flurry of 3-pointers to start the second half on its way to an 88-66 victory in the Pac-10 tournament quarterfinals Thursday.

Darren Collison scored 19 points, Josh Shipp 18, and freshman Kevin Love had nine of his 11 in the second half after early foul trouble. UCLA (29-3) had its best 3-point shooting game of the season, hitting 14-of-25.

"It's playoff time now, you have to have a sense of urgency," Love said. "That's what great teams do, they never let up. One loss and you're out."

The top-seeded Bruins won their eighth in a row and advanced to Friday's semifinals against O.J. Mayo and Southern California, which beat Arizona State 59-55. The rivals split in the regular season, with each winning on the other's floor.

"Tomorrow's going to be another grudge match, the battle of the city," Love said. "We know we need to come out and play the same style, the same way. It's going to be tough."

Ryan Anderson scored 17 points and Patrick Christopher 12 to lead the ninth-seeded Golden Bears (16-15), who have lost eight of their last 10.

The Bears were looking to avenge last weekend's one-point loss at UCLA that ended on two controversial calls, both in the Bruins' favor. For their part, the Bruins were eager to dispel chatter that they didn't deserve to win after trailing nearly the entire game.

"We heard a little (talk), but we were more concerned with how we were going to play," Collison said. "It was more about us."

In that game, Shipp hit a rainbow jumper over the corner of the backboard with 1.5 seconds remaining, sending observers scurrying to the NCAA rule book to see whether the shot was legal.

That opportunity was created after it appeared Anderson was fouled when trapped in the left corner. The officials ruled the ball touched Anderson before going out of bounds although Cal argued it went off a UCLA player first.

"I don't think they appreciated hearing that two calls were the only reason they won a (Pac-10) championship," Cal coach Ben Braun said. "That's not fair."

This time, there were no questionable calls and UCLA erased its bitter memory from last year's tournament, when Cal upset the Bruins in overtime in their opening game.

UCLA opened on a 16-4 run before DeVon Hardin's dunk -- Cal's first field goal more than 7 1/2 minutes into the game -- launched a 13-3 spurt that got the Bears within two. Anderson added five points.

But the Bears were derailed by 13 turnovers -- 18 overall -- that were instigated by a UCLA defense that produced eight steals.

"UCLA is a team that feeds off transition and bad shots," Anderson said. "It was our shot selection that hurt us."

The Bruins grabbed the momentum right back and rode it to a 39-25 halftime lead.

"To have a 14-point lead at halftime was a nice cushion," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "They had to play a game yesterday and we were sitting there waiting for them. That definitely was to our advantage."

The Bears got by Washington 84-81 Wednesday in a game that ended after 8 p.m. while the Bruins were idle. Cal skipped a shootaround Thursday for extra rest.

"It was a factor, but I don't want to make excuses," Hardin said.

With Love playing just six minutes because of two fouls, Lorenzo Mata-Real produced the two biggest defensive plays of the half on huge blocks of Anderson and Christopher.

Love, the Pac-10 player and freshman of the year, returned to start the second half and made an immediate impact. He hit three consecutive 3-pointers and Shipp added another for a 51-33 lead.

"Darren found me on all three," Love said. "I was just looking for my shot and I got open for the `3' and happened to knock them down."

Love has scored in double figures in all 32 games this season. He had seven rebounds and four assists, leaving to a standing ovation led by his parents, brother and sister sitting behind the Bruins' bench.

Lightning Strikes Twice At Pauley, Shipp Happens

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score | Mata-Real at Senior Day

Josh Shipp's prayer shot from behind the backboard with one second remaining was answered as UCLA rallied to defeat the California Golden Bears, 81-80, in a Pac-10 conference regular season finale.

Down 80-79 with six seconds left in the game, the ball was inbounded to Shipp in the right corner. Tightly guarded, he took the ball baseline and then had to force a 12 foot shot from behind the backboard. The ball sailed slightly high over the corner of the backboard and swished through the net for the game winner.

Based upon NCAA rules, a shot with the basketball crossing over the backboard is ruled out of bounds, however, the referees ruled the shot was too close to call and thereby allowed the basket. In addition, per the rules, such a shot is now reviewable by officials at the game.

Regardless, the game should not have come down to the final deciding possession.

Except for a 2-0 lead at 2:21 minutes into the game, UCLA never had another lead until the winning heave by Shipp.

The day started off on a high note as UCLA fans, teammates, and coaching staff honored departing senior Lorenzo Mata-Real in an emotional ceremony on Senior Day at Pauley Pavilion.

Unfortunately the team wasn't able to carry over the high emotions into the game, as they started off flat to start. California outscored UCLA 21-8 in the first ten minutes of the game to grab its biggest lead at 11.

Offensively, the Bruins were missing open looks from the perimeter while their point-blank shots were rolling off the rim.

But it was on the defensive end where UCLA was exposed. With Cal's DeVon Hardin not suited up for the game, the Bears went with a small line-up with 6'9 Ryan Anderson at center, 6'8 Jamal Boykin at power forward, then and spread the floor in their halfcourt offense.

The wide spacing on the floor helped to negate UCLA's aggressive double-teams and the Bears capitalized with multiple lay-ups off backdoor cuts or open shots from the baseline.

Boykin was the prime benefactor of the open space, he finished the game 8 of 12 for 18 points. He came into the contest averaging just 7.2 points.

The Bruins cut the lead to two off a three-point jumper from Josh Shipp, but then Ryan Anderson scored the final five points of the half to lead the Bears into halftime with a 37-30 advantage. Cal shot 50% in the first half.

Most of the second half was similar to the first with the Bears spreading the floor and the UCLA defense uncharacteristically not able to get any stops. The lead ballooned again to eleven after the opening minutes of the second half.

It wasn't until just under ten minutes remaining in the game did UCLA begin mounting its comeback from...the free throw line as it got into a bonus situation early. The Bruins hit their final 13 of 14 from the foul line to cut into Cal's big lead.

The Bruins knocked it down to two points with 2:37 remaining on two Kevin Love free thrwos. but Cal, a solid free throw shooting team themselves, pushed the lead back to four on foul shots by guard Jerome Randle.

With 31 seconds remaining in the game, the late-game theatrics started. Love took a pass beyond the three=point arc in front of the UCLA bench, and while closely guarded, he ball faked and then took and sunk a three-point jumpshot with 20 seconds left.

California quickly got the ball into Ryan Anderson along the sideline corner but he was quickly doubled by Westbrook and Shipp who knocked the ball out of Anderson's hands.

In the ensuing scramble, Anderson reached out for the ball but knocked it out of bounds with 14 seconds left in the game. Cal Coach Ben Braun argued Anderson was fouled on the play but replays clearly showed there was no foul on the play and that Anderson did indeed touch the ball as it went out of bounds.

The ball was inbounded and Collison took it to the basket but the shot was blocked with the ball going into the hands of Jamal Boykins who happened to be standing out of bounds.

And then the miracle shot.

Shipp, who has been strugglging with his offense the past few games, was the unlikely recepient of a pass to win the game, but indeed he received the ball with six seconds remaining and took the shot that won the game for the Bruins.

Cal inbounded the ball quickly up court but Shipp was there to deflect the ball into the stands. After a lengthy review, the referees decided .7 seconds still remained on the clock. Cal's Patrick Christopher took a desperation 30 footer that sailed short as the buzzer went off.

Shipp finished with 12 points on 5 of 13 shooting including 2 of 8 on three-pointers. He was mobbed by his teammates after his winning shot.

Freshman Kevin Love, playing in perhaps his last game in Pauley Pavilion, led all scorers with 22 points and had 6 rebounds. Westbrook scored 18 points and Darren Collison added 13 points.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had his second consecutive double-double going for 12 points and 10 rebounds.

UCLA shot a sizzling 87% (20-23) from the foul line - a big side-story to the game.

Cal's spread offense, like Texas and USC, was effective against UCLA's aggressive trapping defense. The Bears shot 65% in the second half and 56% field goal shooting for the game. No doubt NCAA tourney teams will be watching tape to find what has been used effectively against the Bruin defense and try to exploit it during postseason play.

But for now, its celebration time and an opportunity to tune-up further for the NCAA tournament with the upcoming Pac-10 conference tournament.

With the win against the Bears, the Bruins (28-3, 16-2) have likely secured a West region assignment in the NCAA tournament as either a No.1 or No.2 seed.

(photo credit: AP)

UCLA Climbs Mountain For Overtime Win Over Stanford

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Trailing by 12 points at the half and double-digits most of the way, UCLA rallied to take the game into overtime and then broke away from Stanford for an emotional 77-67 victory before a raucous crowd of 12,671.

UCLA (27-3, 15-2) won its third consecutive regular-season title under Coach Ben Howland and put itself in solid position to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Tied at 63 after regulation, UCLA dominated during the overtime period. The first Bruin basket happened when Luc Ricahrd Mbah a Moute dunked off Collison’s pass to put UCLA up 65-63, its first lead since starting the game 2-0. From there, the Bruins took control during the overtime, outscoring the Cardinal 14-4.

Darren Collison tipped in his own missed lay-up for a go-ahead basket in overtime. He finished with a game-high 24 points on 9 of 16 shooting. For most of the time, it was Collison's play that kept UCLA in the game.

Stanford raced out to a 12-2 lead at the start of the game and extended it to 28-14 on seven straight points.

UCLA was held to a season-low 18 points in the first half, shooting just 32% from the floor. The Lopez twins, Brook and Robin, blocked or altered a number of Bruin shot attempts in the paint. At the same time, the Bruin players were misfiring from outside.

Josh Shipp continued his shooting slump, finishing just 1 of 9 from the field and 1 of 6 on three-pointers for 7 points.

During halftime Bruin players and coaches reminded themselves and others that the game was still within reach and it was simply a matter of UCLA playing its game on both ends of the court.

However, Stanford started the second as dominant as they were in the first. Robin Lopez’s basket pushed Stanford’s lead back to 14 early in the second half.

Led by Kevin Love and Darren Collison, UCLA went on a 25-13 to cut the lead to 45-43 with over nine remaining in the contest. But Stanford answered the challenge with an 11-2 run that kept the team ahead 56-45.

UCLA ran off eight straight points to close within three points with 3:17 remaining in regulation. Reserve forward Taj Finger scored four straight for Stanford, including a shot that luckily banked in for a 60-55 lead.

Russell Westbrook got fouled in the scramble for Lopez’s miss and made one of two free throws to tie the game at 61. Westbrook's first free-throw took a high Don Nelson-like bounce off the rim before falling through the net.

Stanford's Lawrence Hill then hit a shot with 7.5 seconds left for a 63-61 lead, and then with 2.5 seconds remaining, Collison drove hard to the basket and was fouled on the play by Lawrence Hill. Collison, a 82% FT shooter, made both shots to force the game into overtime.

Freshman Kevin Love recorded his 19th double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while battling both Lopez twins throughout the game.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute struggled defensively against the big Stanford front line in the first half but came out in the second with renewed vigor. The junior forward finished with his own double-double, 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Mbah a Moute's strong inside play, especially defensively, was one of the keys to the Bruins comeback.

Sophomore Russell Westbrook struggled offensively at the start, but helped to spark the second half rally by going to the basket and challenging the Cardinal trees underneath. He finished with 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting on a number of acrobatic shots. Towards the end of overtime period, Darren Collison found Westbrook on the break for a rousing dunk that put an exclamation point on the Bruin comeback victory.

Coach Howland shortened the player rotation dramatically, only playing seven players in the game including two reserves, Alfred Aboya and Lorenzo Mata-Real. Both players combined to play just 17 minutes of action.

UCLA now awaits a challenge from the California Bears on Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at Pauley Pavilion. The Bears lost a decision to USC on Thursday night, 93-89 in overtime.

(photo credit: AP)

Kevin Love Carries UCLA To Victory Over Arizona

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Kevin Love scored 24 points and hauled down 15 rebounds to help No.4 ranked UCLA hold on to a narrow 68-66 victory over Arizona in Tucson. It marked Love's 18th double-double performance of the season. Point-guard Darren Collison added 16 points in the win.

UCLA (26-3, 14-2) now heads into a Pac-10 showdown against Stanford (24-4 13-3) Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion with first-place in the conference and a potential No.1 seed in the West on the line.

The Bruins jumped out in front quickly against Arizona in this game, Kevin Love's lay-up off an assist by Russell Westbrook put them up, 13-6, after just five minutes of action.

They extended it to their biggest lead of 11 points shortly thereafter, but UCLA simply couldn't administer the knockout punch as it had at Pauley Pavilion against Arizona, as the McKale Center crowd, donned in Wildcat red, helped to prod its team back into the game.

Arizona sophomore Chase Budinger sparked the Wildcat rally, scoring 12 of his team's last 16 points of the half to cut the lead to just two points, 41-39, going into the locker room.

Both teams had problems stopping each other in the first half, the Bruins shot 59.3% while the Wildcats finished with 51.9%.

In the second half, Arizona freshman sensation Jerryd Bayless finally shook off the defensive vice applied by Russell Westbrook, to give the Wildcats their first lead since the game's opening basket, 42-41.

With Arizona up by four points and the momentum flowing throughout the arena, the Bruins turned to their freshman center for an answer.

UCLA repeatedly found Love in the paint as the 6'9 freshman overpowered his Arizona defenders to score 13 points over the game's final seven minutes. Love made 7 consecutive free throws and was 3 of 3 from the field including a three-point play to put the Bruins ahead for good.

The Wildcats had one final chance to win the game in the waning seconds after Westbrook and Love, fighting for a rebound, knocked the ball out of bounds under the basket with the Bruins holding a 68-66 lead. But Jerryd Bayless' off-balance three-point shot missed short and the Bruins escaped with a sweep of their series with Arizona.

UCLA has now won seven straight games against Arizona (17-12, 7-9). With their sixth loss in seven games, the Wildcats are in some danger of missing the tournament this year.

After temporarily breaking out of a shooting slump with a 4 of 8 three-point performance against Arizona State, Josh Shipp struggled offensively in this game. Shipp hit his first and only three-point shot in the opening minute but then missed his remaining four attempts.

More troubling for the team, Shipp disappeared offensively down the stretch when the Bruins needed an outside shot with Arizona packing it tight inside to guard Love. On a few instances, Shipp passed up an open shot seemingly lacking the confidence to attempt the shot himself.

With two regular season games and the Pac-10 tournament remaining before the NCAA postseason, Shipp will need to find his shot and flow in the offense if the Bruins are to go far in the tourney.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland shortened the bench considerably in the game with three reserves playing just a total of 21 minutes. All Bruin starters played at least 33 minutes with Westbrook and Collison logging 38 and 39 minutes, respectively.

The Bruins finished the game shooting 48.9% from the field but only on 7 assists.

UCLA hosts Stanford and California at Pauley Pavilion next week in the last two games of the Pac-10 regular season.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Shoot Down Sun Devils For 25th Win

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

UCLA spent the first fifteen minutes of its game in Tempe figuring out how to score against Arizona State's 3-2 zone, while the Sun Devils just seemed satisfied to be hanging close with the No.4 team in the nation.

At the end, the Bruins (25-3, 13-2) pulled away for their 25th victory of the season and Arizona State (17-10, 7-8) was left to ponder whether they had let their chance for a big upset slip away from them.

Josh Shipp broke out of his prolonged shooting slump in a big way, playing perhaps his best all-around offensive game of the season. The red-shirt junior scored 17 points on 4 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc - breaking a 0 for 20 three-point shooting slump. Shipp also dished out a game-high 8 assists.

Guard Darren Collison was 5 of 6 from long distance and added 17 points, and freshman Kevin Love finished with his 17th double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The Bruins came out flat to start the game and struggled to score against the Sun Devils' aggressive match-up zone scheme. However, Arizona State matched the Bruins' offensive futility by missing numerous open shots from the perimeter.

By the time the game clock had ticked down to the five minute mark in the first half, the score was tied at a Coors Field baseball score of 11-11, but then Darren Collison hit a three-pointer to start a 10-2 UCLA run and the team surged ahead, 21-13.

Collison scored 12 points in the first-half to pace the Bruins, including a three-point buzzer-beating shot to give UCLA a 29-18 halftime lead. Collison had stumbled while receiving a length of the court pass but was able to regain his balance to hit the long distance shot.

The late basket by Collison seemed to deflate the Sun Devils' confidence going into the locker room as the players and coaches all seemed to realize they had squandered away their chance to upset the nationally ranked Bruins.

UCLA looked to put the Sun Devils away quickly in the second half, going on a 8-2 run to go ahead by 17 points in the opening minutes of the half.

But then the Bruins started getting sloppy in the open court, wasting two easy transition baskets with blown slam dunk opportunities - of the hot dog variety. Coupled with some hot three-point shooting from Sun Devil Latvian guard Rihards Kuksiks , the Sun Devils narrowed the lead to 14 and began to gather some momentum as the home crowd began sensing a rally.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland wasn't about to let the game get any closer.

After a quick timeout and some icy stares from their coach, the Bruins came back onto the court and turned up the defensive pressure on the young Sun Devils, forcing turnovers and pushing the lead back to as large as 22 points. UCLA never looked back again.

Russell Westbrook added 14 points to the Bruins' final total and helped spark the second half defense with 4 steals. Forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute blanketed Arizona State's leading scorer, James Harden, limiting the freshman to only 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting.

UCLA shot 49% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, while holding Arizona State to just 40.9% field goal shooting. The Bruins also shot 12 of 13 from the foul line for 92.3%.

Led by Kevin Love, UCLA dominated Arizona State on the boards, 33 to 19.

The Bruins look for their fifth straight victory when they take on the Arizona Wildcats in a Sunday afternoon affair in Tucson. Arizona (17-11, 7-8) lost its Thursday night home game to USC, 70-58.

BBR Notes: UCLA will honor the Men's Basketball 1968 NCAA Champions at halftime of the California game on March 8. The 40th anniversary celebration of the title will include a ceremony honoring former players and legendary head coach John Wooden.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Step Up Defense In Win Over Ducks

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

UCLA stepped up its defensive intensity in the second-half to rally from behind to beat Oregon, 75-65, before a crowd of 11,355 at Pauley Pavilion.

For the first thirty minutes of the contest, the Bruins played lethargically on both ends of the court and allowing the upset-minded Ducks to take the early initiative. When Oregon's Tajuan Porter hit a three-pointer with 4 seconds remaining in the first half, it gave the Ducks a 34-31 going into the locker room.

Many times this season, the Bruins have come out blazing to start the second-half after following behind early, but this time they came out with the same lethargy that plagued them in the first-half with the Ducks extending the lead to as wide as eleven points.

But then UCLA finally regrouped and found its voice in its defense. Applying intense pressure on the ball and aggressively playing the passing lanes, the Bruins began to force turnovers against the Ducks. UCLA went on a quick 6-0 run to cut the lead to just five, which was capped off by a steal and rousing dunk by Russell Westbrook that ignited the Pauley crowd.

The Bruins continued with a 12-5 run to finally catch the Ducks at 54-53 with just under six minutes remaining as Darren Collison stole the ball and got it up court to Westbrook for another crowd pleasing slam. It was UCLA's first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

For the game, the Bruins forced the Ducks into 19 turnovers.

Down the stretch, UCLA scored 10 of its last 12 points from the free throw line to secure the victory and series sweep of the Ducks .

Oregon's Tajuan Porter sparked his team early with hot outside shooting, but as he has done in previous games, his poor decision-making and propensity to take difficult shots cost the Ducks precious possessions in the second half when the team tried to withstand the fierce Bruin rally.

Darren Collison scored a team-high 17 points and Russell Westbrook added 16 points and five assists. Collison and Westbrook combined for seven steals to ignite the second-half Bruin rally.

Although UCLA finished with 50% field goal shooting, often the team struggled scoring from its halfcourt set. Similar to their past two contests, the offense spent too much of the shot clock dribbling or passing the ball on the perimeter, many times being forced to take difficult shots as the clock ran out.

Some of the team's difficulties on offense are attributable to opponents stacking up the paint to take away touches from center Kevin Love and coinciding with the Bruins' recent struggles with their perimeter shooting.

UCLA finished just 2 of 8 on three-pointers.

Junior Josh Shipp scored 10 points but he missed his only three-point shot attempt of the game and extending his drought from outside to 0 for 20 over the past five games. If the Bruins are to go deep into the tourney, they'll need Shipp to find his range soon and become a threat again.

Despite not playing one of his best games, Kevin Love still managed to finish with another double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Love also contributed two length of the court outlet passes leading to easy scores during the Bruins' late rally. He had an uncharacteristically tough night at the line, making just 7 of 12.

The Bruins (24-3, 12-2) will pack their bags next week for a trip to the desert for tough match-ups against Arizona State and Arizona.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Cruise Past Beavers, 84-49

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score | Photo Gallery

Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 17 points and Darren Collison added 14 to lead UCLA to a thrashing of the Oregon State Beavers, 84-49, before 9,727 at Pauley Pavilion. 

Westbrook and Collison also combined for 16 assists in the game with Westbrook dishing out 7 and Collison recording a game-high 9 dimes.

In reality, the game was over before it even started.

A once proud program is in shambles due to ineffectual coaching and player desertions from the squad.  This season, the hapless Beavers (0-14, 6-20) do not have near the talent nor coaching to compete in the Pac-10 conference.

The Bruins (23-3, 11-2) jumped out to an early 10-4 lead shortly after tip-off and built it up to 49-27 by halftime.  In the second half, UCLA extended the lead to its biggest margin of 36.

Oregon State shot just 34.5% from the field.  They were outrebounded by UCLA, 39-20.  Guard Josh Tarver was the only Beaver scoring in double figures, finishing with 10 points.

UCLA shot 55.2% and was 5 of 14 from beyond the arc for 35.7%. 

Josh Shipp, mired in a shooting slump, continued his poor shooting from three-point land, missing on all four of his long-distance attempts.  Its obvious Shipp has lost some confidence with his shooting, in the game he appeared apprehensive to shoot whenever an outside opportunity was available to him. He finished with just 6 points.

Freshman Kevin Love barely missed another double-double going for 11 points and 9 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.  Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had another solid game, finishing with 8 points on 4 of 5 shooting and hauled down 7 rebounds.

No Bruin played over 29 minutes in the contest. 

By the mid-seven minute mark in the second half, UCLA Coach Ben Howland had removed all his starters and the seats in Pauley Pavilion began emptying.

Reserve James Keefe had perhaps one of his best games since returning to the roster.  Keefe finished with 6 points and 7 rebounds, and just as importantly, looked more comfortable in the flow of the team's offense and defense. 

Senior Lorenzo Mata-Real played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring 11 points and blocking 3 shots.  In two consecutive possessions, Mata-Real scored one basket off a nice left-handed hook, and then next time down he scored on a right handed hook.

Walk-on Matt Lee helped to cap off the Bruins' scoring for the night with an alley-oop pass to freshman Chace Stanback for a slam dunk off a break.

UCLA will now prepare for their game against Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.  The Ducks dropped their Thursday night contest to USC at the Galen Center, 81-75.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Top Trojans In Brutal Win

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

In his return to the line-up, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to key UCLA to a 56-46 win over the USC Trojans at the Galen Center Sunday night.

Mbah a Moute had missed the last two games due to a sprained ankle he suffered against Arizona and was probable for this contest. Surprisingly, Mbah a Moute played 33 minutes in his return.

The junior forward from the Cameroon also helped to blanket USC forward Davon Jefferson, holding him to just 4 points on 2 of 8 shooting. Jefferson scored 25 points in the first meeting when Mbah a Moute was limited to just 19 minutes due to a concussion he suffered in the first half of the game.

Sunday night's contest at the Galen Center was a slugfest with neither team playing its best brand of basketball.

On too many occasions the Bruins passed the ball around the perimeter late into the shot clock before even making a move to the basket. Often, it resulted in low percentage or forced jump shots.

UCLA shot just 33.9% from the field and only 20% from three-point distance. While the Trojan defense could be credited for shutting them down, it was also a matter of a stagnant Bruin offense that did not move the ball well nor execute effectively in the halfcourt.

The Bruins only had 8 assists in the entire game. Point-guard Darren Collison contributed zero assists although he did chip in a team-high 14 points.

Kevin Love recorded another double-double, scoring 13 points and hauling down 11 rebounds but the freshman only shot 5 of 14. Most of the game he seemed to be tentative in the post as USC's Taj Gibson blocked three of his shots early. At one point in the game, Love had Gibson one-on-one in the low block but decided to pass out rather than challenge the quick-jumping 6'8 Gibson.

Russell Westbrook repeated his poor shooting performance from the first Trojan match-up, going just 2 of 11 for 7 points while Josh Shipp continued his recent shooting slump making just 2 of 7 field goals for 8 points.

Moreover, if one were to just look at the shooting percentage in the game, one might be surprised the Bruins even won on Sunday. USC out-shot their opponent, hitting 46.5% from the field.

The difference in the game?

UCLA took 19 more shot attempts than the USC, which was the result of the Bruins pulling down 19 offensive rebounds versus 5 for the Trojans, and USC committing 22 turnovers while UCLA only had 10 for the game.

USC freshman O.J. Mayo committed 10 of his team's turnovers himself. He was also held to just 4 points on 2 of 8 shooting by Westbrook who played a stellar defensive game.

The Trojans played without guard Daniel Hackett, a player who could have been a difference-maker in the game. As a result, the Trojans played short-handed with four players playing 40 minutes. Taj Gibson led the Trojans with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

With the hard fought victory, the Bruins improved their record to 22-3 overall and a Pac-10 best 10-2 to go a half-game ahead of Stanford. The Trojans dropped to 15-9, 6-6.

The Oregon schools arrive in Westwood this week. The Bruins host the Beavers on Thursday and then the Ducks on Saturday.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Get Outworked In Seattle

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

The Huskies didn't care whether they were riding a four game losing streak into Sunday afternoon's contest with the Bruins, nor did they take notice of UCLA's five game winning streak and No.4/5 ranking.  All the Huskies knew was they were at home and it was time to take the Bruins down again.

For the fourth consecutive time in Seattle, Washington downed UCLA, 71-61, before 10,000 at Bank of America Arena.

With all the success Coach Ben Howland has had at UCLA the past four seasons, he has never won in Seattle with his Bruins.

Washington came out from the start with more intensity and energy on both ends of the court and simply outworked UCLA in the game. 

On the defensive end, the Huskies took a page out of the Bruin play book by applying heavy pressure on the ball and forcing UCLA to set up their offense further away from the basket than they're used to, in addition, they doubled Kevin Love whenever he got close to the ball.

As a result,  Love finished with just 13 points on 3 of 8 shooting as he was never given any room to operate down low.  Love appeared satisfied with banging away inside with the bulky Artem Wallace and Jon Brockman rather than move to an open spot midrange or the short corner as he had in previous games for better offensive opportunities.

Point-guard Darren had one of his worst games as a Bruin.  Collison finished a meager 1 of 8 for 3 points and committed 8 turnovers - half of the team's 16 turnovers in the game.   

But perhaps the worst part of his performance was on the defensive end where he could not stop Husky guard Justin Dentmon from scoring.  Dentmon, who has been struggling all season, played up to his potential scoring 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting as he effortlessly went around Collison throughout the game, especially down the stretch.  It wasn't until Coach Howland switched Russell Westbrook onto Dentmon with a little over a minute remaining that he was stopped, but it was too late and the damage was done.

Washington (13-11, 4-7) shot 44.1% in the game but they were quicker to the loose ball, got the offensive rebounds, and seemingly wanted the game more than the Bruins. 

The Huskies outrebounded the Bruins 44-36 and got a stunning 18 offensive boards.  Jon Brockman dominated inside grabbing 17 rebounds, 9 on the offensive end, and scored 12 points.  When Dentmon wasn't scoring in the lane, it was Brockman hitting the key turnaround baseline jumper over Kevin Love.  No doubt UCLA missed junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's defense and rebounding.  In the previous game at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins with Mbah a Moute, easily ouboarded the Huskies 32-26.

As mentioned in BBR's preview, Washington's sophomores, Dentmon and Quincy Pondexter, have been a disappointment and have not lived up to expectations, but in this game they showed their potential.  Aside from Dentmon's stellar play, Pondexter had 11 points and did a good job of disrupting the Bruin defense with his athleticism.

Josh Shipp led the Bruins in scoring with 19 points but even many of his shot attempts were usually with a Husky's hand in his face.  Westbrook added 18 points but he was just 5 of 16 from the field. 

The Bruins finished shooting just 34.4% from the field and were 1 of 16 on three-pointers as the Huskies did a good job taking UCLA out of their rhythm with strong defensive pressure.

With the loss, UCLA falls into a first place tie in the Pac-10 conference with Stanford.  The team travels home and will have a week to prepare for USC at the Galen Center next Sunday  Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has made good progress with his ankle injury and is probable for the game against the Trojans.

(photo credit: AP)

Collison Leads Bruins To Victory Over Cougars

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Darren Collison scored all 18 of his points in the second half to lead No.4/5 UCLA to a 67-59 win over No.17 Washington State in a top 25 Pac-10 match-up.

Kevin Love added 16 points and 9 rebounds despite being double-teamed most of the night.  Unlike earlier in the season when he at times became frustrated battling double coverage, Love instead stepped away from the pressure and worked the Cougars over with his midrange game which helped open up the driving lanes for penetration by the UCLA guards. 

Especially in the second-half, Collison and Russell Westbrook repeatedly got into the paint for easy layups as the Cougars big men were preoccupied with keeping a body on Love.  Westbrook finished with 14 points on 7 of 12 field goal shooting.

The Bruins started the game very sluggishly against the Cougars perhaps suffering the lingering effects from a long arduous trip up north the evening before.

The team's charter plane was diverted to another airport on its way to Pullman last night and the team had to take a 45 minute bus ride to their final destination.  The Bruins did not arrive to their hotel until well after midnight.

In addition, Collison was suffering from flu-like symptoms and did not appear very focused at the beginning of the game.  While the Cougars started off with good intensity on their home court, the Bruins were making lazy passes and were lackadaisical with their ball handling which resulted in numerous early turnovers.  For the game Westbrook and Collison combined for an uncharacteristic eight turnovers.

However, the Bruin defense, which has been their constant all season, and the offense battled back to take the game into halftime with a hard fought 26-26 tie after Russell Westbrook slammed home the tying basket with thirty seconds remaining.

In the second half, the two teams traded baskets for the first twelve minutes but then UCLA started finding ways of getting the ball to Kevin Love and the freshman took over. 

Love scored 8 of the team's next 10 points as the Bruins went on a 10-2 run to take a 54-45 lead with just over four minutes remaining.

With a solid lead in hand, the Bruins decided to keep the ball in Darren Collison's hands down the stretch who responded by scoring nine points, seven on free throws, in the final four minutes minutes of the game to keep the Cougars at bay for the victory.

UCLA won the battle on the boards again, out-rebounding the Cougars, 29-20, including 12 on the offensive end. 

The team was playing without junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who is recovering from a sprained ankle.  Sophomore James Keefe stepped in and played a solid game against the Cougars scoring 5 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in just 11 minutes of action.

The Bruin's (21-2, 9-1) victory kept them one game ahead of Stanford atop the Pac-10 conference.  UCLA is off to their best start since the 1995 championship team finished 32-1.

UCLA now travels to Seattle for a Sunday afternoon game against the Washington Huskies.  The rare Sunday game gives the team an additional day to rest up and prepare.  The Huskies were routed on Thursday night by the Trojans, 73-59.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Steamroll Over Wildcats, 82-60

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score | Photo Gallery

Freshman Kevin Love dominated the interior on his way to 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead UCLA to a 82-60 rout of Arizona before 12,111 at Pauley Pavilion and a nationally televised audience.

Love's 13th double-double of the season was too much for the overmatched Wildcat frontcourt.

In an attempt to protect their center Jordan Hill from foul trouble, Arizona started 6'6 Bret Beirlmaier and used 6'6 Fendi Onobum off the bench against Love, and the freshman phenom from Lake Oswego had his way in the paint. Love was 9-12 from the field and 7-8 from the free line.

"He doesn't play like a freshman, does he?" UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "He is such a special player and is so hard to handle in the paint. The whole team did a good job feeding him the ball. He got a lot of second shots."

UCLA's offense was clicking again, as it has the last four games, on all cylinders, with players moving and making the extra pass to open teammates.

"We pressured the ball," UCLA's Darren Collison said. "We did whatever it takes to disrupt the other team's offense. We're playing team ball. That extra pass really counts."

Russell Westbrook abused Arizona's Chase Budinger all night on the offensive end, lighting up the Wildcat forward for 21 points on 10-13 shooting. Westbrook posted up the bigger Budinger and scored on him at will in the paint.

Collison added 12 points and 7 assists in the victory.

As good as UCLA's offense was in the game, their defense sparkled even brighter.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute blanketed Budinger who labored for 9 points and committed 3 turnovers. Mbah a Moute was assisted by good team defense on Budinger who was continually bumped off his route whenever he tried to curl off a screen to get open.

Budinger became so frustrated in the game that he was later called for a flagrant foul on a spineless play where he practically tackled Josh Shipp on a breakaway layup.

Arizona's leading scorer Jerryd Bayless found little room to shoot as well, he finished with just 13 points as Russell Westbrook and Darren Collison combined to frustrate the Wildcat freshman all night long.

Moreover, Westbrook and Collison's pressure defense on the perimeter was a big factor in the win as they kept the Wildcats off balance by forcing them to initiate the offense 10-15 feet further than they're normally used to.

UCLA had their game going from the outset, opening a 23-8 lead after the first nine minutes of the game. The Bruins held the Wildcats to just 32% in the first-half in route to a huge 42-22 halftime lead.

Halftime provided no respite for the Wildcats as they seemingly came out in the second-half already looking like a defeated team with no fight left in them. Arizona never got as close as 19 points the rest of the contest.

UCLA dominated in every facet of the game. They finished the game shooting a sizzling 57.1% from the field with most of their shots coming on layups and dunks. UCLA attempted only 10 three-pointers in the game - making just two.

The Bruins controlled the glass all night, outrebounding the Wildcats 35-23.

With the triumph over Arizona, the first-place Bruins move to 20-2 overall and 8-1 in the conference. The Widcats dropped to 15-7 and 5-4.

BBR Notes: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute sprained his left ankle with just over seven minutes remaining. Howland had no immediate update after the game.

(photo credit: AP)

Bruins Pick Apart Sun Devils In Blow-out Victory

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score | Photo Gallery

In one of their finest performances of the season No.5 UCLA easily dismantled Arizona State, 84-51, before a crowd of 11,070 at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins (19-2, 7-1), who have struggled at times this season executing offensively against zones, on this night picked apart the Sun Devil's aggressive match-up 3-2 zone with unselfish and precision passing.

The Bruin guards, specifically Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook, used their quickness advantage to aggressively attack the gaps of the Arizona State zone and then either kicked out to the open man or found a teammate open underneath the basket.

Darren Collison had 9 assists while fellow starting guard Russell Westbrook had 7. Just as impressively, the two guards combined to commit just a single turnover in the game.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland decided to start Westbrook in place of forward Alfred Aboya because he wanted his best zone offense lineup on the floor to begin the game.

Josh Shipp and Kevin Love were the happy recipients of most of the assists. Shipp broke out of a mini-shooting slump scoring a game-high 21 points on 6-11 shooting including 5-8 on three pointers, and freshman Kevin Love added 20 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes.

The Bruins shot 8-12 from beyond the arc for a sizzling 66.7%. Most of the three-point shots were wide-open looks, mainly a result of teammates making the extra pass and finding the open man.

Kevin Love's presence in the paint combined with the Bruin's hot outside shooting was tough to deal with as well. Love is such a good passer, many post-entry passes into Love were sent right back out by him to an open teammate.

The game was never close from the start.

UCLA quickly outscored Arizona State 18-4 in the opening eight minutes of the contest. The Sun Devils never got closer than ten points again in the game.

The Bruins charged into halftime with a commanding 46-24 lead and then extended it to a game-high 36 point lead halfway through the second-half.

For the game, UCLA shot 58.5% from the field while holding Arizona State to a measly 38.3% field goal shooting.

On the defensive end, UCLA shut down Arizona's State's top three scorers.

Freshman phenom James Harden was held to just 9 points on 2-6 shooting. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and primarily Russell Westbrook shut down Harden and essentially took him out of the game - making him look like a bystander on offense by denying the ball and preventing Harden from dribble-penetrating.

Mbah a Moute started the game after sitting out the last two contests due to a concussion. Although his play was limited due to early foul trouble, he brought a lot of energy onto the court and managed to finish with 6 points and 5 rebounds in seventeen minutes of action.

Sun Devils Jeff Pendergraph and Ty Abbott were also held well below their season's scoring average.

The Bruins dominated on the glass, outrebounding the undersized Sun Devils by a 36-20 margin in the game.

The only negative news from the game was that Lorenzo Mata-Real hurt his wrist in the final minutes of the game after taking a charge and falling. He will have x-rays performed on his wrist tomorrow.

UCLA will now host a hot Arizona team on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. The Wildcats beat USC Thursday night, 80-69.

(photo credit: AP)

Collison and Love Power Bruins Over Beavers

By KS Wong
Bruin Basketball Report

Box Score

Junior Darren Collison scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Bruins to a 85-62 victory over the Oregon State Beavers at Corvallis.

Showing he has completely returned from an early season knee injury, Collison shot 9 of 12 from the field and made 12 of 12 from the free throw line. He is in the midst of a 26 consecutive free throw streak.

Collison, who sat out the first six games of the season due to his injury, stroked it effectively from outside and drove the lane with reckless abandon.

"He played poised and smart, and I'm really happy for him," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "Now we've got to build off this."

Kevin Love muscled his way to 16 points and set yet another Bruin freshman record with 21 rebounds. In his trip back to the state of Oregon, Love finished with a combined 42 points and 39 rebounds over two games.

The freshman center also showcased his outlet passing talents numerous times during the game, hitting his teammates in stride down the court for quick baskets.

The Bruins (18-2, 6-1) went on a 17-2 run in the first seven minutes of the second-half to open up a nineteen point cushion to put the game away early. They held the Beavers to without a field goal in the half until the 11:44 mark. Oregon State shot just 22.2% over the final twenty minutes.

Yet, as much as UCLA dominated the second-half, the last-place Beavers played them tough in the first-half, trailing at halftime by the score of 43-39 and went into the locker room brimming with confidence they could hang with the Pac-10 champs.

Although Oregon State (6-14, 0-8) went into the game shooting a Pac-10 worst 38.3% from the field and 27% on three-pointers, they exploited the Bruin defense, as Oregon and USC had done in their games, by spreading the floor and dribble penetrating for lay-ups.

Beaver's Josh and Seth Tarver and Lathan Wallace took their defenders off the dribble to the basket numerous times for 33 first-half points alone. Wallace also hit two deep threes. Oregon State finished shooting 48.5% in the half and 50% (4 of 8) on three pointers.

Opponents have realized the best way to beat the Bruin defense is by spreading the floor and minimizing help defenders and at times exploiting them with back door cuts/passes. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's presence and quickness on defense is sorely missed. He was out for a second game due to a concussion.

Moreover, Russell Westbrook allowed his opponent on numerous occasions to easily beat him off the dribble and penetrate in the first half. Westbrook, who had been gaining a reputation as a defensive stopper, doesn't seem as focused as he was earlier in the season. At times during the game he was either playing his opponent at the wrong angles or guarding them too closely, and allowing them to blow by him numerous times.

Although the Bruin defensive intensity increased in the second-half, ultimately leading to a blow-out victory, they'll certainly need both Mbah a Moute back and on court and for Westbrook to reclaim his spot as the team's defensive stopper if they are to be successful this season.

Josh Shipp struggled with his shooting for the second consecutive game. Although he finished with 12 points against the Beaers, he was just 5 of 18 on this Oregon road trip.

UCLA went to the foul line twice as much as Oregon State, finishing 28 of 36 (77.7%) from the charity stripe. The Bruins also outrebounded the Beavers, 41-30.

The Bruins go back home to Pauley Pavilion to prepare for Arizona State on Thursday. The Sun Devils lost a close game on Saturday to Washington State, 56-55.

(photo credit: AP)