Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough brings the ball upcourt against Malcolm Lee of UCLA. Hansbrough had 14 points for the Fighting Irish, which came away with an 84-73 victory Saturday. (Brian Spurlock / US Presswire)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UCLA falls to Notre Dame
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Staff and Wire Services
Posted: 12/19/2009 08:12:29 PM PST
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Despite UCLA's struggles this season, teams still find special meaning in a victory over the Bruins.
Just ask Notre Dame and its All-America forward, Luke Harangody.
"This is a huge win for us," said Harangody, who scored 23 points as the Irish defeated UCLA 84-73 on Saturday. "We're coming off a tough loss last weekend and we had a lot of guys come out and have huge games for us."
The 11-point victory won't go down as a classic, like when the Irish scored the final 12 points in 1974 to win 71-70 and end UCLA's NCAA-record 88-game winning streak. But it will go down as the third-most lopsided victory for the Irish in the rivalry, which the Bruins lead 28-20.
It also was sweet revenge, considering UCLA beat Notre Dame 89-63 a year ago to give them their seventh consecutive loss of the 2008-09 season, which saw the Irish go from ranked No. 12 to spiraling out of control.
UCLA coach Ben Howland said he expected a big game from Harangody after UCLA held him to five points on 2-of-12 shooting last season.
"I knew he was going to come out and really take it at us," he said.
Harangody missed his first four shots, then went 9 of 15 from the floor the rest of the way.
This year, the Bruins have lost six of their past seven.
"They are going to be a good team down the road," said Notre Dame guard Tory Jackson, who had 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds. "They've got great shooters and a coach that makes them run their offense."
UCLA (3-7) trailed by 13 points with 2:55 left when Michael Roll made a jumper and Malcolm Lee hit a 3-pointer and a layup in a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 76-70 with 65 seconds left. But Harangody scored on a fastbreak dunk and a pair of free throws to quickly restore the lead to 10 points.
Lee led the Bruins with 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
"By far his best performance of his young career," Howland said. "He did a great job defensively for us."
Roll scored 19 points and Reeves Nelson had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bruins.
UCLA led through much of the first half before Harangody scored three consecutive baskets to give the Irish a 33-30 lead. The Irish then continued to increase their edge and opened a 40-36 halftime lead.
Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to spark an 11-3 spurt by the Irish, who went ahead 53-42 on a jumper by Tyrone Nash. The Irish (10-2) later extended the lead to 76-63 when Harangody scored on a fastbreak basket with 2:55 left.
Abromaitis, who had three points by halftime, finished with 17. Hansbrough scored 14 and Nash had 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Irish said the first sellout crowd of the season gave them a boost.
"I would love for the fans to come out like that every game," Jackson said. "It's just something."
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Bruins' D is low-grade again in 84-73 loss to Notre Dame
UCLA's defense, usually a strength under Coach Ben Howland, can't stop forward Luke Harangody or the Fighting Irish shooters as Bruins drop to 3-7, their worst start since 1945-46.
By David Wharton
The Losa Angeles Times
December 20, 2009
Reporting from South Bend, Ind.
As if Ben Howland needed to say it again, the UCLA coach reiterated this week that his program is built on defense.
Then his team went out and proved it -- but not in a good way.
On a Saturday afternoon when the Bruins had one of their better offensive performances of the season, they could not make enough stops or grab enough defensive rebounds and lost, 84-73, at Notre Dame.
"They are a hard team to defend because they spread you out," Howland said of the Fighting Irish. "When you break down, they make you pay."
The difference showed in the latter minutes of the first half when Notre Dame overcame an early deficit with offensive rebounds and second-chance points.
It showed again in the first minutes of the second half, when the Irish quickly stretched their lead and were never in jeopardy again.
"That's definitely the key," UCLA guard Malcolm Lee said. "You've always got to win the first five minutes of the second half."
The nationally televised loss puts the Bruins at 3-7, their worst start since the 1945-46 season, which began 2-13 under John Wooden's predecessor, Wilbur Johns. Notre Dame is 10-2.
"UCLA came out and jumped on us a little bit and we really responded well," Irish guard Ben Hansbrough said. "We just made big shots when we needed to."
Coming into Saturday's game, the biggest worry for UCLA had centered on Notre Dame's big man.
As the fifth-leading scorer in the nation, forward Luke Harangody is tough enough to handle when your team is at full strength. The Bruins had to guard him without the help of senior forward James Keefe, sitting on the bench in a sweater and jeans because of a dislocated shoulder.
Howland had mused about packing the lane with a zone defense but said Notre Dame would be too lethal from the perimeter.
Instead, he resorted to a variety of players, sending Nikola Dragovic, Brendan Lane and even a switching guard, Michael Roll, at Harangody.
And it worked. At first.
The Notre Dame star missed his first four shots, going scoreless for much of the first half as UCLA complemented defense with hot shooting by Roll and Lee to open a six-point lead.
But the Irish responded with enough three-pointers to stay close until Harangody scored on an inbounds play and found his rhythm.
At the same time, UCLA got hurt on the defensive boards, either pulled out of position while helping or unable to reach long rebounds off jumpers. It all added up to a 40-36 halftime lead for Notre Dame.
The Irish had a couple of scores to settle Saturday, starting with last season's embarrassing 89-63 loss at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA had also won on its most recent trip to the Joyce Center, a 75-65 victory in 2005.
If there was any doubt about this rematch, it was settled with that early second-half run.
Coming out of the locker room, Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey told forward Tim Abromaitis to have some fun and Abromaitis responded with a burst of scoring.
UCLA was caught in a tough spot familiar to Notre Dame opponents, the Irish using the inside game to set up the perimeter shooters.
It all starts with Harangody, who is "very unorthodox, has a wide variety moves," Roll said. "Spin moves, little leaners, little floaters. He got it going and it was tough to stop."
Harangody (23 points) continued to open things up for Hansbrough and Abromaitis, who added 14 and 17, respectively.
Their effort overshadowed a career night for Lee, who amassed a game-high 29 points. Roll was almost as effective with 19 points and five assists.
As has often been the case this season, Howland was left to focus on a few positives and identify the lessons to be learned.
He talked about boxing out under the basket and being smarter about guarding the other team.
"Every time you gamble and miss," he said, "good teams make you pay."
With UCLA, it's always about defense.
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Balanced Notre Dame beats UCLA 84-73
Fighting Irish avenge last year's loss to the Bruins.
From the Associated Press
The Los Angeles Times
2:48 PM PST, December 19, 2009
SOUTH BEND, Ind.
Luke Harangody scored 23 points, four other Notre Dame players scored in double figures and the Fighting Irish shot 60 percent in the second half en route to an 84-73 victory over UCLA on Saturday.
Harangody missed his first four shots, then went 9-of-15 from the floor the rest of the way.
Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansbrough hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to spark an 11-3 spurt by the Irish, who went ahead 53-42 on a jumper by Tyrone Nash. The Irish (10-2) later extended the lead to 76-63 when Harangody scored on a fastbreak basket with 2:55 left.
Michael Roll hit a jumper and Malcolm Lee, who finished with 29 points, hit a 3-pointer and a layup as the Bruins (3-7) went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 76-70 with 65 seconds left. But Harangody, who scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting in an 89-63 loss to UCLA last season, scored on a fastbreak dunk and a pair of free throws to quickly restore the lead to 10 points.
A crowd of 9,149, the biggest of the season, cheered the Irish on as they beat the Bruins for just the second time in their past six meetings. The Irish also were coming off a disappointing 87-85 loss to Loyola Marymount.
UCLA, which has lost six of its last seven, led through much of the first half. But Harangody scored three-straight baskets to give the Irish a 33-30 lead. The Irish continued to increase the lead, opening a 40-36 halftime lead.
Abromaitis scored 17 points for the Irish, Hansbrough added 14, Nash had 11 points and eight rebounds and Tory Jackson added 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Roll added 19 points and Reeves Nelson had 11 points and eight rebounds.
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