UCLA experiences too few senior moments in 70-68 loss to Oregon
Things go wrong from start to finish on 'senior day' as UCLA falls to last-place Ducks in its final home game of the season.
UCLA players huddle in the final minutes of the second half Saturday against Oregon, when the Bruins wiped out a 10-point deficit before losing, 70-68. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times / February 27, 2010)
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
February 28, 2010
There are days you just can't win.
UCLA senior forward Nikola Dragovic, who was already dealing with a shoulder injury, stepped on a basketball during warmups and sprained his right ankle Saturday.
Jerime Anderson, the sophomore guard with the Bruins' senior day desires in his hands, tossed an errant pass for a turnover with just over a minute left and the score tied, then threw a no-look pass out of bounds with 30 seconds to go and UCLA down by three.
Dragovic's senior trip at the start and Anderson's sophomore slip at the end made Oregon's 70-68 victory at Pauley Pavilion seem almost predetermined.
Tajuan Porter, the Ducks' 5-foot-7 guard, followed Anderson's first turnover with a three-pointer with 49 seconds left, part of a 29-point performance. Another Anderson turnover and the Ducks needed only to make free throws. They made just enough, two of five, to beat UCLA in its last home game of the season.
"What's next?" said a battered Dragovic, who gutted out 34 minutes, finishing with seven points and one rebound. "My parents came [from Serbia] Tuesday and my shoulder pops out a little on Thursday. I get a shot before the game and can at least raise my arm above my shoulder. Then two minutes before the game, I step on a basketball."
Such are the pains and pratfalls that have the Bruins (13-15 overall, 8-8 in Pacific 10 Conference play) staring at their third losing season since 1947-48.
"You want to win your last game," said sophomore guard Malcolm Lee, whose 18 points helped UCLA rally from a 14-point deficit. "It's a legacy for your seniors"
It nearly was. Michael Roll pushed the Bruins toward a happy ending, tying his career high with 25 points. Eight came during a stretch in which they pulled even, 62-62, with five minutes left.
Then Anderson gave, and took away.
Anderson burst down the lane for a layup and hit a free throw to tie the score, 65-65. It was still tied when the Bruins got the ball back, but Anderson's first late turnover led to Porter's go-ahead three, and his second pretty much sealed the outcome.
"It's inexplicable," Coach Ben Howland said. "I don't know if it was fatigue. I have no answers for that."
The legend -- Former UCLA coach John Wooden takes in the UCLA game on Saturday, as he often does during Senior Day at Pauley Pavilion.(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times / February 27, 2010)Few have been found in a season when UCLA has proved it can play with the Pac-10's best, and lose to its worst. The Bruins beat California, which has clinched at least a tie for the title, but lost to last-place Oregon twice.
The Ducks (14-14, 6-10) can at least claim the Los Angeles city title, having beaten both UCLA and USC twice this season.
"It's good to come here on [UCLA's] senior day and pay tribute to those guys who were on those Final Four teams," Oregon Coach Ernie Kent said.
While that was delivered with a straight face, it had to sting.
Roll had already framed his senior day memory, saying, "I'll remember all pre-game festivities, and the fans, and I will remember it was a great game. But it will always be a loss."
Porter made sure of that. He made 11 of 20 shots, including seven of nine from three-point range. The Ducks were 10 for 14 on three-point attempts.
"Porter can really shoot, we knew that coming in," Roll said. "Everybody knows that and he still gets the shot off because he's so quick."
The Bruins, meanwhile, made 20 of 25 shots from inside the three-point line, but were only eight for 26 beyond it. Eight of their first nine shots were three-point tries.
"That shows how much we were hurting for an inside presence," Howland said.
The Bruins were out-rebounded, 33-26. Whether that improves is a medical question. Forward Reeves Nelson (torn retina) may not return; he'll be re-evaluated Wednesday. Dragovic will have X-rays on his ankle today. Forward Brendan Lane, who had eight points and five rebounds despite a sprained left ankle, hobbled out of the building wearing a boot.
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UCLA BASKETBALL: Oregon senior steals the show in Ducks' 70-68 victory
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
The Sun, San Bernardino and the Inland Empire
Posted: 02/27/2010 10:04:38 PM PST
LOS ANGELES - It was Senior Day at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, and there were flashbulbs and smiles and banners all around.
There were handshakes and hugs, flowers for the moms, pats on the back for the dads.
Oh, it was Senior Day all right.
Except the senior who starred was Tajuan Porter, Oregon's point guard, and the Ducks held off a late UCLA charge to win 70-68 for their first season sweep of the Bruins since 2002-03.
Porter, who came into the game on a 14-for-57 cold streak, reached double digits for the first time in seven games with a 15-point performance in a 54-44 victory over USC on Thursday.
That was only a preview.
Oregon's diminutive guard had 29 points, including a 23-foot 3-pointer - one of seven on the day - with 49 seconds left to break a tie.
"We just offset their zone," Porter said. "(UCLA had) four up top - they played a 2-3 zone, so they had to bring the forwards up - so we ball-screened, Malcolm (Armstead) came off and made a couple plays, I made a couple plays.
"We had them on their heels. They didn't know what to do."
UCLA's confusion continued into the second half as the Ducks (14-14, 6-10) penetrated with ease in building their lead to 14 with just over 15 minutes remaining.
The Bruins pecked away and stayed within 10 until the eight-minute mark, when they made their move.
A 10-point hole became eight, seven, five, four and finally zero with just more than five minutes to play, a 13-3 run spurred by better perimeter defense and smarter offensive movement.
"We knew what they were doing ... in the second half, we were rotating well and picking up the open man," said Bruins freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt, who scored only four points but had 13 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. "Getting rebounds, contesting shots and coming back down on the other end and scoring."
After UCLA (13-15, 8-8) tied the score, though, the Bruins tightened up on offense rather than just working within the scheme.
The result? Three crucial turnovers, including two by point guard Jerime Anderson, and a hasty 3-point attempt by senior guard Michael Roll early in an important possession that rimmed out.
The shot could be forgiven. Roll was UCLA's best scorer on Saturday, finishing with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including six 3's.
The Bruins are in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2003-04.
"In past years, when we've made comebacks like that, we always found a way to win," Abdul-Hamid said. "That's what makes great teams - little bounces your way. It's all a maturity thing.
"Hopefully, eventually, those are going to be the kind of games that will put us back where we belong."
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UCLA basketball: Bruins get close, then throw game away
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
February 27, 2010 | 4:15 pm
UCLA chased, and closed, and got there. Then the Bruins let it slip away.
After Oregon squandered 10-point lead in the second half, Tajuan Porter sank a three-pointer and the Bruins then proceeded to play giveaway in a 70-68 loss at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.
The Bruins had a chance to take the lead with a little more than a minute left after Jerime Anderson’s layup and free throw tied the score, 65-65. But Anderson turned the ball over on the next possession and Porter sank his three-pointer. Anderson then committed a second turnover, and the Ducks needed only to sink free throws from then on. They made two of five in the last 24 seconds, but it was enough.
Porter scored 29 points, making 11 of 20 shots. He was seven for nine on three-point attempts. Oregon made 10 of 14 from three-point range. UCLA shot 55%, but the Bruins were eight for 26 on three-point shots. They shot 80% (20 for 25) from inside the arc.
Michael Roll had 25 points for UCLA, which trailed, 59-49, with nine minutes left. Malcolm Lee, who had 18 points, pushed an 11-3 run with six points to close the gap.
Oregon missed its first six shots, then made 15 of 27 to take a 41-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Porter, a 5-foot-7 guard, scored 11 of his team’s first 13 points as Oregon forged an early 13-7 lead. Oregon went on an 8-0 run, during which UCLA Coach Ben Howland used three timeouts in 1 minute 54 seconds, to push the lead to 24-13.
UCLA’s shot selection, both by the Bruins' own choosing and by the Ducks' defense, was questionable early on. Of the Bruins’ first eight shots, seven were three-point attempts.
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