UCLA beats Arizona in Pac-10 tournament opener
The Bruins welcome back Reeves Nelson from injury and usher the Wildcats out of the tourney.
By Chris Foster
The LA Times
March 11, 2010 | 10:03 p.m.
The reviews were in quickly, even before UCLA players had peeled off their uniforms in their Staples Center locker room.
"My dad just called me," UCLA senior forward Nikola Dragovic said. "He asked me how come we don't play like that all the time."
Good question.
Maybe the Bruins just weren't ready to take a final misstep in a woeful season. Or maybe it was the bounce—along with the elbows—forward Reeves Nelson's provided in his return from an eye injury.
Whatever the case, a different UCLA team showed up Thursday.
The Bruins came into the Pacific Life Pac-10 tournament with a three-game losing streak and a season to forget. They now have a few things to remember after a 75-69 victory sent them into a Friday quarterfinal against regular-season champion California.
For one, they showed they can play some man-to-man defense, using it to knock the Wildcats off balance and keep Arizona's Kyle Fogg in a haze.
In doing so, they expressed their will against a team that had swept them during the regular season by taking senior Michael Roll's pregame words to heart: "I just want to keep playing," he told them.
They also showed they are a better team with Nelson in the lineup, as he provided 19 points, 10 rebounds and a couple of don't-mess-with-me moments.
The Bruins (14-17) shot 53% and, despite a resume that would suggest UCLA might stand for Ugly Collapse, Lost Again, held off an Arizona team that pulled to within 58-55 with eight minutes left.
The Bruins, who shot 62% from the free-throw line this season, made five of six down the stretch to fulfill Roll's request.
"I told them, ‘Whether it's clapping on the bench or coming in and taking a charge, do something to help the team,' " said Roll, who had 18 points. "I'm not ready to go home."
Roll started things off by sinking a three-pointer to give UCLA a 3-2 lead. The Bruins never trailed from there.
"Mike doesn't say much, so when he does we listen," freshman forward Tyler Honeycutt said.
Nelson let his actions do the talking. He sat out the last four games following laser surgery to repair a partially torn retina in his left eye. He returned wearing goggles that he loathed—"The nose piece falls off, they fog up," he said—but still made eight of nine shots.
He also brought an edge the Bruins lacked in his absence.
"When he plays with reckless abandon, he's very effective," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.
Nelson got real effective after missing a shot and falling on his back early in the second half. As Arizona's Solomon Hill jogged by, Nelson kicked him.
Nelson received an intentional foul, but the Wildcats received a message.
"He's basically playing like football player out there with no pads," UCLA guard Malcolm Lee said. "I kind of feel sorry for the other team because you're going to get elbows, you're going get banged up and you're going to leave the game with bruises."
Arizona had Derrick Williams, the conference's freshman of the year, but Nelson was the freshman of the moment. Williams, a 59% shooter, made only five of 15 shots.
Meanwhile, Arizona (16-15) failed to Fogg up.
Fogg scored 26 and 25 points in two regular-season victories over UCLA. But the Bruins opened in a man-to-man defense, which seemed to throw off the Wildcats. Fogg finished with 10 points, making four of 12 shots.
UCLA went back to a zone defense in the second half, disrupting Arizona more. The Wildcats shot 40% and made only four of 19 three-pointers.
"We realized this could be the end," UCLA's Dragovic said. "We're not ready for that."
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UCLA takes care of Arizona in Pac-10 quarterfinals. Bruins now 14-17 for season.
Associated Press
Team Stat Comparison
UCLA ARIZONA
Points 75 69
FG Made-Attempted 25-47 (.532) 26-65 (.400)
3P Made-Attempted 6-18 (.333) 4-19 (.211)
FT Made-Attempted 19-25 (.760) 13-17 (.765)
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) 17 (0/0) 17 (0/0)
Largest Lead 9 2
Game Leaders
UCLA ARIZONA
Points R. Nelson 19 N. Wise 16
Rebounds R. Nelson 10 D. Williams 8
Assists J. Anderson 4 K. Fogg 3
Steals T. Honeycutt 3 S. Hill 2
Blocks N. Dragovic 3 K. Fogg 1
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA got Reeves Nelson back just in time.
A week ago at Arizona, the Bruins blew a 14-point lead and lost without their tough-nosed freshman.
He returned Thursday after missing four games, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in UCLA's 75-69 victory over the Wildcats, a Pac-10 Conference tournament quarterfinal between two powerhouses that once ruled the league but have struggled this season.
The loss virtually ended Arizona's nation-best streak of 25 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, though with a winning record, the Wildcats could land in the NIT.
"Unfortunately, it's not the NCAA tournament, but we're going to take what we can get," junior Jamelle Horne said.
Unless they can win the tournament, the Bruins likely aren't going anywhere except back to Westwood to contemplate how losing so much of their best talent to the NBA draft did them in.
Kevin Love would have been a junior this season, but he jumped to the NBA. Nelson is no Love, but he is the Bruins' only solid inside presence offensively.
"He has great strength," coach Ben Howland said. "When he has the ball, it's very hard to wedge it from him."
Nelson has been the gritty heart-and-soul of the Bruins all season, diving for loose balls and inflicting injury on himself. Wearing protective glasses, he played for the first time after missing four games with a slight retinal tear in his left eye.
"My legs were all right. When I first came in, they were really tired, but I got my second wind pretty quickly," he said, his only complaint being the glasses he worn on loan from the Los Angeles Lakers.
"They fog up sometimes. The nose piece falls out sometimes, and that's annoying. I just tried not to focus on the goggles."
Howland said, "He hates them."
Michael Roll led the Bruins with 19 points and Nikola Dragovic added 18, extending their careers for at least another game.
"As I was telling the guys, 'I'm just really not ready to go home," Roll said. "Being out there is fun."
The Bruins (14-17) still have a shot at trying to improve what is their worst record since 2003-04, Howland's first season in Westwood. They advanced to a semifinal Friday against the winner of the game between top-seeded California and No. 8 Oregon.
Nic Wise scored 16 points and Derrick Williams added 14 for Arizona (16-15), which lost in the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.
The Wildcats salvaged NCAA tournament appearances the last two years, extending their streak thanks mostly to the prestige built by the Pac-10. With a roster dominated by underclassmen, their chances of making it again seemed unlikely.
"Everybody knew from the beginning of the season that it would be tough. We barely made it last year, so it would be even tougher this year," Wise said. "It's just been a great accomplishment, and it's tough to have it end this year."
Arizona's NCAA tourney streak began in 1985 under Lute Olson, and ended with first-year coach Sean Miller, who noted he was 16 and "just learning how to drive" when the run began.
"Any coach that comes to Arizona is going to find he's a paranoid coach," said Miller, who arrived in Tucson in April to find Wise on the fence about returning for his senior season. "The reason I came to Arizona is to rebuild our program. We have a possibility to get a NIT bid. It's a terrific tournament. I feel very, very good about what we've been able to accomplish."
Lamont Jones is a freshman, but he came to Arizona fully aware of the streak.
"That's what everybody talks about," he said. "That's the history of the program and the culture of the program, and we just have to understand that. Unfortunately, we're not going to make it this year, but I guarantee we're going to get back there next year."
It's not just Arizona and UCLA that stumbled this season.
The entire Pac-10 has fallen nationally, and after getting six teams into the NCAA tournament each of the last two seasons, the league will be fighting to have two this time.
No schools better illustrate the league's current woes than Arizona and UCLA, which have won a combined seven Pac-10 tourney titles, with the Wildcats taking four in a row during one stretch.
Instead of playing for another title, though, the fourth-seeded Wildcats and No. 5 Bruins were relegated to an afternoon quarterfinal game in a half-empty Staples Center that had more Arizona fans than those rooting for the local Bruins.
Comedian Bill Murray, sporting a red visor over his spiky white hair, was among the Wildcat boosters. His son Luke is a graduate assistant on Miller's staff.
Arizona got to 58-55 with 7:52 remaining on two free throws by Solomon Hill. But the Bruins kept making free throws -- they hit 77 percent in the second half -- and Malcolm Lee hit a big 3-pointer to push their lead to 64-57 with 5 1/2 minutes left.
The Wildcats played catch-up the entire game, and trailed 37-33 at halftime.
"We're not a good defensive team," Miller said. "We'll be better in the future."
And hope is all Miller has to sustain him as he follows in the Hall of Fame footsteps of Olson.
"That's my only choice," he said.
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Hitting the target (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / March 11, 2010) Bruins forward Nikola Dragovic gives a high-five to guard Michael Roll after he hit a key three-pointer in the second half Thursday. Dragovic and Roll each finished with 18 points. Pac-10 tourney: UCLA upsets Arizona
posted by SCOTT M. REID, UCLA Blog, OCREGISTER.COM
March 11th, 2010, 2:21 pm
It really wasn’t a roar. After all the Staples Center was maybe a third full.
But Arizona still heard it loud and clear.
“The Streak is over!!!” taunted a group of UCLA fans.
One streak down, one to go?
UCLA extended it’s season with a 75-69 upset of Arizona in the Pac-10 tournament’s opening quarterfinal Thursday afternoon at Staples Center.
The Bruins (14-17), with the victory, kept alive their slim hopes of extending their string of NCAA tournament appearances to six. They advanced to the tournament semifinal Friday night (6:15 p.m.) where they will meet the winner Thursday’s second quarterfinal between Pac-10 regular-season champion Cal (21-9) and Oregon (15-15).
The Wildcats’ loss likely ended ended Arizona’s (16-15) nation-leading streak of 25 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, a record three years older than the oldest Wildcat.
Forward Reeves Nelson led the Bruins with 20 points, with Aliso Niguel’s Michael Roll and Nikola Dragovic adding 18 each.
UCLA, losers twice to Arizona, prevailed before a sparse (maybe a 1,000 people were in the building at tip-off) by shutting down Wildcats guard Kyle Fogg and putting together two decent halves of basketball.
Fogg, a sophomore out of Brea Olinda, lit the Bruins up for 26 points in a 78-73 Arizona victory last week, shotting 7-for-10 from the field. Fogg had 25 points in a 77-63 Wildcats win Jan. 2. But on Thursday the Bruins held Fogg 10 points.
The Bruins were also able to stay focused for 40 minutes, something they weren’t able to do in the two previous games with Arizona.
The Bruins shot 20.8 per cent from the field in the first half of the Jan. 2. Last week UCLA led the Wildcats 39-29 at the half in Tucson. Arizona shot a blistering 63.6 per cent in the second half of the Tucson game, 60 per cent from behind the 3-point arc.
UCLA opened a 7-2 lead early Thursday and then held off a series of Arizona runs.
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UCLA finds way to stop Arizona
By AL BALDERAS
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: March 11, 2010
Updated: 10:59 p.m.
Nelson makes the difference as the Bruins upset the Wildcats to move to the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals.
LOS ANGELES -- – Reeves Nelson didn't need one of those pep talks for his return to the UCLA lineup.
A phone call from his mother, Sheila, was enough.
Nelson scored a game-high 19 points and added 10 rebounds to mark his return and pace UCLA to a 75-69 victory over Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Staples Center.
"I talked to her this morning before the game," Nelson said afterward. "She said, 'Go out and play as hard as you can for me.' And that's what I did."
Sheila Nelson voiced her concern after her son underwent a laser procedure to repair a slight tear in his left retina on Feb. 22. Her worry that the eye issues could become a long-term problem prompted Nelson to slam on the brakes to what had been a promising yet unfinished season.
It was Reeves' mother who called Dr. Steven Schwartz, who performed the procedure on her son, and got the reassurance he could return without causing any more harm to the eye. That's what led to Nelson's comeback, one that could not have come at a better time.
The Bruins played Arizona last week and lost after building a 14-point lead in the second half. With Nelson back, the chances of a similar disaster significantly dropped.
"The big difference is that Reeves was able to play versus last week when he couldn't," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It helps to have Reeves back because he's really our only solid inside presence. They did a good job in getting the ball to him and he had some offensive rebounds and put-backs."
Reeves' effort was complemented by the play of seniors Nikola Dragovic and Michael Roll, who scored 18 points each.
While the offensive output was important, an even tougher defense turned out to be the difference.
The Bruins (13-17) used their usual 2-3 zone but also turned to the familiar and reliable man-to-man look a few times.
As a result, Arizona's Kyle Fogg, who averaged 25.5 points while notching two career-highs in the two previous games against UCLA this season, finished with 10 points. Fogg was 7 for 10 on 3-pointers in last week's game against the Bruins but was 1 for 5 from long range on Thursday.
Derrick Williams, the conference's freshman of the year, was held to two points in the first half before finishing with 14.
"We switched it up a little bit," Roll said. "We double-teamed Williams and made him have a couple more turnovers (five) than before.
"We got out to the shooters. Fogg had no career game against us for the first time."
Even with everything the Bruins had going for them, the Wildcats refused to go away. UCLA led by nine midway through the second half only to have the Wildcats get close with 8:10 remaining.
Unlike last week's game, however, the Bruins responded when they needed to. Solomon Hill cut the UCLA lead to three points with a free throw but Dragovic pushed the difference back to five with two free throws.
Wise scored on a layup that cut the Bruins' lead to 61-57 with just over six minutes left, but Malcolm Lee answered with a 3-point basket from near the top of the key.
"They're a good team," Roll said. "No matter what we threw at them, we knew they weren't going to fold. Last week they made a push, we were up by 14, and they came back.
"I feel like whatever they threw at us, we answered it right back. They hit a big shot to cut it to four, and we went to the free throw line or got a big bucket. It was great to see that."
Arizona finished its season with a 16-14 record and fell to 0-5, since 2002, when scoring fewer than 70 points in the Pac-10 Tournament.
The Bruins play conference regular-season champion Cal in Friday's semifinals. Cal beat Oregon, 90-74, on Thursday. Cal and UCLA split their two regular-season games.
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UCLA defeats Arizona, 75-69, in Pac-10 tournament
By Chris Foster
The LA Times
March 11, 2010 | 2:39 pm
Reeves Nelson is back. Is he ever.
The freshman forward scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, pushing UCLA to a 75-69 victory over Arizona Thursday afternoon in a quarterfinal of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament at Staples Center.
Nelson, who missed the last four games following laser surgery to repair a partially torn retina, had no trouble finding the basket. He made eight of nine despite a few problems -- fogging, a nose piece falling out -- with protective goggles he was wearing.
UCLA (14-17) will play either California, the conference’s regular-season champion, or Oregon in a semifinal Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The Bruins shot 64% in the first half and led, 37-33, with Nelson and Michael Roll providing the offensive push.
Nelson had 12 points at halftime, making all six of his shots. Roll, a senior, made five of 10 shots and also had 12 points at the half.
Roll and Nikola Dragovic each finished with 18 points.
Arizona (16-15) defeated UCLA twice in the regular season, coming back from a 14-point second-half deficit last week in Tucson to win 78-73.
Kyle Fogg, who had 26 and 25 points in the Wildcats' victories over UCLA this season, was held to 10 points.
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Bruins advance to Pac-10 Tourney semifinals with 75-69 win over Arizona
By Jon Gold
Inside UCLA blog, The LA Daily News
on March 11, 2010 4:44 PM
At first glance, it would appear Reeves Nelson was all the difference for UCLA in its Pac-10 Tournament quarterfinal matchup with Arizona on Thursday.
These same Bruins lost to these same Wildcats by five just a week ago, blowing a 14-point lead with Nelson on the bench because of apprehension following surgery on his left eye.
Problem is, the first glance isn't always the easiest.
Just ask Nelson.
Sporting new goggles courtesy of Los Angeles Lakers trainer Gary Vitti, Nelson had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bruins to the 75-69 win, essentially eliminating Arizona's bid for its 26th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
"We played smarter today, and even when they made their runs, we stayed calm," Nelson said. "We did all the things we didn't in the first games against them."
More specifically, UCLA limited Kyle Fogg.
Fogg had a career-high 25 points in the teams' first showdown on Jan. 2 and another career-high with 26 last Thursday. Earlier this week, UCLA head coach Ben Howland and his players talked extensively about "losing Fogg in the zone;" the problem wasn't so much trying to find Fogg, though, as it was getting out in his face and denying him good looks.
UCLA appeared to transition back to man-to-man with Fogg in and a 2-3 zone with him on the bench, but Howland downplayed the notion.
"I'm not that smart," Howland said with a laugh. "He's a heck of a player, I really respect him. He's a very good competitor, he's quick. You know you have to get to him quickly; you have to always know where he is."
The Bruins (14-17) not only had an answer for Fogg, but for Pac-10 freshman of the year Derrick Williams, as well. Williams finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, but he went 5-for-15 from the field (0-for-3 on 3-pointers) and committed five turnovers as UCLA double-teamed him.
Williams appeared frustrated at times as he wasn't able to get to the basket and the extra attention forced Arizona out of its rhythm, with point guard Nic Wise and Fogg unable to create cushion on the perimeter.
"Fogg had no career game today against us for the first time," said UCLA senior guard Michael Roll, who added 18 points. "Whatever they threw at us, we answered it right back. If they hit a big shot to cut it to four, we got to the free throw line or got to the bucket."
After a nine-point UCLA lead late in the first half dwindled to a four-point halftime advantage, Arizona's Brandon Lavender hit his lone 3-pointer to cut the lead to one with 18 minutes, 36 seconds left.
For downtrodden fans who had watched the Bruins fail to stem the tide time and time again this season, this is when the sighs could be heard, the frowns could be seen. This is when things would start to unravel, they just knew it.
But, no, UCLA had just the answer: A Nikola Dragovic 3-pointer 21 seconds later to push the lead back to four, and Arizona never got closer than three the rest of the way.
"We finally got a shot that was the key of the game," said Dragovic, who had 18 points. "I told them, 'We can't let it go. Let's just get one really good stop.' We did it, and we got it back up to 5, 6, 7 points.'"
All it took was a little communication.
While previously this year dwindling leads led to increased frustration, the Bruins came together on Thursday at mid-court and gathered their thoughts.
"The difference from last week - when it was going from 14 to 10, 8, 5 and then they took a lead - we didn't really huddle, we didn't really say anything," Dragovic said. "We were all over the place. Today, we huddled and said, 'Let's stop this right now.'"
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Nelson the difference as UCLA moves on to semis
By Blair Angulo
UCLA blog
ESPN Los Angeles
March, 11, 2010 Mar 115:32PM PT
So UCLA stayed alive Thursday afternoon, beating Arizona 75-69 in the quarterfinals of the Pacific 10 Conference tournament at Staples Center.
The Bruins had lost to the Wildcats twice this season, the latest coming just a week ago in Tucson. But the third matchup turned out to be the charm.
Speaking of charms, freshman Reeves Nelson was clearly UCLA's lucky piece. He scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his return from a two-week absence as he recovered (both physically and mentally) from laser surgery to repair a partially torn retina in his left eye.
Really, all Nelson could complain about was a pair of goggle malfunctions -- they fogged up and even broke at one point during the game.
"It's hard because they fog up and the nose piece falls out," Nelson said. "Other than that, when you're in the game you're not really thinking about the goggles on your face, you're thinking about the job you have to do."
The job was providing a spark. And after not having him for the last four games, UCLA went to Nelson early and often.
"He's basically automatic inside," guard Malcolm Lee said. "When you throw it in, you can count on getting a bucket."
Nelson's effect was clear and evident by his eight makes in nine tries. Without him, the Bruins seem one-dimensional, mostly relying on the perimeter shooting of Michael Roll and Nikola Dragovic. With him, there's a post presence other teams must respect.
"He makes a difference," Dragovic said. "We try to use him as much as we can."
Said Lee: "He was telling me the risks [of returning] and I was thinking that maybe he should stay out. He made the decision to come on the court and that just shows how much heart he has. He's all about this team."
Blair Angulo is a student at UCLA and a writer for the Daily Bruin. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/bangulo.
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