UCLA BASKETBALL NOTES: Bruins say there will be no letdown against Montana State

UCLA BASKETBALL NOTES: Bruins say there will be no letdown against Montana State
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
Pasadena Star-Daily News
Posted: 12/20/2010 09:52:09 PM PST


LOS ANGELES - In light of the disappointment of the game as it was happening and the reversal of the team's play since, UCLA's 66-57 loss to Montana on Dec. 5 had all the makings of a classic letdown game.

Forget, for a moment, the letdown came after a loss - albeit a tough one, a one-point, last-second defeat at No. 4 Kansas - but the Bruins now admit they simply overlooked the Grizzlies, who danced on the Pauley Pavilion floor.

It won't be happening again.

Not against Montana State.

Not this year.

The Bruins host the Bobcats tonight at 7:30 at Pauley Pavilion and they're blaming the entire state for the Grizzly embarrassment.

"We know that if we want to be a good team, if we want to be an NCAA contender, that's going to have to be our mindset," said sophomore small forward Tyler Honeycutt, who leads five players in double figures at 15.5 points per game. "We can't just always play to the level of our competition. That's going to end up hurting us down the road.

"We just have to stay focused and know how good we can be and take that out on the opponent every night."

That starts with the Bobcats, who sport a 6-5 record and have wins over Minot State and Johnson & Wales (Colo.).

UCLA is not about to underestimate another team, though, not with a three-game winning streak and coming off its best performance of the season, an 86-79 win over No. 16 BYU in the Wooden Classic on Saturday at the Honda Center.

If the win over the Cougars was the season high so far, the loss to Montana was the season low and the Bruins haven't forgotten.

"We didn't know much about them, and they came in here and we didn't have the energy," said sophomore forward Reeves Nelson, who was named Pac-10 Player of the Week after his 23-point performance against the Cougars. "They took advantage of that.

"It was a perfect storm for something like that to happen. It won't happen again."

The turning point

Part of the reason for UCLA's improved play during its three-game winning streak has been the point guards.

The Bruins' junior duo of Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson has combined for just seven turnovers in the past three games, spanning 137 minutes.

In the four-game losing streak that preceded the team's recent roll, Jones and Anderson combined for 21 turnovers.

"It's been really important," Jones said. "Really, we're just trying to make sure we cut down on our turnovers, because we know our team is going to make great decisions when we get them the ball.

"It's just (about) getting them the ball."