UC Davis forward Josh Ritchart gets his shot blocked by UCLA forward Tyler Honeycutt, left, during the second half Monday at Pauley Pavilion. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)Bruins strike it big in the West
UCLA 74 UC DAVIS 67
December 14, 2010|Ben Bolch
The Los Angelinos Times
UCLA looks as if it can play with anybody ... in the Big West Conference.
The Bruins have dispatched nearly half of the conference's lineup after a 74-67 victory over UC Davis on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion gave them a fourth triumph over a team from the Big West.
It's progress, actually. UCLA was 0-2 against Big West teams last season.
Of course, success against a collection of teams with little name recognition won't do much for the Bruins when they play undefeated Brigham Young on Saturday or when Washington State arrives at Pauley Pavilion in two weeks for the start of Pacific 10 Conference play.
UCLA (5-4) has a lengthy list of improvements to make as its schedule takes a more difficult turn. The Bruins were sloppy with the ball at times against UC Davis, struggled to deal with the Aggies' ability to space the court on offense and made only five of 12 free throws in the second half.
But for now, a somewhat ragged victory over a team that has beaten only two NCAA Division I opponents this season will have to do.
"It's been awhile since we were on a winning streak," freshman center Joshua Smith said. "It feels good to be on the other side of .500."
Smith provided some interior brawn with eight points and 10 rebounds and junior guard Malcolm Lee had 15 points to lead four Bruins in double figures scoring. UCLA's front line proved to be more than the Aggies could handle, with Smith, Reeves Nelson (13 points) and Tyler Honeycutt (10 points) accounting for 30 of the Bruins' 44 rebounds -- 15 more than UC Davis had.
Lee located his outside touch one game after making only two of eight shots against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, making six of nine against the Aggies (4-6).
"It was all in my head," said Lee, who made three of four three-point shots. "Sometimes if I start missing I start thinking [too much], and I have to learn to block that out."
The Bruins suffered several breakdowns against UC Davis' Princeton-style offense, often failing to find guard Josh Ritchart on the perimeter as he made five of six three-point shots on the way to a career-high 23 points.
But UCLA had more than enough to overcome a singular performance.
Honeycutt also had 12 rebounds to complete a double-double and tied a career high with five blocked shots, though he made only four of 16 shots. Jerime Anderson had five points and five assists with only one turnover in 16 minutes, giving the junior guard 11 assists and only one turnover in his last two games.
Tyler Lamb and Anthony Stover each played two days after suffering gastrointestinal distress from some bad chicken chili cheese fries, and each freshman had his moments. Lamb made a baseline floater and then a three-point basket, and Stover blocked a shot and made a tip-in.
Lamb finished with five points in eight minutes and Stover had two points, two rebounds and a block in six minutes.
"It was really big on their part to suck it up and play a little bit under the weather for our team," Howland said.
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UCLA next
vs. Brigham Young, Saturday at Honda Center, 2:30 p.m., FS West
Beating the No. 16 Cougars (10-0) in the Wooden Classic would give the Bruins a much-needed marquee nonconference victory as they close in on the start of Pacific 10 Conference play. Senior guard Jimmer Fredette averages a team-high 23.7 points for Brigham Young, which is coming off an 87-65 victory over Arizona.
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UCLA pulls off balancing act in victory over UC DavisBy Jon Gold Staff Writer
The Long Beach Press-Telegram
Posted: 12/13/2010 10:19:44 PM PST
Updated: 12/13/2010 10:59:56 PM PST
UCLA BASKETBALL: Four score in double figures, as Bruins win second in a row.
UCLA needed a one-man show, and quite the one-man show it was, when freshman center Joshua Smith pouring in a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds in the Bruins' win over Cal Poly.
Two days later, UCLA needed a balanced effort.
Junior guard Malcolm Lee had a team-high 15 points, leading four Bruins in double figures, as UCLA sweated out a 74-67 win over visiting UC Davis on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Sophomore power forward Reeves Nelson added 13 points and sophomore small forward Tyler Honeycutt and junior point guard Lazeric Jones added 10 each as the Bruins won their second straight after a four-game losing skid.
"It's good showing that we're starting to come together and sharing the ball," Honeycutt said. "Initially, we thought they were going red in the post, which they didn't. Our posts are doing a good job of getting attention inside."
Lee had 10 points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting, but the Aggies tightened up on Lee in the second half, holding him to just four attempts.
His 15-point performance, though, was his second-highest scoring output of the season, after a 23-point outburst in the Bruins' 89-85 loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the preseason NIT third-place game.
"He really shot it well, shot it with confidence," Howland said. "When he cut the lead late in the game, he hit a big 3. He's worked very hard on his shot, so it's nice to see him get his just rewards for it."
UCLA survived a late flurry by UC Davis backup forward Josh Richart that brought the Aggies close at the end.
Richart had three 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch as the Aggies came from 14 behind to cut it to six. Richart hit 5 of 6 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 23 points, as he was able to get around screens on the perimeter for open looks.
"We really had a hard time playing against them in terms of helping too much off of shooters," Howland said. "We're being told stay at home, don't help, but the natural reaction is to want to help. The one kid had a great game today and really shot it well."
UCLA will face another hot-shooting team Saturday at Honda Center in the Wooden Classic, with No. 18 BYU and standout Jimmer Fredette.
The matchup with the Cougars will be the Bruins' last tough test before Pac-10 play begins Dec. 29 against Washington State. UCLA needs a big win for its resume, as none of its victories have come against top programs.
"I would say we haven't done well, we've just come out with victories," Honeycutt said. "This is real important. They have a great player, a great shooter who we'll have to keep an eye on."
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UCLA men's basketball wins second straight game, beats UC Davis, 74-67
By RYAN MENEZES
Daily Bruin
Updated: December 13, 2010, 11:55 PM
Memories of letdown losses and food follies were nowhere to be found at Pauley Pavilion Monday night, where UCLA defeated UC Davis 74-67.
The Aggies used a well-executed Princeton offense to hang tight throughout the game. The two teams were tied at 12 six minutes in, but the Bruins used a 17-3 run to give them a 13-point cushion at halftime.
Despite falling behind by 14 points midway through the second half, Davis did make it interesting by cutting the lead to as little as six with a minute to play. But UCLA used its stars to make sure it wouldn’t get any closer than that. Sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt led the way with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, while junior guard Malcolm Lee added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three 3-pointers.
It was the second straight win for the Bruins after a four-game losing streak, but a big point of concern after the game centered around the team’s defensive play. Davis used five players 6-feet-8-inches or taller – all with the ability to shoot from outside – to stretch the floor on UCLA.
“It’s pretty difficult,” Honeycutt said of defending the Princeton offense. “You tend to try and play the passing lane a little bit, and they all go backdoor and they can all step out and shoot, one through five.”
Coming off what was maybe his best game of the year – a 19-point, 12-rebound performance in UCLA’s 72-61 win against Cal Poly on Saturday – freshman center Joshua Smith was limited Monday. Howland played him for just 19 minutes, citing the Aggies’ offense as the main reason. Smith went on to put up eight points and 10 rebounds.
“It was a difficult matchup for Josh tonight,” Howland said. “Defensively trying to guard four men who are 3-point shooters, it’s not something he’s used to.”
Freshman forward Josh Ritchart tried his best to keep the Aggies in the game. His 23 points off the bench helped UC Davis trim the lead, something that didn’t surprise Howland at all.
“I told the team going in here, I think (Ritchart) should start,” Howland said. “Well, I guess I was right.”
The two-game winning streak was much-needed for this young UCLA team, especially after a loss at home to Montana on Dec. 5, but a third-straight win might be the one it needs the most. The opponent is No. 16 BYU, Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim in the John R. Wooden Classic, and it will be UCLA’s last chance to build on its postseason resume with a nonconference win.
“It’s getting momentum into the conference play,” Lee said. “Especially this next game, against BYU, it’s a showcase game.”
Stomachs settled
There seemed to be no lasting effects from the mild sickness redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover and freshman guard Tyler Lamb experienced over the weekend.
Both were suffering from something Howland described as food poisoning and didn’t eat much, but they were the first two players off the bench for Howland Monday. Lamb even keyed the Bruins’ first-half run with five quick points.
“Neither one of them ate until this morning,” Howland said. “Tyler Lamb felt better than Stover by game time, but it was really big on their part to shake it off and play.”
Click on boxscore to enlarge (courtesy of Yahoo.com).
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