Monday, November 26, 2012

Rapid Reaction: Cal Poly 70, UCLA 68

Rapid Reaction: Cal Poly 70, UCLA 68

 
 
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA blew an 18-point second-half lead and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo shocked the No. 11 Bruins 70-68 in a nonconference game Sunday night at Pauley Pavilion.

A quick breakdown of the game:

How it happened: Jordan Adams missed a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer and UCLA fell for the first time at home this season, spoiling the Pauley Pavilion debut of freshman Shabazz Muhammad.

The Bruins had tied the score at 68-68 on a basket by Adams off an inbounds play with 19 seconds to play, then Norman Powell inexplicably fouled Kyle Odister dribbling up the court on the ensuing possession. Odister made both free throws to provide the winning margin.

After a tight first half, UCLA began the second half with a 22-6 run and enjoyed a 51-33 lead with 12:21 to play. But Cal Poly made 11 of 15 shots over the remainder of the game.

Dylan Royer made 6-of-10 3-point shots for Cal Poly, including back-to-back shots that completed the Mustangs' comeback and tied the score at 63-63 with 3:17 to play. The teams traded leads the rest of the way before Cal Poly moved on top for good on Odister's free throws with 14 seconds remaining.

UCLA player of the game: Muhammad had 15 points and 10 rebounds in his first game on campus. The freshman, who sat out of UCLA's first three home games while under investigation by the NCAA, played two games last week in New York.

Stat of the game: Cal Poly shot 57.7 percent (15 of 26) in the second half after shooting only 32.1 percent in the first half.

What it means: UCLA is a long way from being the No. 11 team in the country. The Bruins have now lost to an average Big West team and needed overtime to beat another when UC Irvine let them off the hook by missing a pair of free throws with two seconds left to play in regulation. The Bruins need to quickly figure out why their defense continues to break down or else the season could spiral out of control.

What’s next: UCLA will face Cal State Northridge on Wednesday at 9 p.m. PT at Pauley Pavilion.

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