UCLA's comeback falls short in 74-63 loss to Washington
Bruins cut a 17-point deficit to six in the final minutes, but then Huskies pull away.
December 31, 2010|By Ben Bolch
The Los Angeles Times
The UCLA students frantically hopped in place. From his spot on the Bruins' bench, Reeves Nelson wildly flapped his arms, triggering even more fervor.
Two days after wiping out a double-digit deficit against Washington State, UCLA appeared on the verge of another colossal comeback Friday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.
Washington's 17-point lead was down to six with 3 minutes 33 seconds left when Bruins forward Tyler Honeycutt spotted up for a three-pointer.
"It goes in, we're down three and we're one possession away," Honeycutt said.
But the ball came off the rim, Huskies forward Darnell Gant buried a three-pointer shortly thereafter and Washington came away with a 74-63 victory in a battle of teams that fashion themselves as Pacific 10 Conference title contenders.
Washington looked a bit more the part, displaying the savvy of a veteran team while mostly quieting a season-high crowd of 9,049 that included a sizable contingent of Huskies fans.
Junior guard Isaiah Thomas had 17 points and nine assists, continually feeding Matt Bryan-Amaning passes to fuel the senior forward's 21-point, 10-rebound effort that helped snap UCLA's six-game winning streak.
"They're where they're at for a reason and they just executed better than us," said Nelson, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and one wobbly tooth after taking an Aziz N'Diaye elbow to the mouth early in the game.
UCLA (9-5 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) struggled to make shots from any spot on the floor, shooting 35.3% from the field, 18.2% from beyond the three-point arc and 69.4% from the free-throw line. It was the latter figure that most galled Bruins Coach Ben Howland after his team made only 25 of 36 free throws.
"If you're going to beat the team picked to win the conference," Howland said, "you've got to make your foul shots."
The Bruins had other worries as well. Junior guard Lazeric Jones played only 16 minutes after injuring a tendon in the middle finger of his right hand in the first half. Honeycutt and freshman center Joshua Smith played most of the second half in foul trouble, with Smith fouling out for the first time in his fledgling career.
Smith, a native of Kent, Wash., who picked UCLA over Washington, finished with nine points and seven rebounds, though those weren't the statistics that stood out to him.
"My first time fouling out, I missed three free throws, I missed a couple of layups," Smith said. "… I don't even want to check my phone or my Facebook or anything."
Two of Smith's fouls came while hedging screens, prompting Howland to acknowledge afterward that he was rethinking the way he utilizes the big man on defense.
Defense seemed optional for UCLA early in the second half. Bryan-Amaning went in for a fastbreak dunk, Abdul Gaddy drove across the lane for a right-handed bank shot and N'Diaye followed his own miss with a putback to cap a 12-0 run that gave Washington (10-3, 2-0) a 52-35 lead with 14:09 remaining.
That's when Nelson started asserting himself, scoring 10 points during a push that pulled the Bruins to within 59-55 with 6:18 to go. The deficit was still only six about three minutes later when Honeycutt, who finished with 12 points on four-for-12 shooting, missed a three-pointer.
Gant then made his three-pointer, and Washington soon was leaving Los Angeles with a sweep of what Bryan-Amaning called "probably the toughest road trip in the conference."
For the Bruins, it was a harsh loss accompanied by a lesson.
"When you're playing a good team," Smith said, "you can't give them too many opportunities."
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Bruins give chase, can't catch Huskies
By Jon Gold Staff Writer
The Los Angelinos Daily News
Posted: 12/31/2010 10:19:32 PM PST
Updated: 12/31/2010 10:23:35 PM PST
UCLA BASKETBALL: Bruins second-half rally from 17 points down not enough.
Two days after lauding his team's fight in coming from behind to defeat Washington State, UCLA head coach Ben Howland again praised the Bruins' resolve against Washington.
The only difference?
On Wednesday, the Bruins delivered a knockout blow.
On Friday, they could only manage to knock the Huskies down but not out, unable to claw all the way back despite second-half charge in a 74-63 loss at Pauley Pavilion that snapped a six-game winning streak.
UCLA shot just 35 percent for the game and 69 percent from the free-throw line, while Washington shot 50 percent on field goals and 80 percent on free throws.
"We were 12 for 19 and those foul shots, if you're going to beat the team picked to win the conference, you have to shoot 80 percent, 85 percent," Howland said. "We did a better job getting it in the second half, but we took a couple of questionable shots late."
Washington broke a close game wide open to end the first half, turning a 31-29 lead with just more than two minutes left into a seven-point halftime advantage.
The Huskies' roll continued into the second half as the Bruins went stagnant on offense, committing two shot clock violations in the first four minutes.
Washington stretched its lead to 17 with 14 minutes, nine seconds left in the half before UCLA finally awakened from its coma. The Bruins went on a 16-3 run to cut the Huskies lead to four with 9:36 left, and hung around for the next several minutes.
Down by six, a 3-point attempt by junior forward Tyler Honeycutt rimmed in and out with 3:32 left, Huskies junior forward Darnell Gant made a back-breaking 3-pointer of his own on the other end - Gant's lone attempt from behind the arc - and the Bruins got no closer than seven the rest of the way.
"We're down three, we're one possession away," Honeycutt said. "We just got lost. We knew Darnell was shooting the three well this year and he knocked it down."
Honeycutt's errant attempt was far from unusual, as it wasn't Washington's well-balanced offense that threw off the Bruins, but its tenacious defense.
Sophomore forward Reeves Nelson was the only Bruin to shoot better than 50 percent, almost single-handedly bringing the team back late in the game while finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Malcolm Lee and Honeycutt each added 12 points.
UCLA made just two of 11 3-pointers - a paltry 18 percent - while struggling to find any offensive rhythm at times.
While the Bruins (9-5, 1-1 Pac-10) were busy dribbling down the shot clock or passing it around the perimeter, Washington was taking it to the hole.
Six Huskies scored more than six points, led by forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning's 21 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah Thomas' 17 points and nine assists. Washington (10-3, 2-0) shot 50 percent for the game and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, UCLA's Tyler Lamb, Jerime Anderson and Brendan Lane and Lazeric Jones - who suffered a dislocated finger during the game and played just 16 minutes - combined for five points in 74 minutes on 0-for-11 shooting.
"It was hard with the foul trouble and Zeke ended up getting hurt," Honeycutt said. "We both have a good bench, it just went in their favor this game."
UCLA is now on a nine-day break, picking things back up with a Jan. 9 matchup with USC at the Galen Center before the team's first conference road trip, with games at Oregon State on Jan. 13 and Jan. 15. Howland said he didn't even realize the Trojans were up next for UCLA after having two days to focus on the conference-favorite Huskies.
"We're trying to win our next game," Howland said. "That's our goal right now. We're back on the road again now. We're on the road for two weeks. I wasn't even thinking USC was our next game until after this game. I'm trying to focus on now."
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Washington too tough for UCLA
Published: Dec. 31, 2010
Updated: 6:56 p.m.
By SCOTT M. REID
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
LOS ANGELES – UCLA forward Reeves Nelson was on the receiving end of a elbow to the mouth from Washington center Aziz N'Diaye on Friday afternoon.
"First play," Nelson said later.
It was the first of a series of messages the Huskies sent in a 74-63 victory over the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion, the biggest being that Lorenzo Romar & Co. remain the class of the Pac-10.
Washington (10-3, 2-0) headed back to Seattle having completed a conference-opening weekend sweep of the Los Angeles schools by dominating UCLA (9-5, 1-1) on both ends of the court. The Huskies have won a school-record six consecuitve Pac-10 road games
Washington forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored a game-high 21 points and added 10 rebounds. Defensively, Washington limited UCLA to 35.3 percent shooting from the field — 18.2 from behind the 3-point arc.
"We learned that we can play tough on the road against a very good conference opponent," Washington coach Romar said, "and that we have a great chance to be successful in the Pac-10 this year."
After Washington's dominant run gave the Huskies a 17-point lead early in the second half, UCLA rallied to get to four points behind three times.
But the Bruins learned they can't hang with the Pac-10's premier team by shooting under 70 percent from the foul line, getting two of your starters in foul trouble early, and scoring just six points in the final five minutes.
UCLA made 21 more trips to the free-throw line than the Huskies but couldn't convert consistently down the stretch.
"That was a very frustrating, disappointing loss," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "They really hurt us in transition. It seemed when we did turn it over, they scored."
Said Nelson, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds: "They are a really good team and they are where they are at for a reason. They executed on both ends of the floor better than we did."
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Huskies beat Bruins for sweep in L.A.
Associated Press
SFGate.com
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored 21 points and Washington used a 27-10 run over both halves to beat UCLA 74-63 Friday, giving the Huskies their first Pac-10 sweep in Los Angeles since 2006. Isaiah Thomas added 17 points and nine assists, and Bryan-Amaning had 10 rebounds.
Washington (10-3, 2-0) won at Pauley Pavilion for the first time in four years, since the last time the Huskies beat both of the L.A. schools. They edged USC 73-67 in overtime on Wednesday.
The Huskies swept a league road series to start the season for the first time since 1976, when they won at Cal and Stanford.
Washington's win was a big hit among its large contingent of fans who traveled from San Diego after the Huskies' victory over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl on Thursday. They woofed their approval in the waning minutes.
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Huskies pull off the rare sweep in LA; start 2-0 in Pac-10
Posted by Percy Allen
The Seattle Times
December 31, 2010 at 5:47 PM
Washington's stars and depth shined once again in the Huskies 74-63 win over UCLA.
The stars (Matthew Bryan-Amaning (above,left) and Isaiah Thomas) carried UW to most of the way. They combined for 24 of 36 points in the second half.
But it was Washington's depth that delivered the knockout punch. On Wednesday, reserve freshman Terrence Ross was the hero off the bench in the overtime win at USC. On Friday, Darnell Gant was Johnny on the spot. He didn't score 18 points the way Ross did, however, Gant nailed the biggest shot of the game, draining a back-breaking three-pointer that essentially stopped UCLA's late comeback attempt.
Again that's a testament of Washington's deep bench. When Aziz N'Diaye fouled out, coach Lorenzo Romar looked down his bench. He considered putting in junior Scott Suggs before yelling "Darnell get in there."
Gant's strength is spacing the floor, setting screens and perimeter shooting. He finished the game along with a three-guard lineup that included Abdul Gaddy, Venoy Overton, Thomas and Bryan-Amaning.
"He's been a starter for us," Romar said of Gant. "Aziz was in foul trouble. Matt was in foul trouble. Darnell defended and did a good job that way. Darnell is always steady. He can hit an open look. When he gets his feet set. That was a big shot."
This was an efficient win for Washington. The Huskies took the lead early in the first half and controlled the game until the end. They led by as many as 17 points (52-35) and weathered a comeback bid when UCLA closed to within four (63-59).
The Huskies demonstrated their maturity and their versatility. They played their 2-3 zone at times and by my unofficial count, UCLA scored just once on a putback attempt. Otherwise the zone was perfect on six defensive possessions.
After just one week, Washington has a commanding 2-0 lead in the Pac-10 because road wins are difficult to capture. The Huskies were so impressive this week, a media member asked if they could go 17-1 in the conference. The last time that happened was 2004. Stanford did it. The lone loss, 75-62 at Washington.
The Huskies will be favored in every league game this season and Washington has shown the mental maturity to win the games its supposed to win. The Huskies crushed inferior opponents at home and they haven't had a letdown this season.
If we're talking 17-1, then why not 18-0. It's never happened in the Pac-10. I'm not saying it will. I'm just saying it's a possibility.
MORE NOTES, QUOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
--- Co-MVPs today. Bryan-Amaning was one of UW's biggest stars. Statistically Bryan-Amaning (21 points and 10 rebounds) played counterpart Reeves Nelson (19 points and 10 rebounds) to a draw. Each had three offensive rebounds and an assist. They dominated in different ways. Nelson muscled his way beneath the glass while Bryan-Amaning outran the Bruins and banked in several off-balance layups. Bryan-Amaning may have put to rest - at least for now - critics who say he doesn't play well against a tall front line. In the past two games, he's averaging 19.5 points and nine rebounds against the best front courts in the Pac-10.
--- Thomas, the other MVP, brushed aside a question asking whether he played his best game of the season. He preferred to talk about "my guys finishing and staying together and pulling out this win that we had to have." Still it has to be stated that when Thomas plays like he did today (17 points onf 5-for-9 shooting, nine assists, two steals and three rebounds), he's arguably the best player in the Pac-10. He was that good. He hit a three-pointer and knifed in the lane for layups. He sank 6 of 7 free throws. He defended and held Malcolm Lee to 12 points and two in the second half. Romar called Thomas a maestro.
--- Justin Holiday rebounded from an off night on Wednesday and had a typical Justin Holiday performance. He scored a little (nine points). He rebounded a lot (eight). He made plays (three assists). He defended (one steal and one block). And he harassed Tyler Honeycutt into a 4-for-12 shooting performance. Holiday also did something a little bit out of chacter, he collected a technical foul.
"I was talking," he said. "That's all I can say. I do admit I was talking, but I wanted to get the win. I was into it. It was selfish on my part, but we still won. If we had lost I know how I would have took that."
--- Despite fouling out in 19 minutes, N'Diaye did what he was supposed to do. He scored every time he shot, converting three attempts. He grabbed six rebounds and had six points. For the second straight game he fouled out and it hasn't hurt Washington. We'll see if that trend continues.
--- Gaddy's shot is off. In the past three games, he's 3 of 17 from the field. Today he was 1 for 5. Still Romar likes him on the court and had him on the floor in the final minutes.
--- Overton also finished the game for the Huskies and it doesn't look as if he's back to his old defensively annoying self just yet. Maybe his knee is still bothering him. Overton has gone four games without a steal, which is the longest stretch in his career.
--- Gant said today was his best game of the season. He's scored more points, but he hadn't hit a bigger shot than his three-pointer with 3:21 remaining. Romar said Gant's shot was huge for his confidence.
--- The reserve wings (C.J. Wilcox, Ross and Suggs) combined for nine points in 19 minutes. Wilcox returned after missing Wednesday with a staph infection and played just four minutes. Suggs logged six minutes, his shortest outing this season. Ross played the most (nine minutes) and had seven points, but he's got to learn how to read situations better. The Huskies needed him to score Wednesday because no one else was hitting. That wasn't the case today and he still put up shots early in the shot clock. We'll see how much Romar relies on the reserve wings in the conference games. If the stars are playing well, then they'll get the bulk of the minutes which was the case today.
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Washington men's win at UCLA finishes golden week in Southern California
Washington hung on for a hard-fought 74-63 men's college basketball victory over UCLA on Friday, capping a thrilling three-day stint that included a hoops sweep in Southern California and the football team's upset over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.
By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter
Originally published Friday, December 31, 2010 at 3:23 PM
LOS ANGELES — The Huskies flew to Los Angeles this week and painted Southern California purple and gold.
With a gritty 74-63 Pac-10 men's basketball victory over UCLA, Washington capped a thrilling three days that began Wednesday with an overtime win at USC, and included the football team's upset of Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.
And Friday was the exclamation point to a great week for Washington athletics.
"With the football team winning," junior guard Isaiah Thomas said, "we knew we had to win this game."
On the last day of the year, the Huskies finished their third sweep ever in Los Angeles. They also won for just the fourth time inside historic Pauley Pavilion, which undergoes renovation next season and will reopen in 2012.
This building has been a house of horrors for the Huskies and the setting for decades of disappointment, including last season's 62-61 defeat when the Bruins nailed a long jumper at the buzzer.
None of that mattered this time.
The Huskies overcame history and lopsided disparity in foul shots — Washington went 12 of 15 at the line and UCLA was 25 of 36 — because senior forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Thomas dominated on both ends of the court.
The dynamic one-two punch snapped UCLA's six-game winning streak and pushed Washington (10-3, 2-0 Pac-10) on top of the conference standings.
"Isaiah just makes things easier for everybody when he's going like that," Bryan-Amaning said. "He can score when he wants to score, and when he wants to distribute, he's really unstoppable.
"He causes so many distractions for the defense, and that gets people open. If you run and you're active and you're looking for the ball, then he'll find you."
The Huskies jumped on Bryan-Amaning's back after halftime and the 6-foot-9 Englishman scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. He also had 10 rebounds, for his fourth double-double this season.
Bryan-Amaning torched the Bruins in the post, often slicing and contorting around Reeves Nelson and Joshua Smith, the former star at Kentwood High School in Covington, for off-balance layups.
Other times he simply outran the slower Bruins.
Early in the second half, Bryan-Amaning collected a rebound and threw a pass to Justin Holiday to start a three-on-one fast break. Holiday considered passing to Thomas or going up for a layup before giving the ball to Bryan-Amaning, who sprinted past four Bruins and finished with an emphatic two-hand dunk.
The basket was part of a 12-0 run early in the second half, when the Huskies went up 52-35 with 14:09 left.
"Washington's transition game was very good and really hurt us," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
The Bruins didn't go away easily and countered with a 24-11 run. Smith scored on a putback layup that cut Washington's deficit to 63-59 and brought the crowd of 9,049 to its feet.
On the next possession, Thomas and Bryan-Amaning went to work again.
Thomas curled around a screen and dived into the lane before lobbing a pass to Bryan-Amaning, who flipped in a short layup.
The Huskies fell back defensively into a 2-3 zone that collapsed around Smith, who missed a layup. The Bruins retrieved the rebound, but Tyler Honeycutt's three-pointer rimmed out.
On the ensuing possession, Thomas knifed inside and passed out. Darnell Gant sank a three-pointer that put Washington ahead 68-59 with 3:21 left and sent the crowd to the exits.
"Last year we had them beat and we gave it away," Gant said. "We couldn't do the same thing this year."
The Huskies withstood UCLA's comeback bid because they gave the ball to Bryan-Amaning and Thomas. Washington's leading scorers combined for 24 of Washington's 36 second-half points, including 16 of UW's last 19 points.
UCLA (9-5, 1-1) had 19 points and 10 rebounds from Nelson and 12 points apiece from Malcolm Lee and Honeycutt. Smith finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
The Huskies have won four straight games, and six consecutive Pac-10 road victories dating to last season.
Still, UW coach Lorenzo Romar said his team has to guard against a potential letdown.
"We had a very good week, about as good of an opening week as we've had since we've been here," he said. "Beyond that, it means absolutely nothing because we have 16 more. Oregon swept on the road (in the opener) last year, and it didn't turn out too good for them.
"We want to avoid that. We've got to be hungry, and we've got to keep getting better."
Click on boxscore to enlarge (from Yahoo.com, Sports)
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