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Reeves Nelson had a career-high 24 points and the game-winner Thursday. Photo Blaine OhigashiReeves Nelson’s magic touch gives UCLA basketball the 86-84 win over Cal, despite a 49-point second half by the Golden Bears
By RYAN ESHOFF
The Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports
Published January 21, 2011 Updated: January 21, 2011, 2:22 AM
After splitting the season series last year, the Bruins and the Cardinal meet for the first time this season at Pauley Pavilion.
All the fans were watching. All the coaches were watching. As Tyler Honeycutt’s shot went up, even most of the players were watching.
Reeves Nelson was running. He glided through the key and to the rim to tip-in Honeycutt’s miss with two seconds left to give UCLA a thrilling 86-84 victory over Cal.
The sophomore forward’s acrobatic play prevented what would have been an epic collapse on the part of the Bruins (12-6, 4-2 Pac-10), who squandered a double-digit second-half lead and saw the Bears (9-9, 2-4) tie the game at 84 with 10 seconds left.
“For him to not give up, to run the floor and get that finish, that was exciting,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
Honeycutt got off a fadeaway jumper in the closing seconds. The shot bounced off the back rim and gave Nelson enough time to sprint in from beyond the arc and through four Cal defenders on his way to the rim.
“It just popped in my head to run in on the offensive glass just in case he missed it,” Nelson said. “The ball came off on the right side and I just tipped it in.”
Allen Crabbe – the high-scoring Cal freshman who finished with 17 points – tied the game at 84 with a 3-pointer. Crabbe scored 13 of his points in the final 3:20 after UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee – who hounded him the entire game – fouled out.
“It was real hard to not be able to do anything,” Lee said. “It seemed like everything just went so fast. We just have to keep playing defense.”
Back on its home court against one of its in-state rivals, UCLA came to play.
Well, for 38 minutes or so. The remainder of the game the Bruins spent throwing balls away and completely blowing a double-digit lead, and they needed superb timing from Nelson to escape.
Nelson scored a career-high 24 points, finished with a double-double and played an even bigger role than may have been anticipated after freshman center Joshua Smith left the game for good after a first half head-and-neck injury.
“I was just going to try and come out and do what I normally do,” Nelson said. “It worked for me.”
Cal came out playing a 2-3 zone that didn’t seem to faze UCLA, which shot over 48 percent in the first half en route to securing a 41-35 lead at the break. The Golden Bears tried switching between zone and man-to-man in the second half, but it did little to slow the hot-shooting Bruins.
Nelson wasn’t the only Bruin with a record scoring night. Junior guard Lazeric Jones also poured in a career-high 24 points and hit five free throws in the final minute to help secure the win.
“He’s making plays down the stretch,” Howland said of his point guard.
Smith did not start the game, the fifth time this year he has come off the bench. Instead, redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover received his first career start. Smith took a hard fall on the defensive end 5:39 into the half and left the game holding his head. The freshman later returned for a brief stint, but was subbed out for good with 8:57 left.
At halftime, he was evaluated and acknowledged some neck soreness and stiffness. He will be re-evaluated Friday to determine his availability for Saturday’s game against Stanford.
In the end, as efficient as UCLA was offensively, Cal’s late surge was almost enough to steal the victory. The Bears shot 72 percent in the second half.
“They did what they had to,” Nelson said. “They started hitting big shots. It all added up to them coming back. We’ll learn from this and we’re just happy we got the win.”
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UCLA gets the final tip to beat California, 86-84
Reeves Nelson puts back missed jumper by Tyler Honeycutt with two second left, after Bruins squander big leads with many missed chances. Center Joshua Smith goes out after hitting head on floor.
UCLA BASKETBALL
January 20, 2011|By Ben Bolch
The Los Angeles Times
Their best defender had fouled out. Their star big man had long since departed with a mild concussion. Their ability to make free throws or get the ball cleanly past midcourt had largely failed them.
Somehow, with everything deteriorating around them, the UCLA Bruins managed to pull out an uglier-by-the-second 86-84 victory over California on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion after Reeves Nelson tipped in a missed shot with two seconds left.
Nelson returned to the scoring column in a big way after his zero-point, five-foul effort against Oregon, scoring a career-high 24 points and the winning basket when he sprinted into the lane and used his right hand to put back a missed turnaround jumper by Tyler Honeycutt.
The play earned Nelson bear hugs from several teammates after Cal's desperation heave from beyond halfcourt fell short at the buzzer to give the Bruins their third consecutive victory.
"I didn't really look at it as an opportunity for redemption," said Nelson, who made 10 of 14 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds to notch a double-double. "I'm not perfect and everybody has an off game, so I was going to come out and do what I normally do, and it worked out for me."
UCLA (12-6 overall, 4-2 Pacific 10 Conference) had squandered leads of 15 points midway through the second half and eight with less than a minute remaining.
Cal freshman guard Allen Crabbe scored 13 of his 17 points after Bruins defensive stopper Malcolm Lee fouled out with 3:20 remaining, including a three-pointer that knotted the score at 84-84 with 10 seconds to go.
"They just scored on us too easy," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "It was like we weren't even on defense."
Forward Harper Kamp scored most of his 21 points on layups for the Golden Bears (9-9, 2-4), who shot 72% in the second half.
But UCLA guard Lazeric Jones made seven of eight free throws in the final 1:11 and finished with 24 points. He converted 10 of 12 free throws overall.
In an implausible first-half instant, California's big problem became UCLA's sizeable void when Joshua Smith collapsed in a heap after trying to draw a charge and instead hitting his head on the floor.
There was immediately concern on the Bruins bench when the freshman center — officially listed at 6 feet 10 and 305 pounds but described this week by Cal Coach Mike Montgomery as "300-and-who-knows-what big" — remained on the floor for a few moments before gingerly walking toward the bench.
Smith briefly returned after his injury before sitting out the final 28:57 with neck soreness and stiffness. He will be reevaluated Friday and Howland said his status for UCLA's game against Stanford on Saturday morning would probably be a game-time decision.
With Smith sidelined, UCLA turned to Anthony Stover and Brendan Lane, with mixed results. Lane had seven points and three rebounds in 14 minutes, but Stover had four rebounds, three fouls and two turnovers in 15 minutes. Both players were liabilities at times on the defensive end.
"You could tell being down a man, not having Big Bear [Smith] in there, hurt us inside with our defense," Howland said.
Howland used a small lineup again for stretches, at one point going with guards Jones, Jerime Anderson and Tyler Lamb in addition to Honeycutt and Smith to combat Cal's zone. Point guards Anderson and Jones were on the floor together when the Bruins took a 36-25 lead, their largest advantage of the first half.
Honeycutt, wearing a protective blue sleeve over his sore right elbow, scored 15 points on five-for-nine shooting, making four of six three-point shots.
Howland said he was pleased that Nelson made the winning play, one that probably eased the frustration he experienced last week against Oregon.
"For him to get that tip," Howland said, "to not give up and not quit, to run the floor and get that last play, that was exciting."
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UCLA's Reeves Nelson (22) reacts after a tip in at the buzzer. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/The Associated Press)Nelson comes to the rescue
By Jon Gold Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 01/20/2011 10:31:57 PM PST
Updated: 01/20/2011 10:39:38 PM PST
LOS ANGELES - Reeves Nelson bounded down the court with the greatest of ease, just a few steps behind Tyler Honeycutt but in perfect position.
On a body covered in tattoos, the only one missing was the Superman shield.
Nelson came from nowhere to tip in Honeycutt's missed shot from the free-throw line with two seconds left, giving UCLA an 86-84 victory over Cal on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.
It was that kind of night for Nelson, and he needed it.
The UCLA sophomore power forward had 24 points and 10 rebounds, none more important than the last. This after finishing with zero points and three rebounds in only 15 minutes in the team's 67-59 win over Oregon last Saturday, his first scoreless game as a Bruin.
With freshman center Joshua Smith sent to the bench for the entire second half for precautionary reasons - Smith banged his head and neck on the floor in the first half and will be re-evaluated today - UCLA needed every last basket from Nelson.
He delivered.
Nelson made 9 of 13 field-goal attempts with an array of low-post moves, but did most of his work in transition. Nelson had three steals that led to transition dunks, and his cunning-and- running kept the Bears at bay even when they made their charge.
And Cal did attack.
UCLA trailed just once - the Bears led 2-0 - but the Bruins let Cal keep it close, watching an 11-point lead with just more than four minutes left in the first half dwindle to six at halftime. The Bruins were similarly frenetic in the second half, building a 15-point lead with nine minutes left but needing clutch free throws from junior point guard Lazeric Jones and Honeycutt to ice the game after Cal crept to within two with less than a minute left.
Jones finished with 23 points and Honeycutt 15, his most productive output since UCLA's 86-79 win over No. 16 BYU in the Wooden Classic, when he finished with 17 points.
Honeycutt's ailing right elbow must not have been too bothersome on Thursday. The Sylmar High product hit four of six 3-pointers, including eight in the first half, two days after having X-rays on his elbow, which has been bothering him for nearly two months.
Honeycutt banged the elbow on the Allen Fieldhouse court during the first half of the Bruins' 77-76 loss at Kansas on Dec. 2, though he finished with 33 points, including 17 in the second half. After that game, Honeycutt's scoring average was 17.7 points per game; in the next 10, Honeycutt averaged less than 11.
With Honeycutt hampered and Nelson's confidence down after the scoring shutout - and Smith's early injury, to boot - the Bruins had plenty to worry about Thursday. Most troubling entering the game, however, was Cal's Allen Crabbe.
Crabbe was held in check by Malcolm Lee for most of the game, though, held without a field goal for nearly the first 34 minutes of game time before finishing with 17 points after Lee fouled out late in the game.
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Nelson's late tip-in saves day for UCLA
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 01/20/2011 11:38:57 PM PST
Updated: 01/20/2011 11:48:28 PM PST
UCLA's Reeves Nelson (22) reacts after a tip in at the buzzer. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/The Associated Press)Reeves Nelson bounded down the court with the greatest of ease, just a few steps behind Tyler Honeycutt but in perfect position.
On a body covered in tattoos, the only one missing was the Superman shield.
Nelson came from nowhere to tip in Honeycutt's missed shot from the free-throw line with two seconds left, giving UCLA a 86-84 win over Cal on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.
After freshman Allen Crabbe hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to tie the game for the Bears, who came back from a 15-point deficit with nine minutes to play, Honeycutt took the inbounds pass and sprinted down the court.
The Cal defense collapsed on the Sylmar product near the free-throw line and Honeycutt was forced into an awkward shot attempt.
But there, to the rescue as he had been all night, was Nelson.
"They hit a 3 to tie it, and I saw Honeycutt dribbling, and I knew he was probably going to take the shot," Nelson said. "It just popped in my head to run in on the offensive glass if he missed it. The ball came out on the right side."
It was that kind of night for Nelson, and he needed it.
The UCLA sophomore power forward had 24 points and 10 rebounds, none more important than the last. This, after finishing with zero points and three rebounds in only 15 minutes in the team's 67-59 win over Oregon on Saturday, his first scoreless game as a Bruin.
With freshman center Joshua Smith sent to the bench for the entire second half for precautionary reasons - Smith banged his head and neck on the floor in the first half and will be reevaluated today - UCLA needed every last basket from Nelson.
"I'm really excited that Reeves is the one that tipped that in," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "For him to get that tip, to not give up, to not quit, to run the floor and get that play, that was exciting."
Nelson made 9 of 13 field-goal attempts with an array of low-post moves but did most of his work in transition. Nelson had three steals that led to transition dunks, and his cunning-and-running kept the Bears at bay even when they made their charge.
And Cal did attack.
UCLA trailed just once - the first basket of the game, as the Bears led, 2-0 - but the Bruins let Cal keep it close, watching an 11-point lead with just over four minutes left in the first half dwindle to six at halftime. The Bruins were similarly frenetic in the second half, building a 15-point lead with nine minutes left but needing clutch free throws from junior point guard Lazeric Jones and sophomore small forward Honeycutt to ice the game when Cal crept back late in the game.
Jones finished with 24 points and Honeycutt with 15, his most productive output since UCLA's 86-79 win over No. 16 BYU in the Wooden Classic, when he finished with 17 points.
Honeycutt's ailing right elbow must not have been too bothersome on Thursday.
Honeycutt hit 4 of 6 3-pointers, and had eight points in the first half, two days after having X-rays on his elbow, which has been bothering him for nearly two months.
Honeycutt banged the elbow on the Allen Fieldhouse court during the first half of the Bruins' 77-76 loss at Kansas on Dec. 2, though he finished with 33 points, including 17 in the second half. After that game, Honeycutt's scoring average was 17.7 points per game; in the next 10, Honeycutt averaged under 11.
"It felt good; I've been playing through it this whole time, and it hasn't bothered me," Honeycutt said. "Maybe a little bit, but I just wasn't taking as many shots."
With Honeycutt hampered and Nelson's confidence down after the scoring shutout - and Smith's early injury - the Bruins had plenty to worry about Thursday. Most troubling entering the game, however, was Cal's Allen Crabbe.
Crabbe came into the game on a tear - averaging 20 points over his previous four contests, including a 30-point explosion on Jan. 13 in a 88-81 win over visiting Washington State. Malcolm Lee held Crabbe in check for most of the game, though, limiting the sensational freshman to four points before fouling out with 3:20 left in the game.
Crabbe made the most of his opportunities late, however, finishing with 17 points.
"I don't even know what I was thinking," Lee said of the final three minutes. "It just went so fast. That three minutes seemed like it was 15 minutes. I was just hoping every time he shot it would miss."
Nelson was relieved but humble after the game, waiting patiently to visit his family downstairs. With younger brother Raymond on his official visit with the UCLA football team - a tight end, Raymond has verbally committed to the Bruins - the elder Nelson said the game was not about salvation, even after the scoreless performance.
"I didn't really look at it as an opportunity for redemption," Nelson said. "I'm not perfect. Everybody has an off game. But I tried to come out and do what I normally do and it worked out for me."
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UCLA almost lets game slip away
By SCOTT M. REID
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 20, 2011
Updated: 11:10 p.m.
LOS ANGELES – Reeves Nelson's tip-in with 2.2 seconds left gave UCLA an 86-84 victory against Cal in a game that appeared well in hand only seconds earlier at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night.
UCLA (12-6, 4-2 Pac-10) led by 14 points late, was up nine inside two minutes and ahead by eight with less than a minute left only to see Cal (9-9, 2-4) threaten to extend the game into overtime when freshman guard Allen Crabbe hit a 3-point jumper with 10.8 seconds remaining.
The Bruins then headed down court, where Tyler Honeycutt put up a jumper that rimed out. Nelson, cutting through the lane, put it back in. A Crabbe shot from midcourt at the buzzer was off the mark.
"It was a nice shot at the end," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It would just be nice if we didn't put ourselves in that situation."
Nelson's winning tip-in gave him a career-high 24 points and his 10th rebound. Bruins point guard Lazeric Jones also scored 24 points.
"I saw Honeycutt dribbling and I knew he was probably going to shoot it," Nelson said. "And it just popped in my head to run to the offensive glass in case he missed it, and he did."
It was not all good news for the Bruins on Thursday.
Freshman center Joshua Smith, the Pac-10's leading offensive rebounder, fell and injured his head with 14:21 left in the first half and suffered what Howland described as a mild concussion. Smith left the game and returned again briefly.
He was evaluated at halftime and was held out of the second half for precautionary reasons after complaining of neck stiffness and soreness.
He will be re-evaluated today for a possible concussion and to determine his availability for Saturday's game against Stanford.
"Obviously, not having Big Bear in there obviously, hurt our defense," Howland said.
Thursday's game was billed as a showdown between the Pac-10 top two freshmen, Smith and Crabbe. Crabbe, who averaged 20 points per game in the previous four games, stayed on his feet but otherwise did not fare much better than Smith for the game's first 16 minutes.
Bruins guard Malcolm Lee held Crabbe to just two shots in the first half and only two points, both coming at the foul line, and just four points midway through the second half.
But when Lee fouled out with 3:20 remaining Crabbe took full advantage of his absence, scoring 13 points with Lee out, nine in the final minute, to spark Cal's late comeback.
The Golden Bears shot 72 percent from the field in the second thanks to a series of easy looks down the stretch.
"They just scored on us too easy," Howland complained. "It was like they were getting layups."
But it was a missed free throw and a 3-point jumper that set up the game's dramatic ending.
Smith's spill came in the midst of a 7-0 spurt that allowed UCLA open up some breathing room, 16-8.
Although Cal pulled to within 36-34 shortly before halftime, the Bruins stretched the gap to 41-35 at the intermission and then pulled away steadily in the second half.
UCLA led, 73-59, with 3:20 remaining and 79-71 inside the final minute. But with 18.1 seconds left Jones only converted one of two foul shots making it 84-81.
With Lee watching nervously on the bench, Crabbe then rushed down the court and nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing.
Click on boxscore to enlarge (from Yahoo Sports)
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