UCLA's Malcom Lee, center, draws a foul as he drives to the basket against Oregon's Jeremy Jacob, left, Jay-R Strowbridge and Johnathan Loyd , right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at Matthew Knight Arena Saturday Jan. 15, 2011 in Eugene, Ore. (Photo AP). The Fabulous Forum
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UCLA basketball: Bruins come back to beat Oregon, 67-59
Ben Bolch, reporting from Eugene, Ore.
The Los Angeles Times
January 15, 2011 | 4:15 pm
Guards Malcolm Lee, Jerime Anderson and Lazeric Jones combined for 45 points to lead UCLA to a 67-59 come-from-behind victory over Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena, handing the Ducks their first defeat in their new home.
Lee had 18 points on seven-for-13 shooting and Anderson had 15 points off the bench for the Bruins (11-6 overall, 3-2 Pacific 10 Conference), who had trailed by 12 points in the first half and three points at halftime. Jones had 12 points while making five of 11 shots.
Freshman center Joshua Smith had 15 points and nine rebounds for UCLA but committed a potentially costly technical foul with 1 minute 50 seconds remaining. E.J. Singler made both free throws to cut Oregon's deficit to 65-59, but Smith blocked a shot by Jay-R Strowbridge, Anderson made two free throws and the Bruins held on.
Singler had 15 points and Jeremy Jacob added 12 for Oregon (8-10, 1-5), which shot 37.7% to UCLA's 50%.
UCLA sophomore forward Reeves Nelson fouled out with 4:59 remaining after a forgettable performance in which he did not score or take one shot. He finished with three rebounds and one assist.
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UCLA turns Oregon's new house upside down in 67-59 win
Bruins post first victory by an opponent at Matthew Knight Arena, which the Ducks inaugurated Thursday by beating USC.
January 15, 2011|By Ben Bolch
The Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Eugene, Ore. — UCLA was like a housewarming guest who broke the crystal glassware and stained the new carpet.
The Bruins went into Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday and took away a bit of the $227-million arena's luster, rallying for a 67-59 victory over the Ducks.
Two days after Oregon rolled over USC in the first game played at the arena, UCLA overcame a slow start to become the first opposing team to win on the court.
"We made history, I guess you could say," said freshman center Joshua Smith, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half to help the Bruins wipe out a three-point halftime deficit.
Junior guard Malcolm Lee scored 18 points on seven-for-13 shooting and junior guard Jerime Anderson tied a career high with 15 points for the Bruins (11-6 overall, 3-2 Pacific 10 Conference), who completed a road sweep of the Oregon schools.
Anderson was a particularly unlikely party crasher.
Maligned for much of his two-plus seasons, Anderson made three of five three-point baskets in a season-high 32 minutes off the bench in what Coach Ben Howland described as his "best game as a Bruin."
"I was a lot more aggressive tonight and I have to give all the credit to my teammates," said Anderson, who made a three-pointer and two free throws during an 8-0 Bruins push midway through the second half that gave them the lead for good.
The comeback was all the more impressive considering UCLA's two leading scorers — sophomore forwards Reeves Nelson and Tyler Honeycutt — combined for only seven points. Nelson fouled out without scoring for the first time in his career after repeatedly jostling with E.J. Singler.
"They were just doing a lot of cheap shots," said Nelson, who played a season-low 15 minutes. "I only retaliated one time and they caught me on it when Singler, who is probably the dirtiest of them all, did it.
"But that's on me. I have to learn to control it all the time and not just some of the time."
The non-sellout crowd of 11,089 was rocking for much of a first half in which the Ducks (8-10, 1-5) forced 12 turnovers and appeared on the brink of parlaying the adrenaline boost provided by their fancy digs into another victory when they took a 25-13 lead.
But UCLA started to spread the floor and attack the Ducks' press, with junior guard Lazeric Jones driving for consecutive layups that helped the Bruins close to within three points at halftime. UCLA stayed aggressive without getting sloppy in the second half, committing only two turnovers in the final 12 minutes 57 seconds and withstanding the loss of Nelson after he fouled out with 4:59 remaining.
"Everybody stepped up and made big shots," Anderson said.
Jones, playing with a "mallet" finger, dropped the hammer when he made a three-pointer with 2:29 remaining to give the Bruins a 63-55 lead. Smith extended the advantage to eight points on a tip-in with 1:51 left before immediately drawing a technical foul for yelling "Let's go!" while looking at a Ducks player.
"The referee took it as trying to incite the opponent," Howland said.
Singler made both of the technical-foul free throws, but the Ducks missed their next four shots and Smith blocked a layup by Jay-R Strowbridge to help preserve the Bruins' second consecutive victory.
"We beat two pretty good teams at their house and now we have momentum," Smith said, "so we'll see how long we can carry it."
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Anderson's 15 points help UCLA top Oregon 67-59
Associated Press January 15, 2011 06:12 PM
via SFG=gate.com
Eugene, Ore. (AP) --
UCLA coach Ben Howland was brimming about the standout junior from his bench.
"Jerime Anderson was the player of the game," Howland said. "It was his best game as a Bruin. He came in and really did a great job for us offensively, settling us down and making passes and making plays."
Anderson made three 3-pointers, finished with 15 points and helped steady the Bruins on offense as part of a 67-59 win over Oregon on Saturday.
Malcolm Lee led UCLA (11-6, 3-2 Pac-10) with 18 points while Joshua Smith had 15 points and nine rebounds and Lazeric Jones added 12 points.
"I feel like I've been playing well," Anderson said. "I've been practicing well and shooting the ball well and it's about time it correlated to the game. I was happy I was able to make some shots tonight."
Anderson's 3-pointer with 9:12 to play pushed the Bruins' lead to 46-40 and was the first of four times in the final minutes of the game that UCLA hit a 3 after Oregon trimmed its deficit to three points or less.
Lee hit two of those late threes and Anderson hit one, as did Tyler Honeycutt.
Jones then put the game out of reach, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:28 left to give the Bruins a 63-55 advantage.
"That's the thing, everybody stepped up and made big shots tonight," Anderson said. "Honeycutt made a big three, Malcolm made a couple big threes, and (Jones) hit that dagger at the end of the game and pretty much sealed it for us. I was just happy to be a part of it."
Both Lee and Anderson made three 3-pointers each and the Bruins made nine overall on 24 attempts.
"What is that, 39 percent?" Howland asked afterward. (It was actually 37.5 percent.)
"I mean, that's just OK. ... (But late in the end) that's where you love it. In the last 10 minutes our guys really seized the opportunity."
E.J. Singler scored 15 points and Jeremy Jacob added 12 for the Ducks (8-10, 1-5), who were without leading scorer and rebounder Joevan Catron. The senior forward missed his third straight game with a strained calf muscle.
The Ducks took a 25-13 advantage with 5:55 to play in the first half following a 3-pointer by Garrett Sim that drew fist pumps from Oregon coach Dana Altman. Sim's shot capped a 16-3 run by the Ducks.
Jacob scored eight points during that stretch and Jay-R Strowbridge also made a 3-pointer.
But the Ducks scored just two more points in the half and the Bruins slowly picked away at the lead. Jones scored on bank shots on consecutive possessions, Anderson followed with a 3-pointer and Lee scored inside with 53 seconds left as UCLA cut Oregon's lead to 27-24 at the break.
"I am disappointed," Altman said. "We had our opportunity and we didn't seize it."
Anderson tied the score at 32 early in the second half and Tyler Honeycutt gave UCLA the 34-32 lead on a bank shot with 15:09 to play.
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A low down, dirty win
Bruins take lumps but hold on to hand Ducks first loss at Matthew Knight Arena and complete an Oregon sweep
By Jill Painter, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/15/2011 10:30:50 PM PST
Updated: 01/16/2011 03:32:54 AM PST
EUGENE, Ore. - UCLA forward Reeves Nelson still was fuming after Saturday's game against Oregon, even though he sat on the bench the final five minutes of the game after fouling out.
On his way out of the arena, he stopped in the tunnel and began to stomp around, yelling and furiously waving his towel at Oregon's student section.
Nelson, UCLA's leading scorer, was held scoreless for the first time in his career and didn't even take a shot. He had just three rebounds and four turnovers in 15 minutes.
He saved his shots following UCLA's 67-59 win at the new Matthew Knight Arena that completed a sweep of the Oregon schools.
"They were just doing a lot of cheap shots," Nelson said. "If that's what they have to resort to to try to get me out of my game, I guess, yeah (I was frustrated). I only retaliated really one time and they caught me on it.
"(E.J.) Singler is probably the dirtiest of them all. That's on me. I have to learn to control that all the time."
Despite Nelson's disappearance and UCLA's 12-point deficit in the first half,The Bruins prevailed by riding the hot hands of guards Jerime Anderson, Lazeric Jones and Malcolm Lee, who combined to score 45 points. Josh Smith had a solid game too, with 15 points and nine rebounds, but he also had four turnovers.
Anderson had what UCLA coach Ben Howland deemed his best game as a Bruin, tying his career high with 15 points and adding three assists.
Lee scored a game-high 18 points and added six rebounds. Jones had 12 points.
"Everyone stepped up and made big shots," Anderson said. "I was just happy to be part of it."
UCLA (11-6) improved to 3-2 in the Pac-10 Conference after sporting a sub-.500 conference record before heading to the Northwest. The Bruins played well in front of a crowd of 11,089. There were no light shows here on Saturday, but the fans still did their fair share of heckling, something for which they're known.
Kevin Love and his family were treated so poorly by fans three years ago, then-athletic director Pat Kilkenny, for whom the new floor is named, apologized.
"They're nothing special," Nelson said of the Oregon fans. "Fans always make me laugh with the stuff they try to make up. It doesn't occur to them that they have nothing better to do than insult people and that makes them look stupid to the players.
"Other than that, they're nothing special."
Nelson said he was heckled over his tattoos and other things.
Smith maintained his composure Saturday, even though he was called for a technical foul with 1:50 left. It didn't affect the outcome.
Smith was reprimanded by the Pac-10 for calling officials "terrible" after last Sunday's USC game. He laughed after Saturday's technical.
He said he screamed, "Let's go!" after he scored on a putbacktip-in to give UCLA a 65-57 lead.
"I think he called it because I was yelling, and he didn't hear what I said," Smith said.
Despite the drama with Nelson fouling out, the Bruins picked up the slack and four players scored in double figures.
Anderson made a 3-pointer with 4:14 left to give UCLA a 57-52 lead.
Malcolm Armstead answered with a three, but UCLA used Smith's height advantage inside - something the Bruins didn't take advantage of in the first half - to extend the lead.
Smith wasn't blocked out, so he grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. After an Oregon miss, Smith got a rebound and then made 1 of 2 free throws. Anderson rebounded the miss, and Jones made a three from the top of the arc for an eight-point lead, 63-55.
"I know I'd love to come back in my next life as Josh Smith," said Howland, who said he loved his skills and size.
The Bruins had 18 turnovers but just three in the final 13 minutes.
"We got better at attacking their pressure," Howland said.
Oregon (8-10) fell to 1-5 in the Pac-10 and played without leading scorer Joevan Catron, who is nursing a calf injury.
The Ducks' smaller lineup worked well in the first half but not the second. UCLA inexplicably allowed Oregon to pull down nine offensive rebounds in the first half. UCLA outrebounded Oregon, 37-30, and curtailed the turnovers.
"This was real big," Lee said. "You're expected to take care of the games at home. It's tough winning on the road, especially against Pac-10 fans."
Said Nelson: "It's really big. (It was) our first road trip in the Pac-10, unless you count 'SC, but our first road trip. We got a sweep and did it in a really hostile environment. Everything was against us.
"I'm really proud of our team."
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Anderson sparks UCLA to win at Oregon
By SCOTT M. REID
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 15, 2011
Updated: 8:36 p.m.
EUGENE, Ore. – For all of $200 million Matthew Knight Arena's state of the art design and amenities, Matt Court retains Mac Court's edge and attitude. The lunatic fringe of a student section continues to relish its well-deserved reputation as the Pac-10's most notorious crowd.
An intersection of high tech and low road.
"A really hostile environment with everything against us," UCLA forward Reeves Nelson said.
So it is perhaps not surprising given the setting that it was junior guard Jerime Anderson, so often the target of over the top criticism and abuse at home, who would lead UCLA to a 67-59, come-from-behind victory against Oregon on Saturday afternoon.
UCLA (11-6, 3-2 Pac-10) trailed by 12 points before Anderson came off the bench and, combined with a downpour of 3-point field goals, led the Bruins to a sweep of the Oregon schools this week.
The Ducks (8-10, 1-5) had won their first game in their new arena on Thursday against USC.
"This is really big," said UCLA freshman center Joshua Smith, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. "We put ourselves above .500 in the Pac-10. We beat two pretty good teams and now we got momentum so we'll see how long we can carry that."
Guards Anderson, Malcolm Lee and Lazeric Jones combined for 45 points. Lee finished with a game-high 18 in addition to six rebounds, but it was Anderson (Canyon High) who provided the much-needed lift.
"Jerime came off the bench and gave us a pretty good spark," Lee said.
It started with a 3-pointer late in the first half that gave the Bruins momentum going into halftime as they cut a 12-point deficit to 27-24.
After the teams traded leads midway through the second half, Anderson tied the score at 40 with a pair of free throws and then after a Lee 3-point play, Anderson made it 46-40, knocking down the first five Bruin 3-point jumpers in less than seven minutes.
"Jerime Anderson was the player of the game," UCLA coach Ben Howland said "He came in and really did a great job for us offensively, settling us down, making passes and making plays. That was Jerime's best game as a Bruin. In a huge game today, he played very well."
Anderson has not always been referred so favorably.
"That's how it always is," he said the criticism that has dogged him since arriving in Westwood. "There's always going to be haters, and there's always going to be naysayers, even after tonight's game, there's still probably people out there saying stuff.
"It's part of life, it's part of basketball and part of this culture and I just try and take it as I go and I just try to work hard and keep better."
UCLA's Malcom Lee, center right, celebrates with teammates after beating Oregon on Saturday. (Chris Pietsch/The Associated Press)Click on boxscore to enlarge (Yahoo Sports)
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