UCLA beats Orregon 64-54, Defensive stopper Malcolm Lee pops off for a season-high 25 points

post updated Feb 11 2011 6:55 pm CA

UCLA guard Malcolm Lee dunks the ball during the second half of their NCAA college basketball game against Oregon, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011, in Los Angeles. UCLA won 64-54. (AP Photo)

Lee's offense helps UCLA win fourth in a row
By SCOTT M. REID
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 10, 2011
Updated: 10:55 p.m.


LOS ANGELES – Malcolm Lee, UCLA's defensive specialist, showed he can get it done on the other end as well, leading the Bruins to a 64-54 Pac-10 victory against previously red-hot Oregon at Pauley Pavilion on Thursday night.

Lee pumped in a season-high 25 points, 14 coming in the second half when the Bruins (17-7, 8-3) overcame an Oregon lead midway through the second half. It was UCLA's fourth consecutive victory and its eighth in its past nine games.


video from The Los Angeles Times
 

"That was an absolutely huge win for us tonight," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "I was really worried about this game with the emotion of the two games last week."

But UCLA showed no sign of a letdown after last week's 64-50 victory against USC and a 66-59 triumph over St. John's in former Bruins coach Steve Lavin's return to Pauley.

The Ducks came into Thursday night's game having won four of their previous five games and averaging 71 points per game in that stretch.

But UCLA held Oregon to 34.6 percent shooting from the field in the second half, 39.6 for the game. UCLA's double-team on Oregon forward Joevan Catron held the Pac-10 Player of the Week to 5-of-13 shooting from the field for 15 points.

"There's two things you have to do on the road, and that's play defense and rebound," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.

Oregon did neither.

UCLA dominated the paint, outrebounding the Ducks, 41-28, and outscoring Oregon, 34-20, in the lane, which enabled the Bruins to shoot 53.6 percent from the field in the second half.

"I thought the rebounding margin was big," Howland said.

"The defense and rebounding really let us down tonight," Catron said. "They just had too many second-chance opportunities. They really got us in transition, which got the crowd into the game."

Bruins forward Tyler Honeycutt finished with a game-high 13 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end in addition to six assists and a blocked shot. Nine of Honeycutt's rebounds came in the second half.

"I thought Honeycutt had a great second half," Howland said.

UCLA point guard Lazeric Jones dished out six assists and contributed 10 points and two steals despite playing with a sprained left wrist.

Bruins guard Jerime Anderson also added 10 key points off the bench.

It was Anderson who gave the Bruins the lead for good, 44-41, with a 3-point jumper from right wing off an assist from Honeycutt with 8:43 remaining.

Anderson's jumper launched UCLA on a 15-7 run that broke the game open.

But the man of the night was Lee.

The junior guard has strung together a series of smothering defensive performances this season against the likes of Wooden Award front-runner Jimmer Fredette of Brigham Young and Washington State's Klay Thompson, the Pac-10's leading scorer.

"Malcolm brings defensive intensity every night," Howland said.

Thursday he showed he can be a force on the other end as well.

"I did my job of creeping behind the defense and my teammates did a great job of finding me all night," Lee said.

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UCLA's defensive stopper goes off for 25 points in victory over Oregon
Malcolm Lee scores a season high to lead the Bruins over the Ducks.

By Ben Bolch
The Los Angeles Times
11:20 PM PST, February 10, 2011



Lest anyone get the impression that all he does is defend, Malcolm Lee was happy to provide some striking counterpoints.

Twenty-five, to be exact.

There were layups, three-pointers and even a dunk thrown in for good measure Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion as UCLA's designated stopper scored a season-high 25 points during the Bruins' 64-54 victory over Oregon.

The junior guard was particularly offensive late in the game, scoring 10 points during a 14-4 Bruins run that transformed a two-point lead into a double-digit advantage with little more than a minute to play.

"I just have to credit my teammates," said Lee, who made 10 of 19 shots. "I was just creeping up behind the defense and my teammates were finding me, that's all."

UCLA shook off foul trouble on freshman center Joshua Smith in the final 9½ minutes with a three-guard lineup that helped the Bruins (17-7 overall, 8-3 Pacific 10 Conference) solidify their hold on second place in the Pac-10 with their eighth victory in their last nine games.

"We got a lot of layups in the second half attacking their press," said UCLA Coach Ben Howland, whose team shot 53.6% and outrebounded the Ducks by 13 in the second half.

There was also a return to form by the Bruins' Reeves Nelson, who had been held scoreless while fouling out last month in the teams' first meeting.

The sophomore forward had nine points, nine rebounds and one chippy exchange with Jay-R Strowbridge with 22 seconds left after the Oregon guard knocked over Nelson with a hard foul as he drove toward the basket.

Nelson quickly rose and took a step toward Strowbridge before UCLA players and officials stepped in to keep the peace. Howland also came onto the court and was prepared to intervene if necessary.

"I didn't want Reeves to react to it," Howland said. "I was going to tackle Reeves because we couldn't afford to lose anybody for a game" from a suspension.

Nelson and Strowbridge exchanged a mini-hug in the handshake line after the game, Nelson saying afterward that he didn't even know who fouled him.

"I just know I got hacked pretty hard and I hurt my ankle a little bit," Nelson said, "so I was upset."

Oregon forward Joevan Catron, who had missed the teams' first meeting with a strained calf, scored 15 points but made only five of 13 shots. The Ducks (12-12, 5-7) shot only 34.6% in the second half, watching their three-point halftime lead dissolve amid a flurry of bricks.

The Bruins were leading by only two points with fewer than seven minutes left when Nelson fed Lee with a bounce pass for a layup. UCLA guard Lazeric Jones then found Nelson inside for another easy basket and Lee made a pair of free throws to increase the Bruins' advantage to 54-46 with 4:25 to go.

Jones and guard Jerime Anderson had 10 points apiece for UCLA, which also got five points, 13 rebounds and six assists from Tyler Honeycutt.

Anderson said Oregon's zone didn't bother the Bruins as much in the second half.

"It was opening up," he said, "and we were able to get Malcolm and Reeves some wide-open layups."

Smith had five points and three rebounds but did not play in the final 9:22 after picking up his fourth foul. It turned out the Bruins would not need him with their guard-heavy lineup pulling through.

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UCLA rallies late, defeats Oregon, 64-54
February, 11, 2011 12:05AM PT
By Peter Yoon
ESPNLA, UCLA Report


UCLA overcame an early eight-point deficit and used a late-game rally to pull away from Oregon for a 64-54 victory over the Ducks on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

It was the eighth victory in nine games for the Bruins (17-7, 8-3) and an important one over a hot Oregon team. The Ducks (12-12, 5-7) came into the game having won four of their last five games, including a victory over conference title favorite Washington last week.

UCLA trailed, 24-16, with 5:33 left in the first half, closed it to a 28-25 deficit by halftime, then went on a 17-7 run late in the second half to take control.

"I thought this was a trap game coming into it," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "I was really worried about how they were playing so I’m just really thankful that we were able to come back and win the game tonight."

Five observations from the game:

1. Malcolm Lee showed what he can do on offense

Lee has become the Bruins' defensive stopper, but Oregon doesn't really have a high-scoring threat for him to guard, so that freed him up to display his skills on the other end of the floor. He consistently found holes in the Oregon defense, cutting through the lane or sneaking in behind the Ducks' zone and finished with a season-high 25 points.

"I've just got to credit my teammates for this kind of game," Lee said. "I was just creeping up behind the defense and my teammates were finding me."

He was better in the second half, making six of nine shots for 14 points, but his his 11 first-half points were more important because the Bruins were struggling to find an offensive rhythm.

Lee made four of 10 shots in the first half, including two three-pointers that kept UCLA within reach, and was the only UCLA player to make more than one basket in the first half.

"He brings it every night defensively," Howland said. "But he made a lot of big plays tonight. He made a big three early in the game when we were struggling, he was really good attacking the rim and getting to the basket. This is one of his really good games of the year."


2. UCLA's front line has become a force

UCLA out-rebounded Oregon, 41-28, marking the third consecutive game the Bruins have out-rebounded their opponent by double digits and the ninth consecutive game they have won the battle of the glass.

Tyler Honeycutt had 13 rebounds, Reeves Nelson had nine and Anthony Stover had eight. The Bruins have out-rebounded Oregon, St. John's and USC, 120-81, over the last three games.

"We know how good of a rebounding team we can be," Honeycutt said. "Me and Reeves have a knack for going for the ball. Josh [Smith] -- anything around the paint is going to be eaten up by him. We’re just making teams take tough shots and then we’re going to get them when they miss."

Nelson and Honeycutt rank third and fifth, respectively, in the Pac-10 with rebounding averages of 8.8 and 7.9 per game. Add in Smith, who is 11th with 6.5 a game, and UCLA has what has to be the best rebounding front line in the conference.

"It’s a huge factor for us as we move forward," Howland said.


3. Jerime Anderson is developing a knack for clutch shots

Anderson is not racking up huge point totals, but his points seem to come at critical times. Thursday night, he had 10 points, but he made two free throws to tie the score at 39-39 with 10:09 left to play, made a three-pointer to break a 44-44 tie with 8:41 left to play and drove to the basket for a layup and a 46-43 UCLA lead with 7:57 to play.

"I just find the open area at that time and I guess it just happens to be at a crucial point in the game," said Anderson, who hit similar clutch shots last week against USC. "I’m really confident in my shot and if I’m open my teammates expect me to shoot it, so I’m going to shoot it."


4. The three-guard lineup sparked things against Oregon

Smith picked up his fourth foul with 9:22 left and went to the bench with UCLA clinging to a 41-39 lead. Howland went to his smaller lineup with Anderson, Lee and Lazeric Jones all on the floor together for the rest of the game.

That trio combined for 18 of the Bruins final 23 points and finished with a combined 45 points. Oregon uses a four-guard lineup at times and doesn't have any regulars over 6 feet 8, so the small lineup seemed to work better than a lineup with Smith and Nelson on the floor at the same time.

"We feel real comfortable with this lineup," Lee said. "It’s nice to be able to lean back and have different looks with going small and still holding our own. It’s a good aspect of our team."


5. Lazeric Jones started figuring out how to play hurt

Jones severely sprained his left wrist last week against USC and had an off game trying to play through it Saturday against St. John's, when he went scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting.

Jones seemed tentative early Thursday, but in the second half he started to look more and more like himself with aggressive drives to the basket. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting, including a three-pointer.

He also had six assists with only two turnovers and kept a cool head after losing his composure because of frustration at times Saturday.

"The first half, I was thinking about my wrist a little bit," said Jones, who played with a heavy tape job on his wrist. "I was just trying to tell myself not to worry about it. I wasn’t as aggressive going to the basket as I usually am, but I just tried to tell myself if it gets hit, it gets hit and I started playing the way I normally play."

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Ducks roasted down the strech as Malcolm Lee and UCLA men’s basketball play a strong second half

By MATT STEVENS
The Daily Bruin, in Men's Basketball, Sports
Published February 11, 2011 Updated: 9:58 AM


MEN’S BASKETBALL
UCLA 64
Oregon 54

Oregon State
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Pauley Pavilion
Prime Ticket


The most exciting part of UCLA’s win over Oregon Thursday night came with 23 seconds left and the game well in hand.

Reeves Nelson was looking to put an exclamation point on the Bruins’ 64-54 victory at Pauley Pavilion with a fast-break dunk, but Jay-R Strowbridge had other ideas.

Oregon’s senior guard fouled Nelson hard – and Nelson didn’t appreciate it.

In an instant, the two were face to face, while the whistles tweeted away.

In another instant UCLA coach Ben Howland was in the middle of the death stares, breaking things up himself.

“I was going to go tackle Reeves,” Howland said. “We can’t afford to lose anybody.”

After the game, the sophomore forward simply brushed off the foul.

“I just knew I got hacked pretty hard, and I hurt my ankle so I was kind of upset,” Nelson said.

The Bruins (17-7, 8-3 Pac-10) ultimately handled the Ducks (12-12, 5-7) in a lackluster contest that was far from pretty, but at this juncture of the season, Howland was pleased to simply escape with a win.

“That was an absolutely huge win for us tonight,” Howland said. “I was really worried about this game. … This was a trap game.”

After a sluggish first 30 minutes, the Bruins used a 12-3 spurt late in the second half to take an 11-point lead, their largest of the game.

Junior guard Malcolm Lee paced UCLA, pouring in eight of those 12 points and a season-high 25 for the game. Three other Bruins, including junior guard Jerime Anderson, finished with nine points or more.
Anderson sank two free throws with about 10 minutes left, and 21 seconds later hit a critical 3-pointer to break a 41-41 tie, sparking the Bruins’ second-half run.

“We were just trying to attack (the zone),” Anderson said. “Once the game gets into the second half, you get more comfortable, and you see more things.”

Lee followed Anderson’s five points with an emphatic fast-break dunk, and after a 3-pointer from Oregon forward Joevan Catron, the decisive 12-3 run began.

As it turned out, the Bruins contained the standout senior Catron, who scored only 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

UCLA was also aided by the absence of sophomore forward E.J. Singler, who played only 17 minutes because of foul trouble.

Singler, who led the Ducks with 15 points in the last contest against the Bruins, was held to nine on Thursday.

But there were also steps backward for UCLA.

After a 19-point breakout performance Saturday, freshman forward Josh Smith reverted back to his old bad habits, picking up his fourth foul with just under 10 minutes to play.

UCLA also struggled early on against the Oregon zone, shooting only 35 percent en route to a three-point halftime deficit.

But Anderson sees reason for optimism following the team’s eighth win in its last nine games.

“Sometimes we play in spurts,” he said. “But when we’re on, we’re on. So hopefully we can stay on.”



Click on boxscore to enlarge (from Yahoo Sports)