UCLA overcomes slow start to defeat ASU 71-53

Junior guard Lazeric Jones had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists in the Bruins’ 71-53 win over the Sun Devils on Thursday. UCLA will now play Pac-10 leader Arizona on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. Photo Dana Wall Daily Bruin

Arizona State eclipsed at Pauley Pavilion as the UCLA men's basketball team shakes off another lethargic start to win 71-53

By MATT STEVENS
The Daily Bruin
Published February 25, 2011 in Men's Basketball Sports
Updated: February 25, 2011, 7:41 AM



The Bruins did their best to emulate the slow start that plagued them in Berkeley last weekend. But against Arizona State Thursday, the UCLA men’s basketball team stormed back and left no question about the outcome.

No 3-point buzzer-beater needed for overtime.

No overtime needed at all.

“I guess we got a kind of newsflash and everyone started playing harder,” junior guard Lazeric Jones said.

Riding a 30-8 run into halftime, UCLA overcame an early 12-point deficit to cruise past the Sun Devils 71-53 at Pauley Pavilion after another sluggish start.

The Bruins (20-8, 11-4 Pac-10) woke up down 12 with nine minutes to play in the first half after sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt nailed a 3-pointer out of a timeout. Junior guard Malcolm Lee responded immediately on the defensive end, anticipating a Sun Devil (10-17, 2-13) pass and floating the ball to a streaking Jones, who slammed it home and brought the Den to its feet.

Two minutes later, UCLA assistant coach Scott Garson was off the bench, clapping his hands and his players’ backs, pleased that the game was knotted at 21 going into another timeout.

The Bruins didn’t look back from there.

“We were patient and when we moved the ball we got good shots,” coach Ben Howland said. “That was key. This team does a good job fighting back.”

The 18-point win was UCLA’s second largest margin of victory this season.

During the early-game struggles however, the Bruins showed signs of their bad habits.

UCLA was hesitant attacking the zone, and missed four-of-six 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes. Front-court players were boxed out and freshman center Joshua Smith struggled to finish near the basket.

But at the 11:08 mark, Sun Devil standout Ty Abbott picked up his third foul and would sit until the 16:52 mark in the second half. Arizona State scored once more before UCLA took a timeout – the precursor to the 12-0 run that would tie the game.

Similar early-game struggles could doom the Bruins against No. 10 Arizona on Saturday.

The conference-leading Wildcats fell in an upset loss at USC Thursday night, making Saturday’s contest all the more critical. With the Arizona loss and the UCLA win, the Bruins are one game back of Arizona for the conference lead, and the team can earn a share of first place with a win in their final game at Pauley before the arena closes for construction.

“It’s going to be the most important game of the season,” Honeycutt said.

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Arizona State guard Trent Lockett battles UCLA forward Reeves Nelson (22) for the ball during the second half of Thursday's game. UCLA won, 71-53. Photo ALEX GALLARDO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hot-shot Bruins on target again
By ADAM MAYA
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 24, 2011 11:08 p.m.


LOS ANGELES - UCLA has recently been living on the edge … of the 3-point line.
The Bruins, who made a season-high 10 3-pointers in a loss to Cal, stayed hot from behind the arc with eight more Thursday. That was more than enough for a 71-53 Bruins' victory against Arizona State at Pauley Pavilion.

Combine that with a stellar defensive effort and the Bruins earned their most lopsided Pac-10 victory of the season. But a poor start against the Pac-10's worst team left Coach Ben Howland far from comfortable with his team's performance.

“This doesn't feel like an 18-point win to me,” Howland said. “It just didn't feel like it. I'm glad we were at home today.”

On Saturday, UCLA (20-8, 11-4) plays host to first-place Arizona (23-5, 12-3), whose loss to USC left the Bruins just one game back heading into the regular-season finale. UCLA, which has won 11 of its past 13 games, lost at Arizona, 85-74, in January.

A year ago at this time the Bruins were about to finish a 14-18 season and fifth-place finish in the Pac-10.

“It goes back to right after last season ended, the returning players made a big commitment,” forward Reeves Nelson said. “We all know that UCLA basketball doesn't belong in the middle of the Pac-10 or out of the NCAA Tournament.”

Saturday also marks the final game at Pauley until the 2012-13 season.

“It's the most important game of the season,” forward Tyler Honeycutt said. “We don't want to let ourselves down.”

Guard Malcolm Lee led all scorers with 16 points, guard Lazeric Jones had 10 points and 10 assists, and Nelson had 12 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

Nowhere was UCLA's all-around effort more evident than the fact that five Bruins (and no Sun Devils) reached double digits in points.

“It's really a big number because it means a lot of our team is playing well,” Jones said. “Everyone was going after it.”

UCLA committed just nine turnovers, and 22 of its 26 baskets were assisted. The 22 assists were a season high.

“We were patient, we moved the ball and got good shots,” Howland said.

The Bruins, who came into its tilt with the Sun Devils shooting just 33.6 percent on 3-pointers, made 8 of 19 from behind the arc.

The last time UCLA played Arizona State (10-17, 2-13), the Bruins blew a 15-point second half lead before prevailing in overtime. That lull against the Sun Devils reared its head during the first half. The Bruins went seven minutes without a field goal, as ASU built up a 15-4 lead.

The Bruins fell behind 21-9 but responded with a 14-0 run.

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UCLA overcomes slow start to defeat ASU
By Jon Gold, Staff Writer
Posted: 02/24/2011 10:32:13 PM PST


After coming out asleep in the first half of its four-point overtime loss to Cal last Sunday, the UCLA men's basketball team vowed to set the tone early against Arizona State on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Only the guitar was missing two strings, the strings that were left were made out of glass, and the whole thing was painfully out of tune.

The Bruins shot 1 for 10 to start the game as the Sun Devils got easy baskets, making 7 of 8 shots to take an 11-point lead.

But it was nothing to fret over, as the Bruins atoned for a brutal first 10 minutes with a brilliant run, closing the first half with a 30-8 spurt before going on to the 71-53 win, their 11 th in 13 games.

"This doesn't feel like an 18-point win," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "I'm really happy we won by 18, but it just didn't feel like it."

For 10 minutes, UCLA wasn't just out of sorts, it was bankrupt.

There might as well have been a brick wall in front of the UCLA rim, built by the Bruins themselves. The Bruins missed more gimmes than a down-on-his-luck golfer. UCLA started 6 of 20, easy layups looking like half-court heaves.

First the Bruins got frustrated, then they got irritated, then they got downright upset.

When freshman center Joshua Smith threw down a haymaker dunk as the first-half was about to expire - receiving an emphatic chest-bump from teammate Reeves Nelson as the team walked off the court - the Bruins had made 7 of 8 and capitalized on several Sun Devils turnovers.

UCLA's Joshua Smith dunks after getting past Arizona State's Carrick Felix during the first half of the Bruins' 71-53 victory Thursday. (Christina House / For The LA Times / February 24, 2011)

"Whenever Josh dunks - especially when he's body to body with a guy - it's going to get us all hyped up," Nelson said. "I was glad he fought for position and executed the play. It was good to score into halftime. It gave us a good vibe going into the locker room."

The Bruins kept the momentum rolling, stretching the lead to as much as 20 midway through the second half against the smaller Sun Devils (10-17, 2-13).

The biggest culprits? Sound passing and even better defense.

UCLA (20-8, 11-4) clamped down on Arizona State, forcing the Sun Devils to the perimeter and outside of the paint, making just 9 of 22 shots in the second half. The Bruins benefitted from Arizona State's stagnant offense, forcing 16 turnovers and racking up 11 fast-break points and a season-high 22 assists, including 10 by junior point guard Lazeric Jones, with zero turnovers, to go along with 10 points.

Jones was one of five Bruins in double-figures, as junior guard Malcolm Lee led the way with 16. Honeycutt added 13 points and three 3-pointers, and Smith and Nelson each scored 12. No Sun Devil hit the 10-point mark, with Chanse Creekmur leading the team with nine.

"We did a good job to start the first five minutes of the second half," Howland said. "They cut it to nine, but we fought back and took a nice lead. ... We were up 20 and had a couple turnovers that led to some baskets. I called a timeout up 15, my fourth of the game. That was a tough game. Tough for me, anyway."

It doesn't get any easier Saturday.

In fact, it might just be the biggest game of the season for the Bruins.

Arizona comes into Pauley Pavilion - the last game at the venerated arena for a year, as it will be renovated next season - on Saturday, and UCLA expects the Wildcats to be fuming after they lost to USC on Thursday night.

With a UCLA win, the Bruins and Wildcats would be tied for first in the Pac-10 at 12-4.

"Coach always says that the next game is the most important, and this is definitely the case," Nelson said. "Arizona is a great team and we have a chance to be tied for first, last game in the old Pauley, so I think everyone knows how important it is."


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