Sunday, January 29, 2012

Bruins maul Buffaloes 77-60

UCLA guard Lazeric Jones, left, goes up for a shot as Colorado guard Nate Tomlinson defends during the second half of their NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Los Angeles. Jones (team high 17 pts plus 9 assists), Travis Wear, Tyler Lamb and David Wear all score in double figures, and the Bruins have a season-high 26 assists as UCLA upsets the Buffaloes, who were tied for first in the Pac-12. UCLA won 77-60.

UCLA basketball brings strong second half to defeat Colorado, 77-60

Daily Bruin in Men's BasketballSports
Published January 28, 2012, 6:25 pm


The Sports Arena, for a day, felt like the home of the Bruins.

The Bruins, for a day, resembled the team that was supposed to be nationally ranked and picked to win the Pac-12.

Colorado, which entered the game tied for first place in the conference, couldn’t handle UCLA’s inside-out style of basketball Saturday afternoon at the Sports Arena.

The Bruins’ 77-60 win was as important a victory as they’ve had all year. It also topped off their rude welcome to the Pac-12’s newcomers. UCLA completed a two-game sweep back at home after a 76-49 stomping of Utah on Thursday.

“I think we built momentum off the Utah game,” sophomore guard Tyler Lamb said. “This game, this is the biggest win for us this year besides Arizona. … As good as my teammates came out here and played, I think we can build from it.”

A rowdy crowd of 9,253 came to watch the Saturday afternoon game, 3,000 more than UCLA’s previous attendance high at the Sports Arena, its home-away-from-home for a season.

The crowd had something to cheer about, and the fans were at their loudest at the end of the first half. Consecutive triples from Lamb and freshman guard Norman Powell just before halftime swiftly turned a two-point deficit into a 40-36 lead going into the locker room.

“I think our players were very enthused by the support of our fans,” coach Ben Howland said. “This was by far the best crowd we’ve had at the Sports Arena this year.”

For as hot as UCLA (12-9, 5-4 Pac-12) was in the first half – shooting 58 percent from the field – the Bruins sustained their play after the break. They disrupted numerous Colorado possessions, forcing six steals and blocking four shots in the second half. Their offense remained impressive, shooting 62 percent to pull away from Colorado (14-7, 6-3).

The lead jumped to 10, and not even a timeout by Howland after a made basket was going to stop the Bruins from letting it get to as much as 19.

It was a far cry from their second half one week ago against Oregon, when they couldn’t sustain their first-half rhythm and quickly blew a 13-point halftime lead.

“Our intensity picked up a little in the second half,” redshirt sophomore forward David Wear said. “There’s been a couple times where our intensity dipped off in the second half. It was good to come up with that much intensity – really talking about our defense and not allowing any second shots.”

Not only did the Bruins not fade in the second half, they were even more efficient. For the second straight game, UCLA shot better after halftime than before.

The Bruins also shot 3-pointers efficiently, going nine-for-13 from distance a game after going nine-of-16. The pair of threes just before halftime gave them six for the first half. UCLA was averaging 5.2 3-pointers per game this season.

Lamb led UCLA with three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, six assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Howland called it Lamb’s best game in two seasons as a Bruin.

Senior guard Lazeric Jones had 17 points and nine assists, while the Bruins had a season-high 26 assists, on 31 made baskets.

The Bruins looked to their big men in the post early and often, as they have throughout their up-and-down season. But their outside shots were falling when the post wasn’t an option, keeping the Buffaloes on their heels and giving the Bruins all kinds of freedom.

The numbers reflected their complete play; UCLA finished with 32 points in the paint and 27 points off 3-pointers.

“We were just out there playing off the flow,” Lamb said. “We were taking what we were given. When the bigs were open we were hitting them and they were finishing. When they were being pressured we were kicking the ball back out.”

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Seniors lead UCLA basketball in stepping up to beat Colorado

Article Tab: UCLA forward Travis Wear puts up a shot as Colorado's Austin Dufault, left, and Andre Roberson defend during the second half of a game Saturday in Los Angeles. UCLA won, 77-60.UCLA forward Travis Wear puts up a shot as Colorado's Austin Dufault, left, and Andre Roberson defend during the second half of a game Saturday in Los Angeles. UCLA won, 77-60. Photo MARK J. TERRILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Daily Bruin in Men's Basketball, Sports
Published January 28, 2012, 6:58 pm               

In a 77-60 win over Colorado at the Sports Arena, UCLA’s duo of senior point guards looked like senior point guards.

It’s no coincidence that what could have been the Bruins’ best win of the season was paired with 17 assists between Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson. As a team, the Bruins’ 26 assists were the most in a game since 2006 when the likes of Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo were dishing the ball.

With Jones contributing nine and Anderson eight, sophomore Tyler Lamb wasn’t going to be undone and added six of his own. After the game, coach Ben Howland raved about his team’s ability to share the ball.

“I thought we were making the extra pass,” Howland said. “It’s fun to watch. That’s how basketball is meant to be played.”

True to form, Howland wasn’t wholly satisfied.

“We could have had 30 assists but we missed some gimmes,” he said.

He wasn’t the only one. Jones – who has started to take fewer shots over the past two games in favor of finding an open teammate – pored over the stat sheet during the post-game press conference.

“I had four turnovers,” he said when prompted for what stood out to him. “That’s not good at all. Nine assists looked good until I saw four turnovers. I can’t do that. I have to take better care of the ball.”

Nonetheless, UCLA secured another Pac-12 homestand sweep with two blowout wins this weekend. The real challenge will be winning on the road in Washington next weekend as the Bruins have not won a game outside of Southern California all year. The team will have a rare two-day break before returning to practice Tuesday.

Brown shut down
Colorado senior guard Carlon Brown led the Buffs in scoring coming into Saturday’s contest with 13.4 points per game. Howland charged Lamb with the task of guarding Brown and Lamb accepted the challenge as he’s done all season. Brown finished with just six points and Howland was quick to point out that two of those points came while Lamb was on the bench.

“I’ve known (Brown) ever since I was in middle school,” Lamb said of the pair’s Inland Empire upbringing. “I’ve known what he’s capable of. He’s a very good player. I knew I was going to have to stop him.”

Home sweet home
The “home” crowd of 9,253 at the Bruins’ temporary downtown venue was the largest this season. Both Howland and his players credited the crowd for contributing to the win.
“Our fans came out and supported us and we fed off it a little bit,” Jones said. “They helped us today. It was really great.”

The one that got away
Colorado freshman guard Spencer Dinwiddie contributed nine points in the loss Saturday. Dinwiddie went to Taft High in Woodland Hills but was not recruited heavily by Howland and his staff, something the ninth-year coach said he regrets.
“He’s going to be a great player,” Howland said. “That was a huge mistake on my part. Watching him, I’m kicking myself. He comes from a great family. You make some mistakes sometimes in recruiting and that was a definite mistake.”

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Sophomore guard Tyler Lamb reacts after a UCLA scoring run in the second half. UCLA outscored Colorado 37-24 in the second half. Photo Daily Bruin, Evan Luxenberg

 Lamb helps UCLA bring Colorado to a stop

By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Jan. 28, 2012 Updated: 9:04 p.m.


LOS ANGELES – UCLA guard Tyler Lamb and Colorado backcourt ace Carlon Brown go way back.

"I've known him since middle school," Lamb said of his former AAU club teammate.


Saturday afternoon, Lamb redefined the term "close friends."

Lamb's smothering defense all but totally shut down Brown, the Buffalos' leading scorer, setting the tone in a convincing 77-60 UCLA victory over Pac-12 co-leader Colorado at the Sports Arena.

Lamb held Brown to one field goal, none in the game's final 26 minutes-plus, and had team-highs in steals (3) and rebounds (7) plus a blocked shot on afternoon in which the Bruins limited Colorado to 34.8 percent shooting from the field in a second half in which UCLA led by 19.

Lamb, the sophomore out of Mater Dei High, was just as impressive on the offensive end, connecting on 3 of 5 shots from behind the 3-point arc on the way to 13 points while also handing out six assists.

"His best game as a Bruin," UCLA coach Ben Howland said of Lamb's performance.


The victory kept UCLA (12-9 overall, 5-4) within two games of the Pac-12 lead at the halfway point of a conference race that so far has failed to produce a front-runner.

"That was a very solid win for us against a very good team," Howland said.

The question now is can UCLA replicate the form it showed against Colorado (14-7, 6-3) and in blowing out Utah 76-49 Thursday night on the road?

UCLA travels to Washington on Thursday and then Washington State on Saturday.

The Bruins have only two road triumphs this season: a 92-60 victory against tiny Chaminade Nov. 21 on Maui and a 66-47 romp Jan. 15 against USC, the only team winless in Pac-12 play. Washington is tied with Cal and Oregon atop the Pac-12 in the loss column, and the Bruins haven't won at Hec Edmundson Pavilion since 2004, and the Huskies are 10-6 in the rivalry since then.

UCLA over the weekend at least addressed an area that proved fatal in losses at Oregon State and Oregon a week earlier: the Bruins failure to put two quality halves together.

The Bruins didn't panic when Colorado jumped to a 9-2 to open the game. UCLA came back with an 18-1 run of its own to take a 26-16 lead on a Norman Powell 3-point jumper and then counter a second Colorado run with 3-point jumpers from Lamb and Powell at the end of the half to take a 40-36 lead into halftime.

"We knew they were a good team, we just needed to stay calm," UCLA's David Wear said. "We knew this was going to be a game of runs and they made their run and then we made our run and we never really looked back after that."

Four Bruins scored in double figures led by guard Lazeric Jones with 17. Travis Wear added 14 points, his twin brother David 11. Bruins point guard Jerime Anderson had eight assists on a day when he, Jones and Lamb combined for 23 assists. UCLA's 26 assists were the most by a Bruins team since 2006.

But more than anything it was Lamb's defensive intensity that stood out Saturday. Brown came into the game averaging 14.1 points per game in Pac-12 play. Saturday through the game's first 13 minutes he had as many turnovers and shot attempts (1).

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UCLA's Travis Wear reacts after scoring and drawing a foul during the second half against Colorado. TWear finished with 14 pts, 7 rbds, 1 assist, 2 stls and a block. Photo MARK J. TERRILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

 UCLA spreads work around in 77-60 rout of Colorado


Lazeric Jones, Travis Wear, Tyler Lamb and David Wear all score in double figures, and the Bruins have a season-high 26 assists as UCLA upsets the Buffaloes, who were tied for first in the Pac-12.


By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
6:25 PM PST, January 28, 2012


Those at the Sports Arena can tell the grandkids that they were there the day UCLA upset Colorado … in basketball.

Such is the way the go-figure Pac-12 Conference has played out thus far this season. Colorado entered the game tied for first place. UCLA wandered in seventh, trying to gain some traction.

The 77-60 victory had to restore some order to the college basketball world, at least in the eyes of Bruins fans. This was again UCLA, the school of Alcindor and Walton, against Colorado, school of Meely … Cliff Meely … All-American in 1971?

The Bruins (12-9 overall, 5-4 in conference play) methodically buried the Buffaloes (14-7, 6-3) in the second half, turning a 40-36 halftime lead into a rout with a series of second-half runs.

Lazeric Jones had 17 points, Travis Wear 14, Tyler Lamb 13 and David Wear 11 in a share-the-wealth type performance. The Bruins had a season-high 26 assists.

"That's how basketball is meant to be played," Coach Ben Howland said. "I love it that our players get joy out of making a pass that leads to a play."

When the slicing-and-dicing was done, UCLA had a two-game winning streak to take on the road. The Bruins play Thursday at Washington, where they haven't since 2004, and at Washington State on Saturday.

"Beating a team like this shows we can be in [the race]," Jones said. "If we continue to do that, who knows where we'll end up."

The Bruins play five of the six teams ahead of them in the standings during the second half of conference play.

"Not having to travel to play those teams is a huge bonus for us," David Wear said. "We focused against Colorado. As long as we do that, we can expect the same results against those [other] teams as well."

Colorado, which has won five of its conference games in altitude in Boulder, jumped to a 12-4 lead, then seemed to tire in the thick air.

Lamb and Norman Powell sank back-to-back three-pointers to give UCLA a 40-36 lead at the half. The Bruins made the second half a clinic on both ends.

"Whenever you're getting stops on defense, it's definitely a momentum booster," Lamb said. "It gets everybody up more when you're going down and stopping teams. Then you come down and score and everything starts snowballing."

Lamb was a big part of that roll down hill. He held Carlon Brown — the Buffaloes' leading scorer — to six points, nine below his average.

"I think he scored one basket on Tyler," Howland said. "He did a tremendous, awesome job."

Said Lamb: "I've known [Brown] since I was in middle school. We actually played on the same AAU team a couple times. I know what he is capable of. Coach Howland stressed to me that I was going to have to stop him."

Colorado shot 34.8% in the second half.

On offense, the Bruins were meticulous. Jones had nine assists, Jerime Anderson eight and Lamb six. Colorado came in leading the conference in field-goal percentage defense (38.8%). UCLA shot 59.6% and made nine of 13 three-pointers.

"We're going to enjoy this one," Howland said. "It's nice for our players. It will be 72 hours and 20 minutes before we practice again."
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Bruins forward Travis Wear fouls Colorado center Shane Harris-Tunks as he tries to block his shot in the first half Saturday afternoon at the Sports Arena. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / January 28, 2012)

UCLA 77, COLORADO 60: Bruins have spring in their step in defeating Buffaloes


The Los Angeles Daily News
Updated: 01/28/2012 11:09:45 PM PST



Maybe it was just the shoes, but UCLA head coach Ben Howland sure did seem to have some extra pep in his step on Saturday afternoon.

Sporting sneakers to support the fight against cancer to go along with his suit, Howland was springier than a well-coiled Slinky; still wound just as tight, but ready to let loose.

His players had a little extra bounce, too.

Playing against one of the hottest teams in the conference, it was UCLA that heated up, shooting 59.6 percent in a 77-60 win over Colorado in front of 9,253 at the Sports Arena.

"(Former UCLA head coach and current St. John's head coach Steve Lavin) went to the sneakers and stayed in them the rest of the way last year," Howland said with a smile. "I like it, too. Feels better on my feet."

The Bruins were better off them.

Their feet, that is, as UCLA converted alley-oop after alley-oop, putting on a show for what was certainly the best home crowd of the year at the Sports Arena.

Already up seven but coming off a 3-pointer by Colorado's Nate Tomlinson with just less than 14 minutes remaining, the Bruins went on a 13-3 run, capped off by a Jerime Anderson-to-Travis Wear alley-oop dunk, stretching the lead to 17 with 8 minutes, 44 seconds to play.

"Defensive stops - whenever we're getting stops it definitely is a momentum booster," sophomore guard Tyler Lamb said. "It gets everybody up more and then you come down and score, it all starts snowballing.

We were in the huddle and we were communicating in timeouts, coach Howland was asking us what we thought would work and our senior guards stepped up a lot."

Senior guard Lazeric Jones had a team-high 17 points and nine assists, Anderson added eight points and eight assists and Lamb added 12 points and six assists as UCLA finished with 26 on the afternoon. The sharp passing helped the Bruins erase an early deficit that was plagued by sloppiness.

The Buffaloes (14-7, 6-3 Pac-12) got off to a nice start in their first matchup with UCLA (12-9, 5-4) as a conference opponent, jumping ahead 12-4 as the Bruins committed four quick turnovers. UCLA climbed back, took the lead with 12:27 left and eventually went into halftime up by four, courtesy of a Norman Powell 3-pointer as the first half expired.

What changed so drastically for the Bruins in the second half? They picked up their defensive intensity.

After letting Colorado shoot 56 percent in the first half on 15-of-27 shooting, UCLA held the Buffaloes, who came into the game with nine wins in their past 11, to 34.8 percent shooting in the second half and ran away with it.

"Our intensity picked up a little in the second half," said David Wear, who finished with 13 points. "There've been a couple times where our intensity dipped off in the second half. It was good to come up with that much intensity, really talking about our defense, not allowing any second shots."

Howland credited Lamb with a standout effort as UCLA held Colorado's leading scorer Carlon Brown - who had been averaging 13.6 points per game - to just six points in 31 minutes, with two assists and three of the team's 14 turnovers.

"I really thought Tyler Lamb played great defense on Brown," Howland said. "He's a great player, and Tyler Lamb deserves a lot of credit for how he played. Thirteen points, six assists - I thought this was one of his best games as a Bruin."

Added Lamb: "Carlon Brown, I've known him since I was in middle school - I played on his AAU team a couple times. I've known what he was capable of. He's a very good player. Coach stressed that I would have to stop him and I tried my best."

What had Howland really excited as his Bruins prepare for a tough two-game road set in Washington against the Huskies and Cougars was the team's passing, though.

"We were really, really making the extra pass," Howland said. "It's fun to watch. That's how basketball is supposed to be played. I love that our players get joy out of making that play. The funnest thing on offense is to watch a pass that leads to a wide-open shot. I love that as much as anything."
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Five Observations: UCLA 77, Colorado 60

By Peter Yoon
ESPNLA.com, UCLA Report
January, 28, 2012 5:37 PM PT

Anthony Stover, Travis Wear
Anthony Stover, left, and Travis Wear helped a strong UCLA defense in a victory over Colorado. Photo Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US Presswire



LOS ANGELES -- Some wins mean more than others.

UCLA coach Ben Howland will tell you that every win is equally important, but his body language and enthusiasm said something different after the Bruins defeated Colorado in convincing fashion, 77-60, Saturday in a Pac-12 game at the Sports Arena.

This victory meant more simply because it came against a team that was tied for first in the Pac-12 and it helped erase doubts that UCLA could, in fact, pull out a victory against an upper-tier conference team. UCLA's last three wins had come against conference cellar-dwellers Utah, USC and Arizona State, but the Bruins (12-9, 5-4) stayed afloat in the conference race with the victory over Colorado (14-7, 6-3).

"I was very enthused," Howland said. "I knew this was a big game for us to get us back above .500 in the conference against a good Colorado team that has been playing extremely well. That was a very solid win for us against a very good team."

Five observations from the game:

1The Bruins turned up the defense in the second half

UCLA held a slim, 40-36 halftime lead, but ran away from the Buffaloes in the second half thanks to a defense that held Colorado to 34.8 percent shooting from the field after the break. Colorado had shot 55.6 percent in the first half, but went a stretch of nearly nine minutes midway through the second half with only one field goal as the Bruins took a 69-50 lead with 5:25 to play.

"I think our defensive intensity picked up in the second half which was nice because there’s been a couple of times this year when our defensive intensity has dipped off in the second half," forward David Wear said. "So it was good to come out with that intensity, really talking on defense and getting into our rotations and not allowing any second shots."

The Bruins had 10 steals in the game with six of those coming in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Bruins set the defensive tone after coming out of the locker room by getting their hands in the passing lanes, making it difficult for Colorado to in-bound the ball and forcing the Buffaloes to use up most of the shot clock.

"We just did a better job buckling down," Howland said.

2UCLA's offense was very efficient

The Bruins were a well-oiled machine on offense, shooting a season-best 59.6 percent from the field for the game and getting 26 assists with only 12 turnovers. And this against the team that entered the game holding opponents to a Pac-12 leading 38.8 percent shooting.

UCLA had four players reach double figures in scoring -- Lazeric Jones with 17, Travis Wear with 14, Tyler Lamb with 13 and David Wear with 11 -- while Jerime Anderson and Joshua Smith each had eight.

The 26 assists were a season high and the most for UCLA since Dec. 31, 2006, against Washington.

"I thought we were really making the extra pass," Howland said. "It was so exciting and fun to watch. That’s how basketball is meant to be played and I love that our players get joy out of making the pass that leads to the play."

It was the second consecutive game that the Bruins set a season best in field goal percentage and the fifth time in six games that the Bruins have shot over 50 percent. They are now shooting 50.4 percent in Pac-12 games -- second in the conference. Over the last seven games, UCLA is shooting 52.5 percent.

"We’re executing better and better as the season progresses," Howland said. "We really went back to work on it after the first road trip in conference."

3Tyler Lamb is officially out of his slump

Lamb had one of the best all-around games of his career with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals all the while holding Colorado leading scorer Carlon Brown to only six points.

He was 5-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and is ready to put behind a rough two-week stretch in which he went 4-for-18 against USC, Oregon State and Oregon.

"I thought Tyler Lamb did a tremendous, awesome job today," Howland said. "He had one of his best games as a Bruin because it was an all around game."

Lamb credited his teammates and family for helping him get through his rough stretch.

"My teammates kept it positive," he said. "They just always said keep playing hard, keep shooting. They didn’t lose any trust in me and my family helped me a lot. Everybody played a big role in getting me out of that slump and it’s been great."

Lamb, who had 10 points, four assists and three steals on 4-for-7 shooting Thursday against Utah, said the key was to slow down on the court.

"I think I was rushing," Lamb said. "I can tell when I let the game come to me and I can tell when I’m pressing. I think when I was in the slump, I was looking to press more and hurry up and get myself out of it but as of late I’ve just been letting the game come to me and take what’s given and it’s worked for me."

4Three-point shooting was an effective weapon

The Bruins made 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) of their 3-pointers, many of them coming at key junctures to stop Colorado runs. Lamb and Norman Powell hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give UCLA a 40-36 halftime lead after Colorado had taken a 35-34 lead with 1:36 left in the half.

Colorado made a last-ditch comeback effort and closed a 66-49 UCLA lead to 69-56 with 4:13 to play, but Lamb and David Wear made 3-pointers to seal the UCLA victory.

"I thought we were patient," Jones said. "We made good decisions and that’s basically it. When we're driving and penetrating to pass and to set each other up, things open up a lot."

UCLA is not known as a particularly good 3-point shooting team, so it's surprising to note that the Bruins are leading the Pac-12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 44 percent in conference games. They were shooting only 30 percent when the season began, but have become more efficient.

Against Utah and Colorado, the Bruins were a combined 18 of 29 (62 percent) on three-pointers. Howland credited better shot selection.

"I like our ratio of how many threes we’re taking versus how many shots we’re taking overall," Howland said. "Part of it is we’re not taking as many. We were taking too many early in the season."

5The Sports Arena came alive

For the first time at the Sports Arena, it felt as if UCLA had a home-court advantage. Attendance on Saturday was announced at 9,253 -- a season high even including games at the Honda Center.

Before Saturday, the Sports Arena had felt dull with an average announced attendance of 4,640, but an actual attendance that was far lower than that. When that crowd size doubled Saturday, the building finally had some energy and even got loud at times.

"Our players were very enthused by the support of our fans and the students today," Howland said. "That was nice."

Jones said the crowd played a role in the victory.

"Our fans came out and really supported us," he said. "We fed off of it a little bit. They felt when we were getting runs. They really helped us."
Boxscore (Yahoo.com)

Saturday, January 28, 2012

UCLA senior guards excel with a little extra rest

Thanks to howlandforprez for posting this on BZ.

UCLA senior guards excel with a little extra rest


Bruins seniors Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson played fewer minutes but made big contributions in Thursday's rout of Utah. Coach Ben Howland says he'll try a similar game plan against Colorado.



By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
3:45 PM PST, January 27, 2012




UCLA Coach Ben Howland used two words to summarize the Bruins' performance against Utah on Thursday.

"Senior guards," Howland said.

Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson pushed the Bruins to a 76-49 victory over the lowly Utes, an example of less being more. The two guards logged heavy minutes in Oregon last week, but were able to catch their breath more Thursday.

Anderson played 29 minutes and made five of six shots, scoring 13 points. Jones played 32 minutes, finishing with seven points, six rebounds and six assists.

That will be the blueprint again Saturday, when the Bruins play Colorado at the Sports Arena.

"Some of it was a conscious effort, trying to keep everyone fresh in the game, and we'll continue to do that," Howland said. "Some of it was we were up by 25."

Jones averaged 36 minutes in the five previous games. He had one assist in 36 minutes against Oregon.

"He'll get fatigued, like anybody, and won't be quite as sharp as you need him to be," Howland said. "When he's playing more than 34 minutes, mistakes creep in."

Jones was nearly mistake-free against Utah and kept UCLA's offense fluid. Jones' six rebounds were on the defensive end, helping him to control tempo. He took only six shots, his fewest since taking five against Michigan on Nov. 23.

"It just goes to show you that Zeek is not playing for Zeek; Zeek is playing for UCLA," Howland said. "He did a great job sharing the ball. He was really being unselfish."

Anderson played, "maybe his best game at UCLA," Howland said. Anderson has made 19 of his last 28 shots, but he felt a difference in Thursday's game while playing less than 30 minutes for the first time in seven games.

"I just took what they gave me," Anderson said. "My teammates found me at open spots, and I just tried to take open shots and just get the ball to the right guy."

Howland said solid play from freshman Norman Powell allowed him to share the playing time.

"I was most pleased with Norman's defensive effort" Thursday, Howland said. "He did a good job fighting over the top of screens."

Wear and tear

Another advantage to routing Utah was clear to forward David Wear.

"We're not as beat up," Wear said. "We won't have to spend as much time in the training room getting treatments. We were able to rest our legs."

Wear still has pain in his right knee, which he injured against Oregon, Howland said. But he was able to practice during the week and played 24 minutes, scoring 13 points, against Utah.

The Bruins only other medical problems were related to illness, Howland said. Center Joshua Smith and Anderson are sick but will play against Colorado.

Getting Buff

Howland said he was not surprised by Colorado's success this season. The Buffaloes (14-6, 6-2 Pac-12 Conference) are in a four-way tie for first in the Pac-12.

Howland pointed out that Colorado set a school record with 24 victories last season.

"They are really good at picking and popping," Howland said, noting that Colorado inside players Austin Dufault and Andre Roberson are also "good outside shooters."

UCLA (11-9, 4-4) has a 2-8 record against Division I teams that had a winning record as of Friday.

Friday, January 27, 2012

UCLA Hosts Pac-12 Front-Runner Colorado

UCLA Hosts Pac-12 Front-Runner Colorado


 


        
Jan. 27, 2012

from the UCLA Men's Basketball website
LOS ANGELES -


UCLA Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader | Colorado Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader | 2011-12 Media Guide Get Acrobat Reader
Gametracker | Live Audio


GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 28, 2012
SITE: Los Angeles Sports Arena (15,000)
TIP-OFF: 1:02 p.m. (PT)
TV: Prime Ticket
TALENT: Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 93
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 190
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 4-1
SERIES AT UCLA: UCLA leads 4-0
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +1

SERIES VS. COLORADO
This is the sixth meeting between UCLA and Colorado with the Bruins leading the series 4-1. UCLA is 4-0 all-time in games contested in Los Angeles. The Bruins won the last meeting, 104-70 in Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 2, 1977. Raymond Townsend led the Bruins with a game-high 21 points as UCLA shot 42-of-52 from the foul line (both are still Pauley Pavilion records). Kiki Vandeweghe added 18 points for UCLA. Emmett Lewis led Colorado with 18 points. The Bruins' only loss to Colorado was in Boulder on Dec. 7, 1962 when the Buffaloes beat Coach John R. Wooden's team 82-60. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 0-0 against Colorado.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 368-190 (.659), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND HITS MILESTONES
Ben Howland won his 200th game at UCLA with the win over Utah (200-92, .685 at UCLA in his ninth season) on Jan. 26. He won his 100th Pac-12 game with the win at USC on Jan. 15 (101-51, .664).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward David Wear, who left the game in the final minutes at Oregon (Jan. 21) after hurting his left knee, had an MRI on Jan. 23, 2012. That MRI showed no significant injury (was negative) and he returned to practice on Monday, completing a full workout. He started against Utah (Jan. 26) and had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games. The Bruins are 10-5 in the last 15 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 15 games, Jones has averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.8 percent (78-for-160) from the field and 43.6 percent (24-for-55) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game seven times this season and they have done so in five of the last nine contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last seven games, David is averaging 13.0 points while Travis has averaged 14.9 points per game. David has shot 62.1 percent from the floor (36-for-58) while making all three of his three-point shots and draining 14-for-19 (.737) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 66.1 percent (41-for-62) from the field while sinking 22-for-25 (.880) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 77-for-120 (.642) from the field and 36-for-44 (.818) from the charity stripe.

2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.

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Bruins still need Joshua Smith to come up big

Bruins still need Joshua Smith to come up big

Center's inconsistent play this season pretty much mirrors that of the Bruins.


By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
7:29 PM PST, January 25, 2012


Coach Ben Howland sums up center Joshua Smith's value to the UCLA basketball team with a succinct statement:

"We need him," he said.

Exactly how much depends on which "him" shows up.

If it's the 6-foot-10 handful who made eight of 12 shots against Arizona State this month, the Bruins need him a lot.

If it's the 305-pound lump who a week later turned the ball over four times in 12 minutes against Oregon, well, not so much.

Similarly, UCLA's season has had its ups and downs. The Bruins are 10-9 overall, 3-4 in Pac-12 Conference play heading into Thursday night's game against Utah (5-15, 2-5) at the Sports Arena.

"None of us envisioned that this is where we'd be at," Smith said. "We were ranked 17th, we were the preseason pick to win the Pac-12, there was a lot of hype around us. We haven't lived up to the hype."

The same could be said about Smith — and he does.

"I wanted to be first-team all conference," Smith said. "I thought that was a goal I could attain."

Smith paused and laughed weakly. "It's not looking like that," he said. "But right now, I'm not playing for myself. I'm playing for the team."

Often, as Smith goes, so go the Bruins.

"His inside presence helps us so much," forward Travis Wear said. "He can score whenever he wants because he is so big. It opens shots for the guards. It opens up the rebounding for guys like me."

Smith had 18 points in a win against Arizona State, a night when he said he "felt ready." But he meandered in the three games since.

He was in foul trouble in an easy win against USC and was no factor in a loss to Oregon State. Then came a loss against Oregon, which Howland said was "as poor a game as he has played all year."

Afterward, Howland pointed out to Smith that he had been sixth on the team in shots. "He said I needed to be second," Smith recalled.

Smith is averaging 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds a game — down from last season's 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds. And his biggest games this season have come mostly against UCLA's weaker opponents.

A year ago, he had a breakout game against Kansas in which he had 17 points and 13 rebounds. This season, he had one point and one rebound against the Jayhawks.

The go-to reason for such performances, for fans and Howland, is conditioning. But Smith said that is not the case.

"It's funny, but I'm actually in better shape than I was last year," said Smith, who was selected to the conference's all-freshman team a year ago. "When I don't play well, the first thing people say is I'm out of shape."

Smith's mannerisms and body language are what caught the attention of senior point guard Jerime Anderson.

"It's a confidence thing," Anderson said. "After the Oregon game, he was telling me something is different and that he needed to make some changes to get back to where he was, and get better."

Smith brought ideas home from Oregon.

"Watching the Oregon game, I saw I was getting good position but I was rushing my shots," Smith said. "My footwork wasn't good. I wasn't reading guys."

Anderson said Smith needs to "be assertive."

"I have no issues with him demanding the ball," the Bruins playmaker said. "I have no issues passing up shots to get the ball inside to get him going."

When that happens, Anderson said, opponents have the issues.

"When he's posting up inside and aggressive to get the ball, that's when we're at our best as a team," Anderson said. "He can take us pretty far when he puts his mind to it."

Bruins looking for quality win vs. Colorado

Bruins looking for quality win vs. Colorado


By Peter Yoon
ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report
January, 27, 2012 5:08 PM PT

LOS ANGELES--UCLA got it's confidence-boosting victory, now it's time for a little morale booster.

Fresh off of Thursday's 75-49 drubbing of Utah, the Bruins face Colorado Saturday at the Sports Arena looking to make a statement that they can compete with the teams in the upper half of the conference standings and that they still intend to compete for the Pac-12 regular-season title.

So far UCLA has yet to show either of those things in conference play, but a victory over Colorado (14-6, 6-2 Pac-12), which is in a four-way tie for first place, would certainly fit the bill.

"We have a huge opportunity tomorrow against a very good team," coach Ben Howland said.

UCLA's last three victories certainly haven't put the Bruins back on the conference radar. Sure, UCLA (11-9, 4-4) won those games by an average margin of 20.6 points, but those games were against Arizona State (6-14), USC (5-16) and Utah (5-15), the only three teams in the conference without an overall winning record. Sandwiched in between those walkover wins was a disappointing road sweep at Oregon State (13-7, 3-5) and Oregon (15-5, 6-2)

The good news is that the Bruins are still only two games out of first place and the Pac-12 is still up for grabs. They have been in it to the end in three of their four losses and were only a point behind California at halftime in their other loss. The bad news is that UCLA has won only three games against Division I opponents with winning records this season.

They have Colorado and then a road trip to Washington (13-7, 6-2) and Washington State (11-9, 2-5) so now is the time to put up some resume-worthy victories.

"The Pac-12 is still wide open," center Joshua Smith said. "There’s not really a team that has defined themselves as the top team and a lot of the teams are winning home games. This is a big week for us to get above .500. Colorado is a pretty good team."

Colorado's emergence as a conference frontrunner is almost as surprising as UCLA's spot in the middle of the pack. The Buffaloes, in there first year in the conference, were picked 10th in the preseason poll, but have shown that last year's 24-win season and run to the NIT Final Four were no flukes.

They lead the conference in field goal percentage defense at 38.8 percent, are out-rebounding opponents by a conference-leading 6.4 rebounds per game and boast victories over Washington and Arizona this season.

"They’ve got good players, No. 1," Howland said. "They play real hard and execute their stuff. They’re a hard to play against. They’re doing a great job of playing man to man defense. And they’re tough. Coach [Tad] Boyle has done a great job."

Shooting guard Carlon Brown, a Utah transfer, leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game, but forwards Andre Roberson and Austin Dufault provide major matchup problems for the Bruins because of their ability to play inside and outside.

Roberson, a 6-7 sophomore, is leading the Pac-12 in rebounding with 11.1 per game--an average of three more than anyone else in the league--and Dufault, a 6-9 senior, is second on the team in scoring (11.1 points per game) and rebounding (4.9). He's also shooting 44.1 percent on three pointers.

"They’re both tough matchups," Howland said. "They’re hard because they can post up and play on the perimeter. They run a lot of sets for Roberson where they clear him out. He’ll drive you. They’re good players."

Freshman Spencer Dinwiddie is shooting 43.9 percent on three-point attempts and is the fourth Colorado player averaging in double figures scoring.

"We know that they are a very good team and I think if we just play 40 minutes of consistent high-pressure defense and we play smart offensively and make good decisions, I think that will help us a lot," forward David Wear said.

At this point it's probably too early to say that this is a must-win game for UCLA, but history shows that if UCLA wants to win the Pac-12 title, every game is a must-win for the rest of the season. UCLA's next conference loss would be its fifth and over the last 48 seasons, only Washington in 1984-85 and California in 2009-10 have won the regular-season title with five losses.

"Every win is important," Howland said. "We’re playing a lot of top teams coming up and this is the first of a number of them so every win is important."

So are more important than others.

UCLA bounces back, rolls over Utah 76-49

Sophomore center Joshua Smith contributed a total of 14 points in UCLA’s 76-49 victory over Utah, where the Bruins extended their 15-point halftime lead. Photo: Daily Bruin Blaine Ohigashi


UCLA bounces back, rolls over Utah



By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Published: Jan. 26, 2012 Updated: 11:37 p.m.


LOS ANGELES – Jerime Anderson's halftime speech to his UCLA teammates Thursday night was brief was to the point.

"Two words," the Bruins senior point guard recalled later. 

"The first was something I can't repeat. The second word was 'Oregon.'"

Anderson's speech was both a reminder of how the Bruins blew a game Saturday in Eugene and also a rallying cry for UCLA as it kept its foot on the gas in the second half and rolled over Utah, 76-49, at a less than two-thirds full Sports Arena on Thursday night.

UCLA (11-9, 4-4 Pac-12) turned a 15-point halftime lead into a 36-point advantage in the second half by shooting 73.7 percent from the field and maintaining its defensive intensity in the final 20 minutes.

"This game was a real confidence booster for us," forward David Wear said. "We focused for a full 40 minutes defensively."

Wear and the Bruins believe they can still get back into the Pac-12 race with a victory against Colorado (14-6, 6-2), one of four schools tied for the conference lead, on Saturday.

"With the Pac-12 still wide open this year," said UCLA center Joshua Smith, who led four Bruins in double figures with a game-high 14 points. "There's not really a team that has really established itself as a dominant team. We know this was a very big week for us."

The weekend looms even larger after UCLA wasted a pair of winnable games last weekend in the Willamette Valley. The 75-68 loss at Oregon was particularly difficult to get over after UCLA led by 15 late in the first half only to lose control of the game in the opening moments of the second half.

The memory was still fresh as UCLA took a 36-21 lead into the locker room Thursday after the Bruins broke the game open with a 14-4 run over the final 6:33 of the first half.

"We felt the first five minutes of the second half were really huge," said Coach Ben Howland, who picked up his 200th victory at UCLA. "I didn't talk about last Saturday (at halftime) but that was exactly what was going through my mind."

This time there was no let up.

After Utes center Jason Washburn scored the opening basket of the second half, the Bruins rattled off six quick consecutive points, capped by a David Wear 3-point jumper to go out, 42-23. Another Wear 3-pointer and a 3-point play by Jerime Anderson found the Bruins ahead, 53-32.

Moments later, UCLA sophomore guard Tyler Lamb picked up a steal on one end, and then nailed a 3-pointer on the other and then freshman guard Norman Powell converted another Utah turnover to stretch the gap to 58-32.

Anderson played what Howland characterized as his "best game as a Bruin," scoring 13, and adding three assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

David Wear finished with 13 points. Guard Tyler Lamb had 10 points, four assists and three steals on perhaps UCLA's most balanced game of the season. UCLA's other point guard, Lazeric Jones, scored just seven points but was still pivotal to the offense dishing out six assists.

But perhaps the most encouraging performance came from Smith, who rebounded from a disastrous game against Oregon in which he didn't score a field goal until the final 37.9 seconds of the loss.

"I thought he was really motivated after last week," Howland said.
  
______________________


Men’s basketball nets another home win against Utah, doesn’t let halftime lead slip away

Daily Bruin in Men's BasketballSports
Published January 27, 2012, 1:39 am                      


In its last game, the UCLA men’s basketball team mounted a 13-point halftime lead against Oregon only to see it quickly erased when the second half began.

Thursday at the Sports Arena, the Bruins built a 15-point halftime advantage and made sure that this one didn’t get away in a 76-49 win.

After last weekend’s debacle at Oregon, UCLA coach Ben Howland attributed the Bruins’ poor play to defensive issues.

Those issues were corrected, if only for a night. UCLA held Utah to 37 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3-point range.

“Guys played hard defensively for 40 minutes which is what we talked about going in,” Howland said after the game.

Redshirt sophomore forward David Wear had an explanation for the upshot in defensive effort.

“I think we focused for a full 40 minutes,” he said. “Our rotations were fast. We were talking and we were moving.”

Although the defense was improved, the Utes are one of the worst offensive teams in the conference. Utah (5-15, 2-6 Pac-12) ranks in the Pac-12’s bottom three teams in nearly every offensive statistical category.

UCLA scored 14 points off turnovers, five of them coming from steals and baskets at the other end by sophomore guard Tyler Lamb.

The Bruins opened the second half strong and their halftime lead of 15 quickly ballooned to 20 and beyond, making sure to not let the Utes back into the game as they did the Ducks.

“I told my team that we cannot let this happen again,” senior guard Jerime Anderson said. “I refuse to let it happen again for the rest of the year. If we have a lead like that, we have to control it.”

“That was one of the main things we talked about at halftime,” Wear added. “We can’t have another letdown like we did at Oregon. We knew we had to focus and come out with great intensity to not have another letdown.”

Sophomore center Joshua Smith bounced back from disappointing games in Oregon last weekend to finish with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and five rebounds. Smith showed marked progress from the Bruins’ last two games. He looked to be giving more effort on both ends of the floor, chasing a ball far out of bounds at one point in the second half.

“It’s just giving more effort,” Smith said. “I acknowledge I didn’t play my best against Oregon but coach just told us we have to play as hard as we can. That’s what I was trying to focus on, trying to play as hard as I could until a sub came.”

The game got so out of hand that UCLA’s walk-on unit checked in with more than four minutes to play.

Wear (13), Anderson (13) and Lamb (10) also scored in double figures for the Bruins.
UCLA (11-9, 4-4) now turns its attention to Colorado on Saturday. The Buffs started the conference season strong but have since cooled off.

Still, they’re one of six teams with a winning record in the conference and are coming off a 74-50 defeat of USC on Thursday. With a sweep of the Pac-12 newcomers, UCLA would remain perfect at home within the conference.

______________________


UCLA gets confidence boost with win over Utah

The Bruins benefit from a much stronger showing on defense in their 76-49 victory. Joshua Smith scores 14 points, while Jerime Anderson and David Wear both score 13.

By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
10:53 PM PST, January 26, 2012


This was a must-see game ... in 1983.

It was merely a get-well moment for UCLA on Thursday night.

The Bruins and Utah were NCAA tournament news the last time they played, when the Utes pulled off a second-round upset in 1983. But Utah star Pace Mannion is now 51 years old and both teams probably will be left strolling down memory lane rather than hitting the road to the Final Four this season.

So what transpired during UCLA's 76-49 Pac-12 Conference victory in the Sports Arena was more about renovation than revenge.

UCLA (11-9 overall, 4-4 in conference play) could not have asked for a better opponent against which to scrub clean memories from its 0-2 swing through Oregon last week.

Utah joined the Pac-12 this season and the welcome wagon was rolled out — and it continues to roll over the Utes (5-15, 2-6), who are 0-10 outside Salt Lake City this season.

Joshua Smith scored 14 points, while Jerime Anderson and David Wear both scored 13. UCLA shot 58.7% in what amounted to a extra practice session before its game Saturday against Colorado, which is in a four-way tie for first place.

“This was a real confidence booster for us,” Wear said.

The Utes have been a care package in high-tops for much of the season. They have been pummeled by Colorado (73-33) and California (81-45). The Bruins joined that crowd, taking control of the game with a 14-4 run that gave them a 36-21 lead at halftime.

The second half was more about group therapy.

The Bruins had a 13-point lead at Oregon on Saturday and collapsed in the second half. They pushed the lead to 20 points in the first four minutes of the second half Thursday.

UCLA shot 73.7% in the second half.

“I didn't talk about the Oregon game, but it was on my mind,” said Ben Howland, who picked up his 200th victory as UCLA's coach. “I told them to build on that lead, especially the first five minutes.”

The Bruins dissected the Utes from there.

Anderson made five of six shots in what Howland said was “one of the best games he has played at UCLA. He was very efficient.”

Smith, who stuck out like a 305-pound sore thumb in Oregon, was five of six from the field. He also had five rebounds and was an immovable object on defense.

“Josh can do that on offense every night,” Anderson said. “When he plays like he did on defense tonight, it definitely helps our team a lot.”

Smith entered the game with the score tied, 9-9, and scored four consecutive points to start a 17-8 run. He also got an offensive rebound to extend a possession that ended in a three-pointer by Anderson.

“Josh was a difference-maker for us tonight,” Howland said. “He was very motivated after last weekend.”

The Bruins were spectators on defense at Oregon State on Jan. 19 and gave up 51 second-half points to Oregon two nights later. Utah shot 37%, though the Utes did not have a player averaging in double figures after Josh Watkins was dismissed from the team last week.

“This was a good win for us,” Howland said. “The guys played well defensively for 40 minutes.”

The only down side for the Bruins was that they don't get another crack at Utah this season.

______________________


UCLA 76, UTAH 49: Bruins no longer blue, thanks to Utes' visit


Los Angeles Daily News
Updated: 01/26/2012 11:11:24 PM PST


Nothing quite boosts the confidence like stomping on a doormat.

The Pac-12 gave the UCLA mens basketball team a bit of a reprieve Thursday, a quick pick-me-up after what was a weekend to forget in Oregon.

The Bruins rebounded from back-to-back losses in the Beaver State with a 76-49 win over Utah on Thursday in front of 4,434 at the Sports Arena.

"This was a real confidence-booster for us," UCLA sophomore forward David Wear said. "To have two good days of practice and to carry it into the game from practice - we wanted to play 40 minutes without any letdown."

Heading into the matchup with the Utes, no Bruin was as blue as Joshua Smith.

The hulking sophomore center admitted to being in his own head in recent games, and adding a 6-foot-10, 300-pound behemoth to the opponent certainly can't help UCLA.
Good thing the Utes have only one player taller than 6-6.

But Smith stayed out of his own way and steamrolled Utah, finishing with a team-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting while tying for the team lead with six rebounds.

"Coach told us they weren't that big inside - they had the 6-10 dude but outside of that I think the next tallest dude they have is like 6-7," Smith said. "We had the advantage inside and coach told us to be aggressive."

When the Bruins (11-9, 4-4 Pac-12) made it a concentrated effort to get it to Smith midway through the first half, they were rewarded.

Tied at nine with 15 minutes left in the first half, when Smith entered the game, UCLA went on a 19-8 run, with Smith scoring seven points.

With a little momentum, the Bruins pounced on the Utes (5-15, 2-6), taking a 15-point lead into halftime.

"I talked about the first five minutes of the second half being huge," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "Just keeping up intensity and playing hard. I didn't talk about last Saturday but it was exactly what was on my mind."

UCLA has been here before, though, up big at the halfway point.

The Bruins were up 13 at halftime against Oregon last Saturday, only to watch the Ducks storm back to win by seven.

There would be no such surge by the lowly Utes. UCLA shot 14-of-19 in the second half, with a balanced effort led by Jerime Anderson. Anderson had eight points in the second half, finishing with 13, while sophomore forward David Wear added 13.

"Our senior guards did a really good job leading us," Howland said. "I thought Jerime had one of his best games as a Bruin tonight."


______________________


Five Observations: UCLA 76, Utah 49

By Peter Yoon
ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report
January, 26, 2012 11:36 PM PT

David Wear
David Wear was part of UCLA's balanced attack in the Bruins' rout of Utah on Thursday. Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US Presswire



LOS ANGELES -- UCLA bounced back from its disappointing weekend in Oregon with one of its most dominant performances of the season in a 76-49 Pac-12 victory over Utah on Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

The Bruins (11-9, 4-4 Pac-12) raced to 36-21 halftime lead and unlike Saturday at Oregon, where they blew a 13-point halftime lead, the Bruins finished the job and evened their record in conference play.

"What I said to my team at halftime, I told them two words," senior guard Jerime Anderson said. "One was something I can’t say right now and the other was Oregon. I just said, ‘Man, we cannot let this happen again.’ If we have a lead like that we should be able to control the lead and come out with the win."

UCLA began the second half with a 6-2 run, expanded the lead to 20 points four minutes into the half and led by as many as 35 before coach Ben Howland cleared the bench and got all the walk-ons in the game.

"I talked about the first five minutes of the second half being huge and our intensity level," Howland said. "We have a 15-point lead and have to build on that right away and set the tone in the second half."

Five observations from the game:

1Joshua Smith emerged from the doldrums

Smith had a poor performance on the Oregon trip last week, but rebounded nicely with a dominant performance Thursday night. He finished with a game-high 14 points on 5-fot-6 shooting and added five rebounds in his 18 minutes.

"Just giving more effort," Smith said. "The Oregons I didn’t play my best. Coach just told us when you go out there you have to play as hard as you can. Whatever you do you have to give it your all until you come out and that’s what I was really trying to do is focus on playing as hard as I could until a sub came in."

It was a far cry from his lethargic games at Oregon State and Oregon, where he had 16 points, six rebounds and seven personal fouls in 31 combined minutes over the two games. But most of all, his body language and energy level was noticeably better.

"I thought he was motivated after last weekend and he played well tonight and was a difference maker for us," Howland said.

2Jerime Anderson was another difference maker

Anderson looked as comfortable as he has all season running the offense and played with precision and efficiency. He scored 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting and had three assists and three steals as he kept the UCLA offense running smoothly.

"Jerime played one of the best games of his career today," Howland said. "He really played solid and really controlled things for us out there for us."

Anderson made 2-of-3 3-point shots and had only one turnover for the game. Anderson said he just tried not to force anything.

"I just thought I just took what they gave me," he said. "My teammates found me at open spots and I just tried to take open shots and just get the ball to the right guy and that was pretty much it."

3The Bruins shared the ball nicely

The shot distribution for UCLA was as balanced as it has been all season. Norman Powell and Tyler Lamb led the team with seven shots each while Smith, Anderson, Lazeric Jones, David Wear and Travis Wear each had six shot attempts.

"We were playing very unselfish and sharing the ball," Howland said.

It was a departure from the last few games when Jones had been taking the Lion's share shots. He had 16 attempts at Oregon, 17 at Oregon State and had averaged 14 attempts over the last five games, but was shooting only 37 percent over that span.

UCLA shot a season-high 58.7 percent as a team, including 73.7 percent in the second half and Jones had six assists and a team-leading six rebounds to go along with his seven points.

"It just goes to show you that Zeek is not playing for Zeek, Zeek is playing for UCLA," Howland said. "He did a great job sharing the ball. He was really being unselfish. He’s our captain, he’s our leader."

4Howland unveiled the twin-tower lineup

Smith and Anthony Stover, both 6-foot-10 centers, were on the floor at the same time for the first time this season. Normally Stover backs up Smith, but Howland experimented by pulling out both of the Wear twins and putting the two big men in at the same time.

"That won’t be something that we’ll be going to a lot I don’t think," Howland said. "I didn’t want to bring the Wears back in because we needed to keep their minutes down getting ready for Saturday’s game and not playing them more than they have to."

The move caught the big men by surprise. Howland sent Smith in for Travis Wear, but Stover came trotting off the floor. When Smith told Stover to stay out there, Stover put his palms face up and had a confused look.

"With me and him in there is was fun," Smith said.

5There is still skepticism surrounding this team

This was a nice bounce-back victory for UCLA, but it was also a bit of a scheduling break to play Utah (5-15, 2-6) after such a tough road trip. The Utes are among the worst teams in the conference and recently dismissed leading scorer Josh Watkins from the team.

The Bruins still have only one or two wins that could be considered wins of note -- Arizona and Richmond -- and even those are iffy.

UCLA's victories have come against opponents that are a combined 75-122. Meanwhile, the Bruins' losses have come against teams that are a combined 136-47. So basically, UCLA has beaten bad teams and lost to good teams.

Penn (10-9), Richmond (12-9) and Arizona (14-7) are UCLA's only victories over teams with winning records, so Saturday's game against Colorado (14-6, 6-2) will tell far more about whether the Bruins have bounced back from their tough road trip or if they are simply destined to be a middle-of-the-road team in a middle-of-the-road conference this season.

"We just need to come out and have the same effort as we had tonight," David Wear said. "I think if we just play 40 minutes of complete high-pressure defense and we play smart offensively and make good decisions like we did tonight and we come out with better intensity in the second half, that will get us on the right track."

Anderson said he hopes the team is, indeed, on that track.

"We played inspired tonight," he said. "We played with some fire under our belly just because we’re coming off the weekend that we had and we had to bounce back. When our back is against the wall, our team has a lot of heart and we can show it if we just go out and play hard and have the intensity that we’re supposed to have."
Boxscore courtesy of Yahoo.com

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Bruins Return Home to Host Utah in Sports Arena


Bruins Return Home to Host Utah in Sports Arena





UCLA Men's Basketball website


         
Jan. 25, 2012

LOS ANGELES -


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Howland's Press Conference Video | Gametracker | Live Audio


GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Jan. 26, 2012
SITE: Los Angeles Sports Arena (15,000)
TIP-OFF: 7:32 p.m. (PT)
TV: Prime Ticket
TALENT: Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst) and Courtney Jones (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 128
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO: Channel 192
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Tracy Murray (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: Series tied 4-4
SERIES AT UCLA: UCLA leads 2-1
SERIES STREAK: Utah +1

SERIES VS. UTAH
This is the ninth meeting between UCLA and Utah with the series tied 4-4. UCLA is 2-1 all-time in games contested in Los Angeles. The Bruins lost the last meeting between the two teams, a Mar. 19 meeting in the Second Round of the 1983 NCAA Tournament. The 10th-seeded Utes upset 2nd-seeded UCLA 67-61 in Boise, Idaho. Kenny Fields led UCLA with 18 points while Rod Foster chipped in 14 points. Only five players scored for Utah, led by a trio of Peter Williams, Pace Mannion and Angelo Robinson, who each scored 18 points for the Utes. UCLA led 34-32 at halftime, but Utah shot 73.7 percent (14-for-19) from the field in the second half to end the Bruins' season (23-5 record). UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 0-1 all-time against the Utes. Assistant Coach Scott Garson, who earned his master's degree from Utah in 2003, spent five seasons (administrative asst./head manager, 1999-2002; video coordinator, 2002-03 and assistant coach, 2003-04) on Rick Majerus' staff.

CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 367-190 (.659), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).

COACH HOWLAND APPROACHING MILESTONE RECORD
UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is approaching 200 career victories at UCLA and currently sits at 199-92 (.684) at UCLA in his ninth season at the helm of the Bruins. With the win over Eastern Washington (Dec. 14), Howland passed Jim Harrick for second place on the all-time UCLA career victories list. Harrick posted a 192-62 record in his eight seasons (1988-89 to 1995-96) as the Bruins' mentor. Coach John R. Wooden is the all-time leader at 620-147 (.808) in his 27 seasons (1948-49 to 1974-75).

BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward David Wear, who left the game in the final minutes at Oregon (Jan. 21) after hurting his left knee, had an MRI on Jan. 23, 2012. That MRI showed no significant injury (was negative) and he returned to practice on Monday, completing a full workout. He is listed as probable for the Utah contest on Jan. 26 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 14 games. The Bruins are 9-5 in the last 14 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 14 games, Jones has averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 48.7 percent (75-for-154) from the field and 44.2 percent (23-for-52) from three-point range.

TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game seven times this season and they have done so in five of the last eight contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last six games, David is averaging 13.0 points while Travis has averaged 16.0 points per game. David has shot 61.5 percent from the floor (32-for-52) while making his only three-point shot and draining 11-for-15 (.733) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 67.9 percent (38-for-56) from the field while sinking 20-for-23 (.870) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 70-for-108 (.648) from the field and 31-for-38 (.816) from the charity stripe.

2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.
All-Session $283: includes lower-level seat to both the men's and women's basketball Pac-12 Tournaments.
All-Session $115: includes an upper-level men's basketball seat and a lower-level women's basketball seat to the Pac-12 Tournaments.
All men's games are played at Staples Center. The first two rounds of the women's tournament are at Galen Center and the semifinals and finals will be held at Staples Center.

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