UCLA wins a gasser at Texas, 65-63

 

In a comical game, UCLA gets the last laugh over Texas

 

The teams produce a 40-minute blooper reel — passes to nobody in particular, missed layups, ill-advised shots — but the Bruins end the game on a 12-2 run to improve to 6-3.

By Baxter Holmes
The City of Angels Times
8:37 PM PST, December 8, 2012



HOUSTON — The game was nationally televised on ESPN, but it was more suited for Comedy Central.

UCLA and Texas tried to play basketball Saturday, but both failed to produce much more than a 40-minute blooper reel.

Neither squad fought to win so much as both tried to lose — and on that end, Texas tried a bit harder, falling, 65-63, to UCLA in front of a puny crowd of 2,797 at Reliant Stadium.

"They didn't beat us," said Texas Coach Rick Barnes, whose team dropped to 5-4. "We gave this one away."

UCLA ended the game on a 12-2 run, helping it overcome an eight-point deficit in the final three minutes.

The Bruins (6-3) then boarded a commercial flight, escaping this city in a hurry — just as it did in the game.

Yes, the final score was close, but only because these teams put forth equally comical performances.

There were passes to no one in particular, missed wide-open layups and numerous ill-advised shots, only a few of which even hit the rim. The teams combined for 21 turnovers, but it seemed like twice that many.

"It was a really sloppy game," said UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, who finished with 16 points.

It also could've been deemed "cruel and unusual punishment" for any basketball purist who tuned in, but UCLA will take any win it can get these days, no matter how hideous.

The Bruins will wait a week before playing again.

And what will they work on between now and then?

"We've got to work on everything," Coach Ben Howland said.

Defense would be a good place to start.

Texas scored inside whenever it wanted, tallying 30 points in the paint.

But the Longhorns doomed themselves from beyond the arc, missing 16 of 20 three-point attempts.

Jordan Adams was the hero for UCLA, a recurring theme for the Bruins this season.

The freshman guard converted a three-point play to tie the score at 61 with 1:15 left, after which he pumped his fists and shouted, a rare act for the soft-spoken Atlanta native.

"I just wanted to get fired up and keep my team fired up," said Adams, who scored a game-high 17 points.

Adams then found Kyle Anderson for a layup that gave the Bruins a three-point lead with 25 seconds left.

Anderson, another freshman, was also key late, with two blocks and two steals in the final two minutes. He had 11 points and six rebounds.

"Everybody is out to get these guys because they're highly touted, [the] No. 1 recruiting class in the country," Howland said. "It's a good experience for them to see how hard it's going to be, how hard you have to fight, how hard you have to prepare."

Texas seemed like easy prey, as the Longhorns had suffered embarrassing losses to Chaminade and
USC and scored only 41 points in a recent loss against Georgetown.

But after the game, it was once again clear that nothing will be easy for the Bruins this season.

baxter.holmes@latimes.com

twitter.com/BaxterHolmes

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UCLA proves tougher in the end to beat Texas

Texas' Sheldon McClellan passes back to teammate Cameron Ridley (55) as UCLA's Travis Wear, rear, defends during the first half of Saturday's game at Reliant Stadium in Houston. DAVID J. PHILLIP, A MORE PHOTOS »
 

SLIDE SHOW:UCLA proves tougher in the end to beat Texas10 Photos »

 
By JASON McDANIEL / For the Register
The Orange County Register
Published: Dec. 8, 2012 Updated: 9:31 p.m.    

HOUSTON – For most of the way Saturday, the only real question was which struggling team wanted a victory less — UCLA or Texas?

The Longhorns raised their hands first.

UCLA trailed by eight with less than four minutes left - its largest deficit of the game - before turning to its press and reeling off an 11-0 run down the stretch for a 65-63 victory at Reliant Stadium.

 "They are probably one of the few teams in the country that's younger than us, so (UT coach) Rick (Barnes) is dealing with the same things in terms of the youth and the expectation," UCLA coach Ben Howland said.

"So we're just happy to come away with this."

The Bruins (6-3) left with their first victory over Texas (5-4) in four tries, doing it in front of 2,797 mostly Longhorns fans. But it didn't look like it would be a pleasant plane ride home for the Bruins when they trailed, 59-51, with 3:43 left.

Julien Lewis, shut out by UCLA most of the way, finally erupted late. He hit two 3-pointers, a short jumper and a free throw during a 12-4 run that turned a 47-47 tie into a big Longhorns advantage.

Texas still led, 61-53, with three minutes remaining before a Larry Drew layup.

UCLA then called a timeout with 2:19 left and returned to the court with its press in full effect — and Texas had no answer.

Jordan Adams had back-to-back three-point plays off offensive rebounds, and, after Jonathan Holmes missed at the other end, a Shabazz Muhammad free throw gave UCLA a 62-61 lead with 47.7 seconds to go.

Kyle Anderson's transition layup finished off the decisive 11-0 run.

"It was great to have our team battle back — never quit, never give up," Howland said.

Adams finished with a game-high 18 points with seven rebounds. His clutch three-point plays in the final two minutes helped UCLA rediscover the second-chance points that were key before halftime.

The Bruins led, 32-30, at the half, outscoring Texas 8-0 on second chances with six more rebounds.

The Longhorns closed the gap in the second half, finishing with a 41-38 advantage on the glass.

But Adams' final flurry gave UCLA a decisive 14-8 edge on second-chance tries.

"Texas is a long and big team, and for us to capitalize on those rebounds and go up and get and-ones, that's an advantage for us," Adams said. "That really helped us out."

Muhammad had 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting and Anderson had 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

UCLA shot 41.3 percent from the field, including 2 of 11 on 3s, but Texas was worse, going 4 of 20 from 3-point territory and shooting 37.1 percent despite numerous good looks against an ineffective zone.

"It was a huge win for us," Muhammad said. "It was a really sloppy game, and we just came out in transition and really buckled down and played defense (down the stretch), and our offense carried on (from) that and we got that great win that we really needed."

Texas' leading scorers, McClellan and Lewis, were a combined 0 for 8 in the first half. McClellan finished with 12 points, Lewis with nine. Cameron Ridley supplied 14 points and 10 rebounds.

"I thought the play of the game was Adams' offensive rebound (with 1:15 left)," Barnes said. "I thought we gave the game away.

"We didn't execute the things we wanted to."

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