Another video with Coach Howland here (link)
Photo Gallery LA Daily News (link)
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No. 24 UCLA Falls to No. 21 Oregon, 76-67
|
 |  Travis Wear |
from your Official UCLA Men's Basketball website
Jan. 19, 2013
Box Score | Box Score
| Photo Gallery 
LOS ANGELES (AP) - No. 24 UCLA lost to No. 21 Oregon, 76-67, before 12,254 in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday afternoon, snapping the Bruins' 10-game winning streak.
UCLA (15-4, 5-1 Pac-12) dropped its first game in Pac-12 play after having opened conference action 5-0 for the first time since 2003-04.
Travis Wear scored 17 points to lead the Bruins, whose winning streak equaled their longest since 2008-09. Norman Powell added 11 points starting in place of Shabazz Muhammad, who scored all of his 10 points in the first half. Kyle Anderson had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
"We really wanted this one and it hurts equally as much [as the loss to Cal Poly]," Wear said.
That two-point upset on Nov. 25 set UCLA on a path to losing two of three games, including its most recent defeat to unranked San Diego State on Dec. 1.
"If anything, we're going to be more motivated to get back at practice because we hate this feeling," Wear said. "We know we got to bring it this week in practice and come out prepared to get two wins."
Next up for UCLA is a visit to No. 7 Arizona on Thursday night.
"The key for us is how we bounce back going into what is the toughest road trip for anyone in the Pac-12 this season," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "This will be a real good test for us."
UCLA led by three points at halftime after shooting 55 percent in the opening half. The Bruins led by five early in the second half and tied the game at 52-52 before the Ducks' defense stepped up and sent UCLA's shooting into a tailspin.
"We just haven't put two halves together," Powell said.
Tony Woods scored 18 points and missed only one shot, Dominic Artis added 14 points, and Arsaian Kazemi had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Ducks (16-2, 5-0), who improved to 5-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time in 39 years.
After barely getting by USC, 76-74, on Thursday night, the Ducks won their seventh straight and 11th in their last 12. They are 5-0 in league play for the first time since 1973-74 when the conference had eight teams. Back then, they lost their next game to then-No. 1 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
Down by five, the Ducks ran off eight straight points to take a 49-46 lead while the Bruins went 5:17 without scoring. They tied the game at 52-all on a jumper by Wear.
From there, the Ducks slowly built a 62-56 lead, capped by Kazemi's layup off his own offensive rebound.
Powell hit a 3-pointer and Anderson made two free throws to pull the Bruins within one with 3:30 to play, but they came no closer in front of 12,254, the second-largest crowd of the season at the newly renovated arena.
Muhammad didn't start as punishment for being late to practice on Friday and he sat the first five minutes. The freshman scored 10 of UCLA's final 12 points to put them ahead 40-37 at halftime.
During Muhammad's run, the Bruins took their largest lead of six points before E.J. Singler's 3-pointer with 6 seconds left cut down the advantage.
The Ducks led by four points early in the game, despite committing four turnovers and going 7 for 20 from the field in the first nine and a half minutes.
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Pauley Pavilion was practically shaking as the UCLA men’s basketball team scored to go up by six points, as time ran down in the first half against Oregon.
The Ducks struggled to find their final shot of the half, but senior forward E.J. Singler was able to get off a three-point shot as time expired. As the ball went through the net, the crowd was humbled, and so were the Bruins.
No. 21 Oregon (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12) came out in the second half energized and rode a strong defensive effort to a 76-67 win over No. 24 UCLA (15-4, 5-1) in the first Pac-12 conference game between two ranked teams since 2009.
“That was a disappointing loss,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “They did a great job slowing down the tempo in the second half and we took some quick shots in our press offense. I thought that Oregon, going into this game, was really good, and I was really impressed with them today. Give them credit.”
While the Ducks were particularly strong in the second half of the contest, they were able to control the Bruins on the boards from the initial jump.
Oregon totaled 40 rebounds on the day, 11 of which came on the offensive glass. The game was the 10th time this season that UCLA surrendered double-digit offensive rebounds to its opponent.
“They’re a really, really good rebounding team and that’s something we’re going to have to get better at,” said redshirt junior forward Travis Wear, who led the team in scoring with 17 points. “We’re definitely going to have to come back and work on that.”
UCLA was able to survive poor rebounding in the first half of the game because of a 55.2 percent field goal percentage, but the Bruins were only able to shoot 37.9 percent from the field in the second half, which eventually sealed their fate.
“We just have to do a better job at putting two halves together,” said sophomore guard Norman Powell, who scored 11 points in 22 minutes. “We knew it was going to be a big game, with two ranked teams going at it, but we couldn’t finish today.”
Powell started in place of freshman guard and UCLA’s leading scorer Shabazz Muhammad, who was late to a practice on Friday and started the game on the bench because of it.
Muhammad was never able to get going, as he scored only 10 points on 4 of 9 shooting, well below his season average of 18.4 points per game on 47 percent shooting.
“The first half it didn’t affect him and he started in the second half,” Howland said. “I don’t think not starting had a big effect on him at all.”
The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for UCLA and the team will now head on arguably its toughest road trip of the season this week against Arizona and Arizona State.
The Bruins, though, are more driven than discouraged by the loss.
“We’re motivated to get back to practice because we hate this feeling,” Wear said. “We’re going to have to bring it this week and practice and prepare to get two wins.”
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Oregon ends UCLA's 10-game basketball win streak
Posted: 01/19/2013 03:49:37 PM PST
Updated: 01/20/2013 12:00:53 AM PST
Oregon center Tony Woods (55) dunks over UCLA guard David Wear (12) and forward Travis Wear (24) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. Oregon won 76-67. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) (The Associated Press)
The 12,254 who packed Pauley Pavilion started filing out as the final seconds ticked away, late free throws sealing the Bruins' 76-67 loss to Oregon. There was little drama at the end of this one, a squandered opportunity right before a brutal road trip.
No. 24 UCLA (15-4, 5-1) hadn't lost since Dec. 1, but had just one marquee win with its home upset of then-No. 7 Missouri. It had finally climbed back into the Associated Press poll on Monday after a November loss to Cal Poly.
The Ducks offered a chance to regain national hype.
But No. 21 Oregon successfully slowed the Bruins down after allowing them to run out to a six-point, first-half lead.
A game that had started off fast bogged down soon after halftime, hampered by both aggressive defense and an abundance of whistles.
Over the first 11-plus minutes of the second half, the teams combined for just six field goals.
Oregon, which rolled out a slow 8-0 run to seize its second-half lead, never trailed after the 14:11 mark.
The Bruins shot 55.2 percent in the first half, but just 37.9 in the second - flustered by alternating full-court press and zone defenses.
"Give them credit," UCLA forward Travis Wear said. "They did a great job keeping us uncomfortable."
The Ducks (16-2, 5-0) now sit in the driver's seat for the conference championship, having beat both No. 7 Arizona and UCLA in their only scheduled meetings. The Bruins now must play both the Arizona schools on the road, arguably the toughest trip in the conference.
UCLA has been particularly vulnerable on the interior all season, with Tony Parker as the lone big man on the roster. Head coach Ben Howland said after the game that he wished he had given Parker more playing time. The 6-foot-9 freshman logged two rebounds and a block in three minutes.
Meanwhile, Oregon center Tony Woods and forward Arsalan Kazemi combined for 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting.
The most telling stat? The Ducks' 40-31 advantage on the boards, one that also yielded a 12-2 edge in second-chance points. The Bruins were outrebounded for the seventh straight game.
"We've got to box out and go seek the ball rather than just boxing out and hoping someone else is going to grab it," said Wear, who led the team with 17 points but grabbed just two boards.
"Rebounds is an effort thing. Once you get a couple, you get the hang of it. I think we just need to get more comfortable."
Added Howland: "That's our Achilles' heel."
UCLA let out one last gasp when, down 70-63, Jordan Adams stole the ball with just under a minute left. Travis Wear promptly turned the ball over on an errant pass that skittered out of bounds around halfcourt.
The Bruins had entered halftime up 40-37 after eight lead changes.
Shabazz Muhammad didn't start the game because he was late for Friday's practice. Howland said his leading scorer overslept, and also had his car towed from being parked in the wrong place.
Muhammad scored his first bucket on an emphatic dunk at 5:14 in the first half, and erupted with UCLA's final eight points of the half. He finished the game with 10 points, but went scoreless after the break.
With freshman guard Dominic Artis hounding Larry Drew II, Kyle Anderson got some first-half run as the primary ballhandler. He notched his sixth double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, chipping in six assists as well.
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| Oregon forward Arsalan Kazemi tries to get off a shot over UCLA guard Larry Drew II in the first half Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press / January 19, 2013) |
Oregon snaps UCLA's 10-game winning streak
The 21st-ranked Ducks pull away down the stretch for a 76-67 victory, handing the No. 24 Bruins their first Pac-12 Conference loss.
By Chris Foster
LA Times
6:40 PM PST, January 19, 2013
"We hate this feeling," he said. (Me, too :-( - atrojanedbruin)
So much can change on one game.
The No. 24 Bruins took a 10-game winning streak into Saturday's game. They left knowing that Oregon is tougher.
The lights went out at Pauley Pavilion six seconds into the game. The best chance for the Bruins would have been if a couple Oregon players had mysteriously vanished in the darkness.
Instead, Tony Woods, Oregon's 6-foot-11 center, made eight of nine shots and scored 18 points. Arsalan Kazemi, a muscular, 6-7 transfer picked up from Rice in September, had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The No. 21 Ducks exposed what UCLA Coach Ben Howland called "our Achilles heel," out-rebounding the Bruins, 40-31. Oregon had 13 offensive rebounds.
"They scored on a number of them," Howland said.
This was not the send-off party the Bruins needed heading into games at No. 7 Arizona and Arizona State this week. The only bright spot for the Bruins on Saturday was the knowledge they won't have to face the Ducks (16-2 overall, 5-0 in the Pac-12) again during the regular season.
"I thought they were really tough and very scrappy," Howland said.
As for his own team, Howland said, "what concerns us the most is rebounding."
The coming trip is not one to ease Howland's mind. Oregon is second in rebound margin among Pac-12 teams. Arizona leads the conference.
"This is going to take true character to come back with two decent wins," Bruins guard Norman Powell said.
Everyone, from UCLA players to the national television audience, could see what was required.
"We are a small team, but it is all about toughness when playing basketball," Powell said.
The Bruins (15-4, 5-1) couldn't compensate Saturday.
Things didn't start well. Freshman Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA's leading scorer, was held out for the first five minutes after being late to Friday's practice. It was a series of unfortunate events, Howland said.
"He had class at 9 a.m., he had his car towed and had to go run his car down after parking in the wrong spot," Howland said. "He was tired. He was asleep. It's no big deal."
Muhammad did provide some first-half traction, scoring 10 of UCLA's last 12 points. Still, though the Bruins shot 55% and Oregon 38%, UCLA's halftime lead was only 40-37.
The reason why could be seen on an early Oregon possession. The Ducks got four offensive rebounds.
"We had two guys standing at midcourt waiting for the ball," Howland said.
Howland added, "That's my fault. We obviously haven't done a good job of teaching how to block out."
Some things can't be taught.
Woods and Kazemi showed skill in the low post. The Bruins rely on double teams down low and "we forgot a couple times," Howland said.
The Ducks had 38 points in the paint, the Bruins 24.
"We're a jump-shot team," Howland said. "That's what we do."
Jordan Adams missed all six of his field-goal attempts. Muhammad was 0 for 4 in a scoreless second half. UCLA shot 38% after halftime.
The score was tied, 46-46, with 14 minutes left. Woods scored six of Oregon's next 10 points and UCLA never led again. Kazemi turned three offensive rebounds into baskets in the last 10 minutes, the last giving Oregon a 64-61 lead with three minutes left.
"We have to box out and seek the ball rather than box out and hope someone else gets it," Wear said. "It's an effort thing."
chris.foster@latimes.com
twitter.com/cfosterlatimes
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LOS ANGELES – Just a few minutes after UCLA had wrapped up its 10th consecutive victory — and its fifth in a row in the Pac-12 — against Oregon State on Thursday night, Bruins coach Ben Howland detailed his "wish list," describing where his team still needed to improve.
Rebounding, he said, first and foremost, needed to get better. Turnovers had unexpectedly increased. And finally, UCLA needed to sustain intensity in the second half, where the Bruins had let teams come back in games too frequently. But with 10 consecutive wins, Howland and his young Bruins didn't have much to complain about. He even admitted as much.
UCLA guard Norman Powell, left, and Oregon's E.J. Singler battle for the ball during the first half of Saturday's game at Pauley Pavilion.
ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE REGISTER
But two days later, as UCLA let No. 21 Oregon (16-2, 5-0 (Pac-12) pull away down the stretch for a 76-67 victory a Pauley Pavilion — snapping the Bruins' longest winning streak in four seasons — it was lackluster rebounding, a bevy of bad turnovers (15) and a lack of any sort of second-half killer instinct that doomed No. 24 UCLA (15-4, 5-1), just as Howland seemed to have foretold just days before.
It was the Bruins' work — or lack thereof — on the boards that ultimately delivered the final, crushing blow Saturday afternoon, as Oregon routinely outmuscled Howland's team in the post.
"We talked about what our Achilles' heel has been for us and could change the most for us," Howland said, "and again, today, we got outrebounded by nine (40-31)."
That discrepancy was most noticeable on the offensive glass, as Oregon nearly doubled the Bruins' output in that category (13-7). Meanwhile, UCLA managed just two second-chance points — both after the Ducks had basically locked up the victory.
Early on, with Oregon firing out to a quick lead, the Bruins even gave up four offensive rebounds on a single possession — a mistake Howland said was amplified when at least two UCLA players were already sprinting past halfcourt before any Bruin had actually pulled down a rebound. The sequence lasted a full minute before freshman Kyle Anderson knocked the ball loose.
"I think we've got to box out and then go seek the ball, rather than hoping someone is going to grab it," junior forward Travis Wear said. "Rebounding is just an effort thing."
That difference in effort reared its ugly head in the second half, as the Ducks finally started to knock down shots, especially in the paint. Led by big men Arsalan Kazemi and Tony Woods, who combined for 30 points, Oregon continued to manhandle UCLA's undersized post presence, scoring 20 points in the paint in the second half to a measly six for the Bruins. In all, the Ducks shot 22.5 percent better from the field in the final 20 minutes.
And as UCLA continued to press on the other end, unable to hit a handful of open jump shots late, the Ducks continued to rack up easy baskets, slowly taking the air out of the Bruins' conference-leading winning streak.
Wear stopped short of saying UCLA was out-toughed by Oregon — even though evidence might have been to the contrary — but there was no doubt in anyone's mind what Saturday's game settled: the Ducks are overwhelming favorites to win the Pac-12 regular-season title. With five victories down in-conference, Oregon won't have to face UCLA or Arizona again this season.
"They're a really good team," Wear said. "They've got all the pieces of a championship-level team. We're probably chasing them right now."
To catch up, UCLA will certainly need better performances out of freshmen Shabazz Muhammad and Jordan Adams, both of whom had little in the tank offensively. Muhammad, despite scoring 10 of the Bruins' last 12 points of the first half, couldn't manage a single point outside of that stretch. And Adams, who scored just two points against Oregon State, shot a putrid 0 for 6 from the field.
The road doesn't get easier from here, as UCLA prepares for a two-game Arizona trip that Howland called "the most difficult of the season." And while physical toughness was the problem Saturday, the Bruins' next two games could test their mental toughness, as they attempt to bounce back from this deflating loss.
"After a loss like this it really takes us back to the drawing board," Norman Powell said. "It takes true character of a team to come back on this road trip and get the wins that we need."
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
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Oregon 76, UCLA 67: ‘It’s really about toughness’
After losing to Oregon on Saturday, UCLA is clearly just a good team, not a great one. With Arizona and Arizona State coming up, the Bruins will have to stopgap its flaws to keep its conference title hopes alive.
– The Bruins were outrebounded 40-31, a margin that felt even larger watching the game. The Ducks had 12 second-chance points, while the Bruins couldn’t get even one until the last minute. Travis Wear is still a consistent, floor-spreading threat on offense, but he doesn’t offer much in terms of interior game. Ben Howland said after the game that he wished he had played Tony Parker more; the freshman had two rebounds and a block in three minutes.
“They’re just physical, they’re strong,” Howland said of Oregon. “It’s my fault. We obviously haven’t done a good enough job teaching block outs.”
Most absurd was a first-half possession in which Oregon grabbed four straight offensive boards — a sequence that didn’t end in points after Kyle Anderson tipped a steal away from center Tony Woods.
“We’ve got to box out and go seek the ball rather than just boxing out and hoping someone else is going to grab it,” said Travis Wear, who scored a team-high 17 but grabbed just two boards. “You go get it, don’t let it come to you. We’ll work on it in practice. Rebounds is an effort thing.”
Added Norman Powell: “It’s really about toughness.”
– UCLA couldn’t contend with the Ducks’ various defensive looks in the second half, from a full-court press to a zone. The Bruins shot 55 percent in the first half when they were able to dictate the pace, but that fell to just under 38 percent when Oregon bogged the game down. Through 11-plus minutes after the break, through part of which the Ducks scored eight unanswered points, the two teams combined for just six field goals.
“They did a great job keeping us uncomfortable,” Wear said.
– Shabazz Muhammad is still the team’s best player, but UCLA hasn’t gotten much from him lately. The freshman bounced back with 21 points after shooting 9 of 29 at Utah and Colorado, then disappeared again against Oregon. Muhammad didn’t start after being late to Friday’s practice; he overslept and also had his car towed, according to Howland. Once he did play, he put in an electrifying stretch in scoring his team’s final eight points of second half, but finished scoreless in the second half as Oregon seized the lead and pulled away. He can’t afford to do that at Arizona.
Jordan Adams is also shooting 1 of 12 in his past two games, though he hit all seven of his free throws against the Ducks.
– Back when the Bruins were struggling most in November, Howland said the team’s lack of turnovers was the lone bright spot. That hasn’t been the case lately. UCLA’s 15 turnovers against Oregon was its worst mark since coughing up 16 against Cal State Northridge on Nov. 28. The Bruins’ assist-to-turnover ratio is just 1.28 over the past three games. It was 2.02 in the six games prior.
Pre-Script:
More to come, but here’s the most telling stat from the Bruins’ 76-67 loss: Oregon had 12 second-chance points to UCLA’s 2. The Ducks held a 40-31 advantage on the boards, which felt like more given how many times they grabbed multiple offensive rebounds in the same possession. Most absurd was the first-half sequence in which Oregon had four offensive rebounds, a possession that ended with a Kyle Anderson steal.
Oregon is in the driver’s seat for the Pac-12 title now since they don’t have to play either Arizona or UCLA again.
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No. 21 Oregon beats No. 24 UCLA 76-67
By | The Associated Press – 12 hours agoRELATED CONTENT
- Oregon forward Arsalan Kazemi (14) shoots as UCLA guard Larry Drew II (10) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles, …
- Oregon center Tony Woods (55) tries to pass UCLA forward Travis Wear (24) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles on Saturday, …
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- No. 21 Oregon and No. 24 UCLA came into Saturday's game chasing first place in the Pac-12. The Ducks played better defense in the second half and came away with the top spot.
Tony Woods scored 18 points while missing just one shot, Dominic Artis added 14 points, and Arsaian Kazemi had 12 points and 11 rebounds in Oregon's 76-67 victory that improved the Ducks to 5-0 in league play for the first time in 39 years.
''We knew we had to get better defensively,'' Kazemi said. ''Our game plan was to attack them off the dribble and just in general be more aggressive on the defensive end.''
The Ducks (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12) shot 60 percent in the second half and controlled the boards 40-31, including a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass. They pulled away with a 15-6 run that gave them the lead for good.
Travis Wear scored 17 points to lead the Bruins, whose 10-game winning streak - including eight straight at home - equaled their longest since 2008-09. Norman Powell added 11 points starting in place of Shabazz Muhammad, who finished with 10 points, as did Kyle Anderson.
''We just can't get too big-headed about our win streak and think this team is just going to lay over and give us the win,'' Powell said. ''We just needed to come out harder in the second half.''
That's when UCLA shot 38 percent while contending with a mix of full-court and zone defense.
''They did a great job changing up looks and keeping us uncomfortable,'' Wear said. ''They're a really, really good rebounding team. We got to box out and go seek the ball rather than just boxing out and hoping someone else is going to grab it. Go get it.''
The Bruins (15-4, 5-1) led by three points at halftime after shooting 55 percent in getting out on the break. They were up by five early in the second half and tied the game at 52-all before the Ducks' defense stepped up and sent UCLA's shooting into a tailspin.
''They got to run on us way too much in the first half,'' Oregon coach Dana Altman said. ''We talked about doing a better job on defense. We depend heavily on young players and we got off to a slow start this year, but we are a totally different team than we were earlier in the year when we had two seniors out with injuries.''
After barely getting by Southern California 76-74 on Thursday, the Ducks won their seventh straight and 11th in their last 12. They are 5-0 in league play for the first time since 1973-74 when the conference had eight teams. Back then, they lost their next game to then-No. 1 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.
''We knew it would be a battle and we're very happy to win a pair in LA,'' Kazemi said.
Down by five, the Ducks ran off eight straight points to take a 49-46 lead while the Bruins went 5:17 without scoring. They tied the game at 52-all on a jumper by Wear.
From there, the Ducks slowly built a 62-56 lead, capped by Kazemi's layup off his own offensive rebound.
Powell hit a 3-pointer and Anderson made two free throws to pull the Bruins within one with 3:30 to play, but they came no closer in front of 12,254, the second-largest crowd of the season at the newly renovated arena.
''They really did a good job slowing the tempo down in the second half and we didn't handle that really well,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
Muhammad didn't start as punishment for being late to practice on Friday and he sat the first 5 minutes. The freshman scored 10 of UCLA's final 12 points to put them ahead 40-37 at halftime.
During Muhammad's run, the Bruins took their largest lead of six points before E.J. Singler's 3-pointer with 6 seconds left cut down the advantage.
The Ducks led by four points early in the game, despite committing four turnovers and going 7 for 20 from the field in the first 9 1-2 minutes.
Rapid Reaction: Oregon 76, UCLA 67
January, 19, 2013
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