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| Battle of fros. Stanford 's Josh Huestis, right, tries to grab a rebound next to UCLA 's Kyle Anderson in Stanford. UCLA won 88-80. MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. |
Rapid Reaction: UCLA 88, Stanford 80
February, 16, 2013
FEB 16
4:10
PM PT
By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com
The UCLA Bruins salvaged a split in the San Francisco Bay Area with an 88-80 victory over the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
How it happened: Shabazz Muhammad connected on a 3-point basket and completed a four-point play that gave UCLA a 79-71 lead and control of a tight game with 1:52 to play. The Bruins (19-7, 9-4) then made seven of 10 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Stanford (15-11, 6-11) was within a point at 66-65 with 6:16 to play and was still within four points with 4:05 to play. But UCLA held the Cardinal without a field goal over the next 3½ minutes, taking an 84-73 lead by the time the Cardinal made another basket.
The Bruins led by as many as 10 in the first half, but Stanford wouldn’t wilt in front of its home crowd and made repeated runs at UCLA. The Bruins, however, took a 43-38 halftime lead and did not relinquish the lead in the second half.
UCLA’s freshman trio of Muhammad, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson had its best collective game during conference play, combining for 63 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists. Muhammad led the team with 25 points, while Anderson had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Adams had 20 points -- his first 20-point game since Dec. 22 against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Anderson’s double-double was his seventh of the season but his first since Jan. 19 against the Oregon Ducks.
Larry Drew II tied his season high with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He was 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. In the two Bay Area games, Drew made six of seven 3-point attempts.
Player of the game: Muhammad’s 25 points were his most since scoring a career-high 27 in back-to-back games against Fresno State and the Missouri Tigers. He had 11 of those points in the final 6:52, including the back-breaking four-point play.
Stat of the game: The Bruins shot 54.4 percent from the field, putting the brakes on an offensive slide that’s been going for the better part of seven games. UCLA’s 88 points were the most for the Bruins since a 97-94 overtime victory against Missouri in the final nonconference game of the season and only the second time UCLA has scored 80 or more in conference play. The Bruins also held Stanford to 38.5 percent shooting, marking the first time in six games they’ve held an opponent under 40 percent from the field.
What it means: UCLA bounced back from a terrible performance Thursday against theCalifornia Golden Bears and salvaged hope of a Pac-12 title with five conference games to go. A loss probably would have knocked UCLA off the NCAA tournament bubble, so the Bruins also kept themselves in the tourney with the win. They’ll need to find some consistency in the final weeks, however, if they intend to make any kind of postseason run.
What’s next: UCLA has an eight-day break before facing the USC Trojans on Feb 24 at the Galen Center. Stanford plays the Oregon State Beavers Thursday in Corvallis.
Freshmen step up to lead UCLA past Stanford
Stanford's Dwight Powell, left, battles for a rebound against UCLA's Travis Wear during the first half in Stanford.
MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
STANFORD – It wasn't long ago that UCLA coach Ben Howland had lamented the fact his Bruins were one of the only teams in the country starting three freshmen — a limitation that reared its head on several occasions over the past few weeks. The three freshmen starters had combined to shoot just 39 percent in UCLA's past four games.
But after an embarrassing loss to Cal on Thursday was hampered again by the struggles of Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams, there was no mistaking who carried the Bruins to a decisive 88-80 victory against Stanford on Saturday.
"In that Cal game, I think we rushed a couple shots and slipped up on defense," said Anderson, who scored 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. "That was a miss. The way we bounced back was very mature of us. ... The three freshmen stepped up."
"No question, those three freshmen played great," Howland added.
Shooting a combined 22 of 35 from the field, the trio of Muhammad, Anderson, and Adams scored 63 of UCLA's 88 points — a total that equaled the Bruins' total against Cal — and put together their best combined performance since scoring 72 against Fresno State on Dec. 22.
Saturday's standout performance from the trio came to a head in the game's waning moments, as Stanford pulled within four, and Muhammad came off of a well-set screen at the 3-point line.
"I knew I was going to come off a pick and shoot the shot because we really needed a big-time shot there," Muhammad said.
And he delivered, knocking down a 3-pointer and drawing a foul, effectively putting away the game.
It was an especially important performance for a team that had been struggling on both ends of the court and had lost three of its past five. The victory also proved what the Bruins could do when they get effective rebounding, as they owned the glass for the majority of the game before garbage-time rebounds pushed Stanford ahead in the final tally.
But the effects of increased energy and a sense of urgency were undeniable in Saturday's game. UCLA is one game out of first place in the Pac-12 with a full week off before their next contest.
"We couldn't go down 0-2 for our road trip ...," Muhammad said. "We're feeling confident right now. ... We're really coming with a vengeance."
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
UCLA impressive in rebounding battle with Stanford
STANFORD – For seven consecutive games, UCLA had been outworked, outhustled, and just simply manhandled on the boards.
In those seven games, the Bruins had lost the rebounding battle by an average of 10 boards per game. Against Arizona State – one of the Pac-12's smallest average starting lineup – UCLA had been outrebounded by double that.
Stanford's Aaron Bright, left, scores past UCLA's Norman Powell during the second half in Stanford. UCLA won 88-80.
MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Those kind of struggles on the glass gave the Bruins' little hope for getting their transition offense to function smoothly.
And despite an improved defensive effort, they were seeing very little returns where it mattered, winning just three of those seven games.
But on Saturday, in an 88-80 victory over Stanford, against one of the Pac-12's better rebounding duos of Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis, UCLA finally seemed to overcome those struggles on the glass.
The Bruins led the rebounding battle all the way until the final two minutes – in which Stanfordracked up nine garbage-time boards.
When all was said and done, UCLA had still lost the battle of the boards, 41-38, but the Bruins had put together as encouraging of a performance on the glass as they'd seen in at least a month.
"It made a big difference," said freshman Kyle Anderson, who collected a game-high 13 boards. "Coach really challenged the frontcourt players into getting rebounds and keeping their two frontcourt players off the glass. And we did it."
OPENING IT UP
As the Bruins' strictly pass-first point guard, Drew has seen plenty of defenses sag off of him at the top of the key on several occasions this season, daring him to take quick shots, instead of getting his teammates involved.
But in his past two games, as the senior point guard took the bait and began drilling 3-pointer after 3-pointer, the opponent's defense has been forced to change. That was especially true on Saturday, as Drew hit two first-half 3s, making Stanford guard him tightly the rest of the way.
That change, however, proved to be Stanford's demise, as the rest of UCLA's offense came alive with extra attention on Drew.
"It opens up everything," Drew said. "When I'm knocking down my jumper ... it makes it easier for those guys."
STAYING PATIENT
UCLA's success on offense this season has largely been a product of how well they can execute in transition. But on Saturday afternoon, it was patience that proved to be UCLA's greatest virtue.
The Bruins' loss to Cal had been riddled with quick, inefficient shots, as they struggled to set up any semblance of a halfcourt game.
But against Stanford, Howland said that he tried to simplify things and run fewer sets.
"When we don't have the push game, when we execute our half-court offense and show some patience, we're effective," Howland said.
Contact the writer: rkartje@ocregister.com
Bruins take fresh approach to beat Stanford, 88-80
Freshmen Shabazz Muhammad, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson combine for 63 points and UCLA bounces back from a defeat to California on Thursday.
By Chris Foster
The LA Times
Feb 16, 2013 6:05 pm
PALO ALTO — This, in case anyone has forgotten, was what the buzz was all about.
UCLA's freshmen were billed as capable of anything, short of leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Those pesky expectations that came with the nation's No. 2 recruiting class have been out of reach at times.
So the Bruins' 88-80 victory over Stanford on Saturday afternoon was just a reminder of what was possible.
Shabazz Muhammad, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson combined for 63 of the Bruins' points, taking out frustrations on a Cardinal team that approached defense like a suggestion. Allowed to be free-range freshmen, the three were able to bury a bad night against California and move the Bruins forward in a tightly packed Pac-12 Conference race.
"We came here to lead our team to the [NCAA] tournament and go far in the tournament," said Muhammad, who had 25 points. "That's what we have to do."
The Bruins (19-7, 9-4 in conference play) won't run into teams that play defense like Stanford in the tournament. The Cardinal (15-11, 6-7) was good medicine.
By the time the Bruins were done, memories of Thursday's 76-63 loss to Cal had less bite. The group therapy session included a strong showing by UCLA fans, who turned Maples Pavilion into an auxiliary Pauley Pavilion, with "UCLA" chants getting louder and longer as the game progressed.
"They were louder than Pauley," Muhammad said. "We needed this game. We couldn't go down 0-2 on this road trip."
The Bruins' no-show performance at Cal dropped them out of a tie for first place. The Golden Bears showed everyone how to handle UCLA, applying defensive pressure and running double teams at Muhammad all game.
The Cardinal, apparently, didn't get the memo, and the Bruins shot 54%.
"I think the way we bounced back was very mature of us," said Anderson, who had 18 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. "We flushed that game at Cal, came back out here and stayed focused."
Stanford Coach Johnny Dawkins expected no less from the Bruins. He expected more from his team.
"You got to make UCLA a half-court team," Dawkins said. "You can't be running back and not turn your head around. Shabazz Muhammad is in a sprinter's box. Jordan Adams is leaking out. They give up something in rebounding, but they get a lot in transition."
Muhammad made nine of 14 shots, none bigger than a three-point basket with 1 minute 52 seconds left. He was fouled, with the free throw giving the Bruins a 79-71 lead.
He was thrilled to spend the day with less company.
"Those double-teams are hard," Muhammad said. "I was able to come off picks today and get good shots. I could set my man up on every play."
Others did as well.
Adams made seven of nine shots, finishing with 20 points. Anderson made six of 12 shots and had his seventh double-double.
"We executed our half-court offense, showed some patience," Coach Ben Howland said.
That spawned from the Bruins in transition.
"It's a momentum thing," said point guard Larry Drew II, who had 14 points and seven assists. "When we get out and get some easy buckets, get six, eight points like that, no one is rushing when we get in the half-court set. Everyone is looking for each other, looking to make the extra pass."
UCLA had 17 assists on 31 baskets.
Said Muhammad: "Everyone was unselfish tonight, and this is what happens."
chris.foster@latimes.com
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