 |
| UCLA's Kyle Anderson (center) tries to shoot over Missouri's Johnathan Williams III (right) as Earnest Ross looks on during the second half on Saturday in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won the game 80-71. L.G. PATTERSON, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
Dec 7 2013
Article Link
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Faced with its first major test of the season, the No. 18 UCLA basketball team started strong but faded in the second half in an 80-71 loss to Missouri on Saturday.
After the Bruins jumped to a 43-35 halftime lead, their offense faltered as the team shot 8 for 31 in the second period, including 0 for 8 from long range.
“Really give Mizzou a lot of credit, because I thought they got us out of what we normally like to do in the second half,” UCLA coach Steve Alford said. “I thought our offense, for the first time all year, really affected everything else, and we can’t do that.”
Missouri coach Frank Haith said his team’s halftime adjustments focused on limiting the Bruins from beyond the arc.
“We wanted to take away the 3-point line, and they were 0 for 8 in the second half,” Haith said. “I thought that was the difference in the game.”
Sophomore forward Kyle Anderson said Missouri forced UCLA to make bad shots.
“I think a couple guys, including myself, took some tough shots, which is not fair to our teammates,” Anderson said. “I made it much easier on our opponents. That’s not the basketball we played through these eight games. We’re a young team, and that’s going to come along.
Poor shot selection contributed to a rare stat line in which the Bruins had more turnovers (11) than assists (nine). Only one of those assists came in the second half. The Bruins also were overmatched in the paint, bringing down only 30 rebounds to Missouri’s 47.
The Tigers did their damage on the perimeter, making 10 of 26 3-pointers. Guards Jabari Brown, Jordan Clarkson and Earnest Ross combined for 63 of Missouri’s 80 points.
It was Ross who led the charge for Missouri as he scored 15 second-half points, including four 3-pointers.
“They’re very talented,” Alford said of the Missouri trio. “They’re big, physical. That’s the first time we’ve had to match our guards, because we’ve got big, physical, athletic guards as well. Those three guards did a good job of doing what they’re supposed to do.”
The game was UCLA’s first true road game and the biggest test of Alford’s young tenure at the helm. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 8-1.
Jordan Adams led UCLA in scoring with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Anderson and Zach LaVine followed with 13 points each.
The Bruins will return home and have the week off before facing Prairie View A&M on Saturday at 5 p.m. After that, UCLA travels to New York City for a matchup with No. 10 Duke in New York City on Dec. 19.
“The schedule just continues to toughen,” Alford said. “We’ve just got to make sure we take our first loss of the season and learn from it and get better.”
No comments:
Post a Comment