Bruins’ size overwhelms Lumberjacks in 77-60 win

Sophomore forward/center Tony Parker shoots during the second half. Parker scored eight points against Stephen F. Austin, helping UCLA to its 42 points in the paint. (Tim Bradbury/Daily Bruin senior staff)

BY KEVIN BOWMAN | DAILY BRUIN | MARCH 23 2014 | ARTICLE LINK

In the end, UCLA proved too tall an order for Stephen F. Austin.

After upsetting No. 5 seed VCU on Friday, the No. 12 seed Lumberjacks looked to topple another giant. But the giant – No. 4 seed UCLA – was just too large.

Armed with an immense size advantage, the Bruins made short work of the Lumberjacks. UCLA’s starting lineup featured three players 6-foot-9 or higher and no one shorter than 6-foot-4. Stephen F. Austin’s tallest starter was listed as 6-foot-6. On paper, the Bruins had a mismatch at every position.

But their task was to turn “on paper” into points, and they did so from their first possession onward, finishing with a 77-60 win. Just seconds into the game, sophomore guard Jordan Adams lobbed a pass over the entire defense for junior guard Norman Powell to convert on an alley-oop lay in.

“You just gotta go at them. There’s been a lot of upsets lately, so coach wanted to get started off with a bang with a lob,” said sophomore forward/center Tony Parker. “That’s big time. It’s big time to get us going, get us rowdy, keep the the foot on the pedal and keep the guys going.”

The very next possession, with Stephen F. Austin’s 5-foot-9 guard Trey Pinkney trying to defend Adams in the paint, the Bruins simply lobbed a pass over Pinkney’s head for Adams to convert on one of his many easy buckets.

UCLA continued to show its commitment to exploiting the size differential as Parker, who normally subs in with freshman guards Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford around the 12- or 13-minute mark, checked into the game alone just five minutes after the tipoff. With another 6-foot-9 player added to the mix, the Bruins began to pull away, scoring inside at will. UCLA finished the game with 42 points in the paint, and the high percentage looks allowed the Bruins to shoot 54.7 percent on the night.

“We knew that we’re bigger than them inside, so we wanted to attack the rim,” Powell said. “That’s the emphasis when teams don’t have shot-blockers; you have to attack the rim and draw fouls and coach was saying that’s just gonna be an added bonus.”

While the Bruins (28-8) dominated inside with their size and length, those same qualities frustrated the Lumberjacks (32-3) on offense as they struggled to find consistent scoring. The lone Lumberjack who was able to score effectively inside was forward Thomas Walkup, who finished with 22 points on 10-17 shooting.

“We realized that we wanted to pack the paint a little more because they were gonna try to drive,” said redshirt senior forward Travis Wear. “If we could keep them out of the lane we would be fine.”

With the Bruins blocking and altering shots, the Lumberjacks changed their strategy, moving further back and launching 27 3-pointers throughout the game. Stephen F. Austin finished the game shooting just 35.1 percent from the field, unable to overcome UCLA’s length, both inside and on the perimeter.

“That’s something that coach has been preaching this whole time that we don’t press teams or pressure teams like that but our length causes problems,” Powell said. “When you’re playing with your hands up and everything like that, it really takes the team out of what they want to do offensively.”

Yet despite the advantage down low, the Bruins didn’t finish with an advantage on the glass. Stephen F. Austin out-rebounded UCLA 36-30, finding one area in which its scrappiness outdueled UCLA’s size.

“They send five to the glass,” Parker said. “They’re a gritty team. When they’re that little, you have to really, really find them.”

UCLA will look to continue to have a strong interior presence as its attention now shifts to its next matchup against No. 1 seed Florida, a team which features eight players 6-foot-6 or taller.

“They’re going to be a tough matchup,” Powell said. “They work hard, they compete, they have veteran guys on their team. It’s going to be a well-fought game between two teams.”

Email Bowman at kbowman+@media.ucla.edu.