Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Smith throws weight around as UCLA beats WSU 63-60
Sophomore center Joshua Smith makes a dunk past Cougar redshirt sophomore forward D.J. Shelton. Smith finished the game with a team-high of 19 points. Photo: Daily Bruin Blaine OhigashiMen's basketball edges out Washington State, 63-60
By RYAN MENEZES
Daily Bruin in Men's BasketballSports
Published February 4, 2012, 7:47 pm
PULLMAN, Wash. — Ben Howland had the solution for the Bruins’ struggles. The UCLA men’s basketball coach befuddled Washington State with a mid-game switch to a zone defense. Sophomore center Joshua Smith took it from there, sending UCLA home with its first win outside Southern California.
The Bruins closed out a 63-60 win, a relief given their late-game struggles on the road. While their road woes were halted, their domination inside Beasley Coliseum continued, marking the 18th straight win here.
Two days after he admitted that UCLA’s lack of execution against a zone defense – which led to a crushing 71-69 loss to Washington – was his fault, Howland unleashed a zone defense of his own on the Cougars.
But after the win, Howland was more preoccupied with how to keep up the play of his dominant man in the middle. Smith had a team-high 19 points, giving him a total of 43 in two games back in his home state.
Fresh off a shrewd coaching maneuver, Howland offered another solution.
“We’re moving all home games the rest of the year to the state of Washington,” he joked. “We’re on the road anyway, right?”
Smith once again had a perfect first half, like he did against Washington, hitting all five of his field goals for 11 points. But his major damage was done in a five-minute stretch in the second half.
The Bruins had just climbed back to take their first lead of the second half when Smith took over and UCLA (13-10, 6-5 Pac-12) followed suit. He banged the Cougars (12-11, 4-7) inside for two layups, then nailed two free-throws that gave UCLA a seven-point lead.
“We’ve been seeing it in practice – it’s transitioning over into the game,” senior guard Lazeric Jones said of Smith. “I was telling him before the game to just be patient in (the post) and he was doing a great job. People can’t take charges if he’s down there taking his time and being patient. You’ve just got to straight-up guard him, and it’s hard for them to do it.”
Two consecutive big performances gives Smith something he can build on. He dominated once again, but he was happier that he was able to repeat what he did two nights ago.
“For me to be the player I know I can be, it’s just going to have to be a sustained effort,” Smith said. “Last year was the same.”
The Bruins wouldn’t relinquish the lead like they had in the past.
Even after fouling out with 1:42 left, Smith confidently walked to the bench and toyed with the Cougar crowd by forcing some premature “Sit Down!” chants. His teammates didn’t let this lead vanish and left the state of Washington content with a 1-1 split.
Jones and redshirt sophomore forward David Wear each had 15 points for the Bruins, who were playing without the injured Travis Wear (sprained left ankle), their second-leading scorer.
As for the zone, the reason for the switch was simple.
“Both their bigs, (Abe) Lodwick and (Brock) Motum, were such good perimeter shooters,” Howland said. “They stepped out on the perimeter and it was hard for us to match up with, it was hard for (Smith) to match up with.”
So Howland went with the zone defense, something he had previously said the team wasn’t practicing anymore.
Motum, in particular, gave the Bruins fits with his range and post moves. The 6-foot-10-inch Australian forward had a game-high 25 points on nine-of-18 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.
But only six of those points came after the break. The zone defense slowed the Cougars down and helped the Bruins account for Motum.
“We were just aware of where he was at,” said David Wear, who Motum blew by on a few first-half possessions. “He was getting a lot of his other shots off pick and rolls.
The bigs were getting caught up in them. When we did (go zone) we didn’t get caught up in screens or anything like that.”
The zone defense also kept Smith, who was in foul trouble, at a lesser risk of picking up his final one. He played almost six minutes before fouling out, staying effective until the game was out of Washington State’s reach.
The element of surprise also worked in UCLA’s favor.
“That surprised (Washington State) because we hadn’t played zone in a while,” Howland said. “We had barely talked about it that much. That obviously really helped us.”
_____________________
/ THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 4, 2012 Updated: 7:31 p.m.
The Washington native's 19-point performance in UCLA's 63-60 victory against Washington State at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday afternoon capped the best week of the sophomore center's college career and was instrumental in the Bruins (13-10, 6-5 Pac-12) securing their first conference road victory this season outside of Los Angeles.
UCLA center Anthony Stover (0), guard Khalid McCaskill, center, and guard Lazeric Jones (11) congratulate each other after defeating Washington State, 63-60, on Saturday in Pullman, Wash.DEAN HARE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Huge," UCLA backup center Anthony Stover said of the victory.
So was Smith's homecoming this week, his play finally matching his physical stature. Saturday's effort followed a career-high 24 points at Washington on Thursday night.
"We need to play all our games in Washington where Josh Smith is concerned. We're moving all home games the rest of the year to the state of Washington. We're on the road anyway right?" UCLA coach Ben Howland said, referring to a 2011-12 schedule that has the Bruins playing all their games off campus because of the renovation of Pauley Pavilion.
Even with Smith's dominance, UCLA had a series of nervous moments in the closing minutes.
The Bruins blew a 15-point lead at Oregon last month and a 10-point advantage in the second half at Washington.
Saturday UCLA overcame a 19-point first half by Cougars forward Brock Motum by switching to a 2-3 zone in the second half. It helped hold the Australian to just six points after the intermission and scoreless the final 9:44. The zone also helped the Bruins create an 18-3 advantage on points-off-turnovers.
"The key to the game was holding him to six points in the second half," Smith said.
UCLA led, 61-54, with 21.2 seconds remaining only to watch a pair of Reggie Moore 3-point jumpers in the final 13 seconds cut the gap to 62-60 with two seconds remaining.
When Bruins guard Lazeric Jones made the first of two free throws and missed the second, Motum had one last chance to send the game into overtime. However, his three-quarter court heave fell short. UCLA had finally finished off a close conference game and had done so on the road.
"We're more excited than anything just because we played hard and it was a battle the whole game and we were able to pull it out in the end and finish this one off, finish a close game off," said Bruins forward David Wear, who finished with 15 points.
The Bruins were just as excited about the play of Smith, who until this week at best had been inconsistent, out of shape and ineffective. He scored 18 points in a 75-58 victory over Arizona State on Jan. 7 only to be held to six in the next game against USC.
Smith was held without a field goal until the final 37.9 seconds in the loss at Oregon.
"For me to be the player that I know I can be it's going to have to be a sustained effort," said Smith, a McDonald's All-American at Kentwood High, south of Seattle. "I mean last year was the same. I had big games where I might score 19, come back and score six."
Back on his home turf, Smith for the first time this season displayed the type of sustained effort the Bruins are going to need to build momentum heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.
"He's been playing great," said Jones, who scored 15 points. "These are the games he probably needed. Now his feel is starting to come back."
As he walked through the Palouse chill to the bus, Smith continued to talk about changing his mindset. A half-hour earlier, Howland had suggested some visualization.
"All our games are in Seattle, they're in the Pullman," Howland, smiling, recalled telling Smith. "Put yourself in that framework."
_____________________
He scores 19 points in a 63-60 victory at Washington State that improves the
Bruins to 6-5 in Pac-12 play.
via The Los Angeles Times
February 5, 2012
David Wear and Lazeric Jones added 15 points each for the Bruins (13-10, 6-5
Pac-12).
Smith was the catalyst for the Bruins, scoring six points in 2 minutes midway through the second half and holding the Cougars' top scorer, Brock Motum, scoreless for much of the half.
Motum, who led all scorers with 25 points, scored 19 in the first half.
"Motum is a great player," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "And we knew that. He had 34 two games ago, 26 against USC. He's one of the better players in the conference."
The Bruins were down, 34-29, at the half, due in part to Motum. But they dropped into a zone, and that was the difference.
"Our zone defense really helped us today," Howland said. "[Washington State was] trying to screen high. Jerime [Anderson] did a good job fighting over the top of those screens. … Both their bigs, Motum and [Abe] Lodwick, are such good perimeter shooters it's hard to match up."
With 11:40 left, the Cougars led, 49-45. But they scored only one basket in nearly 9 minutes. During that span, the Bruins outscored Washington State, 13-2, and took a 58-51 lead with 4:49 left.
Lodwick broke the run when he hit a three-pointer, narrowing the gap to four.
Howland said when Lodwick hit that shot, he told his players they'd have to hit their foul shots down the stretch.
The Bruins didn't hit them all, but they hit enough to seal the win, going five of eight in the final 30 seconds.
The Cougars outrebounded the Bruins, 37-30, but UCLA took advantage of sloppy play by the Cougars (12-11, 4-7), outscoring them, 18-3, off turnovers.
"I thought the guys played hard, but sloppy turnovers really cost us," Washington State Coach Ken Bone said. "We don't have a defense for those turnovers. They end up in breakaway layups, and that really hurt us."
The win gave the Bruins a split in Washington for the week, and Howland said while he wanted to leave with two wins, getting at least one was vital.
"I would have liked to be 2-0, and I felt we had a good opportunity to do that, but it's important for us to get this win on the road," he said. "And we needed it desperately. We're going on a real tough stretch here."
_____________________
Smith was the catalyst for the Bruins, scoring six points in 2 minutes midway through the second half and holding the Cougars' top scorer, Brock Motum, scoreless for much of the half.
Motum, who led all scorers with 25 points, scored 19 in the first half.
"Motum is a great player," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "And we knew that. He had 34 two games ago, 26 against USC. He's one of the better players in the conference."
The Bruins were down, 34-29, at the half, due in part to Motum. But they dropped into a zone, and that was the difference.
"Our zone defense really helped us today," Howland said. "[Washington State was] trying to screen high. Jerime [Anderson] did a good job fighting over the top of those screens. … Both their bigs, Motum and [Abe] Lodwick, are such good perimeter shooters it's hard to match up."
With 11:40 left, the Cougars led, 49-45. But they scored only one basket in nearly 9 minutes. During that span, the Bruins outscored Washington State, 13-2, and took a 58-51 lead with 4:49 left.
Lodwick broke the run when he hit a three-pointer, narrowing the gap to four.
Howland said when Lodwick hit that shot, he told his players they'd have to hit their foul shots down the stretch.
The Bruins didn't hit them all, but they hit enough to seal the win, going five of eight in the final 30 seconds.
The Cougars outrebounded the Bruins, 37-30, but UCLA took advantage of sloppy play by the Cougars (12-11, 4-7), outscoring them, 18-3, off turnovers.
"I thought the guys played hard, but sloppy turnovers really cost us," Washington State Coach Ken Bone said. "We don't have a defense for those turnovers. They end up in breakaway layups, and that really hurt us."
The win gave the Bruins a split in Washington for the week, and Howland said while he wanted to leave with two wins, getting at least one was vital.
"I would have liked to be 2-0, and I felt we had a good opportunity to do that, but it's important for us to get this win on the road," he said. "And we needed it desperately. We're going on a real tough stretch here."
_____________________
Rapid Reaction: UCLA 63, Wash. St. 60
By Peter Yoon
ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report
February, 4, 2012 5:08 PM PT
UCLA won for the first time against a Division I team away from Southern California, defeating Washington State, 63-60, Saturday at Beasley Coliseum.
It was the 19th consecutive victory for UCLA (13-10, 6-5 Pac-12) at Washington State and the first loss at Beasley Coliseum this season for the Cougars (12-11, 4-7).
OVERVIEW: Neither team could pull away for most of the game, but UCLA finally opened a 58-51 lead with 3:11 to play by going on an 8-0 run and then hung on down the stretch.
The Bruins had a 61-54 lead with 21 seconds to play, but Washington State's Reggie Moore made two 3-point shots in the final 13 seconds and the Bruins made only 5-of-9 free throws over that stretch, but David Wear and Lazeric Jones each made 1-of-2 in the waning seconds to seal the victory for UCLA.
TURNING POINT: UCLA switched to a zone defense with about 15 minutes to play and pretty much took over the game after that. Washington State led, 40-38 at the time of the switch and extended it to 45-39 shortly thereafter, but struggled against the zone the rest of the way.
The Bruins held Washington State to only four field goals over the final 11:30 -- including the two desperation 3-pointers by Moore at the end of the game. Washington State shot 45.5 percent in the first half, but were 9-of-30 (30 percent) in the second half when UCLA played mostly zone.
UCLA STAR OF THE GAME: Joshua Smith turned in a second consecutive solid performance with 19 points and five rebounds as he dominated the middle whenever he was on the floor.
Smith played only 22 minutes and fouled out with 1:42 to play, but made 8-of-9 shots and 3-of-4 free throws. He also added two blocked shots and a steal as he became a physical presence on both ends of the floor.
David Wear, Jones and Tyler Lamb deserve mention for turning up their games in the second half. That trio combined to shoot 4-for-15 in the first half, but were 7-for-11 in the second half. Jones and Wear finished with 15 points each and Lamb, who had seven points, had two key blocked shots and a steal in the final five minutes of the game.
STAT OF THE GAME: Washington State leading scorer Brock Motum was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half and early in the second, but seemed to be most affected by UCLA's switch to a zone.
Motum finished with 25 points, but scored only six in the second half -- two coming when he was credited with a basket after Lamb accidentally tipped a ball in for the Cougars. Motum made 9-of-15 shots for the game, but was 2-of-7 against the zone and did not score in the final 14 minutes of the game.
WHAT IT MEANS: UCLA's road woes have finally come to an end.
The Bruins had only one road victory this season -- against struggling USC -- and their only victory away from Southern California had come against Division II Chaminade at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21.
Washington State was 8-0 at Beasley Coliseum this season and had an 11-game winning streak there. Earlier this season, the Cougars defeated Stanford and conference-leader California there, so it's not an easy feat to win in Pullman.
It's also a good sign for UCLA that they were able to close out the game on the road after blowing double-digit, second-half leads in their last two road losses at Washington and Oregon.
As far as the conference standings go, UCLA is currently in a tie for sixth place with Stanford and three games out of first with seven games to go. Chances of winning the Pac-12 title are slim with six teams standing between UCLA and the top spot so the Bruins will be looking to climb into the top four over the last month of the regular season in order to receive a coveted bye in the first round of the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
It was the 19th consecutive victory for UCLA (13-10, 6-5 Pac-12) at Washington State and the first loss at Beasley Coliseum this season for the Cougars (12-11, 4-7).
OVERVIEW: Neither team could pull away for most of the game, but UCLA finally opened a 58-51 lead with 3:11 to play by going on an 8-0 run and then hung on down the stretch.
The Bruins had a 61-54 lead with 21 seconds to play, but Washington State's Reggie Moore made two 3-point shots in the final 13 seconds and the Bruins made only 5-of-9 free throws over that stretch, but David Wear and Lazeric Jones each made 1-of-2 in the waning seconds to seal the victory for UCLA.
TURNING POINT: UCLA switched to a zone defense with about 15 minutes to play and pretty much took over the game after that. Washington State led, 40-38 at the time of the switch and extended it to 45-39 shortly thereafter, but struggled against the zone the rest of the way.
The Bruins held Washington State to only four field goals over the final 11:30 -- including the two desperation 3-pointers by Moore at the end of the game. Washington State shot 45.5 percent in the first half, but were 9-of-30 (30 percent) in the second half when UCLA played mostly zone.
UCLA STAR OF THE GAME: Joshua Smith turned in a second consecutive solid performance with 19 points and five rebounds as he dominated the middle whenever he was on the floor.
Smith played only 22 minutes and fouled out with 1:42 to play, but made 8-of-9 shots and 3-of-4 free throws. He also added two blocked shots and a steal as he became a physical presence on both ends of the floor.
David Wear, Jones and Tyler Lamb deserve mention for turning up their games in the second half. That trio combined to shoot 4-for-15 in the first half, but were 7-for-11 in the second half. Jones and Wear finished with 15 points each and Lamb, who had seven points, had two key blocked shots and a steal in the final five minutes of the game.
STAT OF THE GAME: Washington State leading scorer Brock Motum was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half and early in the second, but seemed to be most affected by UCLA's switch to a zone.
Motum finished with 25 points, but scored only six in the second half -- two coming when he was credited with a basket after Lamb accidentally tipped a ball in for the Cougars. Motum made 9-of-15 shots for the game, but was 2-of-7 against the zone and did not score in the final 14 minutes of the game.
WHAT IT MEANS: UCLA's road woes have finally come to an end.
The Bruins had only one road victory this season -- against struggling USC -- and their only victory away from Southern California had come against Division II Chaminade at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21.
Washington State was 8-0 at Beasley Coliseum this season and had an 11-game winning streak there. Earlier this season, the Cougars defeated Stanford and conference-leader California there, so it's not an easy feat to win in Pullman.
It's also a good sign for UCLA that they were able to close out the game on the road after blowing double-digit, second-half leads in their last two road losses at Washington and Oregon.
As far as the conference standings go, UCLA is currently in a tie for sixth place with Stanford and three games out of first with seven games to go. Chances of winning the Pac-12 title are slim with six teams standing between UCLA and the top spot so the Bruins will be looking to climb into the top four over the last month of the regular season in order to receive a coveted bye in the first round of the Pac-12 Conference tournament.
Boxscore (Yahoo.com)
UCLA vs WSU game time: 2:07 pm PT
 | |
Feb. 3, 2012
PULLMAN, Wash. -
UCLA Game Notes
| WSU Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide
Gametracker |
Live Audio
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Feb. 4, 2012
SITE: Beasley Coliseum (11,671)
TIP-OFF: 2:07 p.m. (PT)
TV: ROOT Sports NW and Fox College Sports Pacific
TALENT: Tom Glasgow (play-by-play), Lenny Wilkens (analyst) and Jen Mueller (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (WSU's): Channel 93
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (WSU's): Channel 192
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 99-14
SERIES AT WSU: UCLA leads 44-8
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +5
WHERE TO FIND THE WASHINGTON STATE GAME ON TV
Saturday's game at Washington State is not being produced locally. Neither FS West or Prime Ticket had the 2:00 p.m. window chosen by Washington State available (one station was obligated to carry a national women's basketball telecast and the other has L.A. Clipper coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m., making it impossible to carry a game starting at 2:00 p.m.). That decision was made in October. The game will air on ROOT Sports Northwest. That channel is available on the DirecTV Sports Package (Channel 687) and DISH Network (Channel 426). In addition, the game will air on Fox College Sports Pacific, available on the DirecTV Sports Package and the sports tiers of several cable companies, including Time Warner and Comcast. Check your local listings for the station in your area. FCS Pacific will also replay the game on Sat, 2/4 at 11:00 p.m. PT; Sun, 2/5 at 11:00 a.m. PT; and Mon, 2/6 at 8:00 a.m. PT.
SERIES VS. WASHINGTON STATE
This is the 114th meeting between UCLA and Washington State with the Bruins leading the series 99-14. UCLA has won 35 of the last 37 meetings, including the last 18 contests in Pullman, Wash. UCLA is 44-8 all-time at WSU. UCLA won last year's meeting at Friel Court 58-54 on Mar. 5, 2011 in overtime. Malcolm Lee made four free throws in the closing seconds to give the Bruins the victory. Reeves Nelson had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead UCLA and Lee finished with 11 points. The Cougars, who were playing without Klay Thompson (suspension), were led by Brock Motum's 15 points. UCLA opened up the 2010-11 Pac-10 season with an 80-71 win over Washington State on Dec. 29, 2010 in Pauley Pavilion. Thompson scored a game-high 26 points while Faisal Aden chipped in 19 for WSU. Reeves Nelson (21 pts., 11 rebs.) and Lazeric Jones (10 pts., 11 asts.) had double-doubles for UCLA. Head Coach Ben Howland is 15-2 against the Cougars, and 8-0 at WSU.
CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 369-191 (.659), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).
COACH HOWLAND HITS MILESTONES
Ben Howland won his 200th game at UCLA with the win over Utah (201-93, .684 at UCLA in his ninth season) on Jan. 26. He won his 100th Pac-12 game with the win at USC on Jan. 15 (102-51, .667).
BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward Travis Wear left the game at Washington (Feb. 2) in the middle of the second half after spraining his left ankle upon landing from a dunk, but he returned to finish out the contest. He was held out of practice on Feb. 3 and is doubtful for the game at Washington State (Feb. 4).
Lazeric Jones had a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists last year at home against WSU.
JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games. The Bruins are 10-5 in the last 15 contests after starting the season 2-5. In the last 15 games, Jones has averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.2 percent (76-for-161) from the field and 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from three-point range.
TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game eight times this season and they have done so in six of the last 11 contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last nine games, David is averaging 12.4 points while Travis has averaged 14.0 points per game. David has shot 65.7 percent from the floor (46-for-70) while making 85.7 percent (6-for-7) of his three-point shots and draining 14-for-19 (.737) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 58.6 percent (51-for-87) from the field while sinking 24-for-27 (.889) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 97-for-157 (.618) from the field and 38-for-46 (.826) from the charity stripe.
2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.
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All-Session $115: includes an upper-level men's basketball seat and a lower-level women's basketball seat to the Pac-12 Tournaments.
All men's games are played at Staples Center. The first two rounds of the women's tournament are at Galen Center and the semifinals and finals will be held at Staples Center.
2011-12 "BRUIN ROAD SHOW" TICKETS
The Bruins host five more home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (downtown L.A.). Catch all five exciting contests in UCLA's inaugural Pac-12 season.
Mini-Plans: Everybody wins with options starting at $49.
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UCLA Ticket Spot
PULLMAN, Wash. -
UCLA Game Notes
| WSU Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide Gametracker |
Live AudioGAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Feb. 4, 2012
SITE: Beasley Coliseum (11,671)
TIP-OFF: 2:07 p.m. (PT)
TV: ROOT Sports NW and Fox College Sports Pacific
TALENT: Tom Glasgow (play-by-play), Lenny Wilkens (analyst) and Jen Mueller (sideline)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (WSU's): Channel 93
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (WSU's): Channel 192
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 99-14
SERIES AT WSU: UCLA leads 44-8
SERIES STREAK: UCLA +5
WHERE TO FIND THE WASHINGTON STATE GAME ON TV
Saturday's game at Washington State is not being produced locally. Neither FS West or Prime Ticket had the 2:00 p.m. window chosen by Washington State available (one station was obligated to carry a national women's basketball telecast and the other has L.A. Clipper coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m., making it impossible to carry a game starting at 2:00 p.m.). That decision was made in October. The game will air on ROOT Sports Northwest. That channel is available on the DirecTV Sports Package (Channel 687) and DISH Network (Channel 426). In addition, the game will air on Fox College Sports Pacific, available on the DirecTV Sports Package and the sports tiers of several cable companies, including Time Warner and Comcast. Check your local listings for the station in your area. FCS Pacific will also replay the game on Sat, 2/4 at 11:00 p.m. PT; Sun, 2/5 at 11:00 a.m. PT; and Mon, 2/6 at 8:00 a.m. PT.
SERIES VS. WASHINGTON STATE
This is the 114th meeting between UCLA and Washington State with the Bruins leading the series 99-14. UCLA has won 35 of the last 37 meetings, including the last 18 contests in Pullman, Wash. UCLA is 44-8 all-time at WSU. UCLA won last year's meeting at Friel Court 58-54 on Mar. 5, 2011 in overtime. Malcolm Lee made four free throws in the closing seconds to give the Bruins the victory. Reeves Nelson had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead UCLA and Lee finished with 11 points. The Cougars, who were playing without Klay Thompson (suspension), were led by Brock Motum's 15 points. UCLA opened up the 2010-11 Pac-10 season with an 80-71 win over Washington State on Dec. 29, 2010 in Pauley Pavilion. Thompson scored a game-high 26 points while Faisal Aden chipped in 19 for WSU. Reeves Nelson (21 pts., 11 rebs.) and Lazeric Jones (10 pts., 11 asts.) had double-doubles for UCLA. Head Coach Ben Howland is 15-2 against the Cougars, and 8-0 at WSU.
CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 369-191 (.659), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).
COACH HOWLAND HITS MILESTONES
Ben Howland won his 200th game at UCLA with the win over Utah (201-93, .684 at UCLA in his ninth season) on Jan. 26. He won his 100th Pac-12 game with the win at USC on Jan. 15 (102-51, .667).
BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward Travis Wear left the game at Washington (Feb. 2) in the middle of the second half after spraining his left ankle upon landing from a dunk, but he returned to finish out the contest. He was held out of practice on Feb. 3 and is doubtful for the game at Washington State (Feb. 4).
Lazeric Jones had a double-double of 10 points and 11 assists last year at home against WSU.JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games. The Bruins are 10-5 in the last 15 contests after starting the season 2-5. In the last 15 games, Jones has averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.2 percent (76-for-161) from the field and 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from three-point range.
TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game eight times this season and they have done so in six of the last 11 contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last nine games, David is averaging 12.4 points while Travis has averaged 14.0 points per game. David has shot 65.7 percent from the floor (46-for-70) while making 85.7 percent (6-for-7) of his three-point shots and draining 14-for-19 (.737) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 58.6 percent (51-for-87) from the field while sinking 24-for-27 (.889) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 97-for-157 (.618) from the field and 38-for-46 (.826) from the charity stripe.
2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.
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All men's games are played at Staples Center. The first two rounds of the women's tournament are at Galen Center and the semifinals and finals will be held at Staples Center.
2011-12 "BRUIN ROAD SHOW" TICKETS
The Bruins host five more home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (downtown L.A.). Catch all five exciting contests in UCLA's inaugural Pac-12 season.
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UCLA Ticket SpotFriday, February 3, 2012
Up next for UCLA: Saturday at Washington State
Up next for UCLA: Saturday at Washington StateThe Bruins have struggled on the road this season but have done well at Washington State, where they have beaten the Cougars 18 consecutive times.
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
5:08 PM PST, February 3, 2012
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Wash.
On the air: Radio: 570.
Records: UCLA 12-10, 5-5 in Pac-12; Washington State 12-10, 4-6.
Update: Washington State lost guard Faisal Aden for the season when he suffered a knee injury against Arizona last week. Aden was second on the team in scoring with an average of 14.5 points per game. Brock Motum, a 6-foot-10 forward, is averaging 16.8 points and is the only other Cougars player averaging in double figures. UCLA is coming off a 71-69 loss Thursday at Washington — the second consecutive road game in which the Bruins blew a double-digit lead. They were up by 10 points with seven minutes left. UCLA led Oregon by 13 at halftime before losing, 75-68, on Jan. 21. Joshua Smith had a career-high 24 points against Washington. The Bruins have a 1-7 record outside of Southern California this season, but have won their last 18 games at Washington State.
Where: Beasley Coliseum, Pullman, Wash.
On the air: Radio: 570.
Records: UCLA 12-10, 5-5 in Pac-12; Washington State 12-10, 4-6.
Update: Washington State lost guard Faisal Aden for the season when he suffered a knee injury against Arizona last week. Aden was second on the team in scoring with an average of 14.5 points per game. Brock Motum, a 6-foot-10 forward, is averaging 16.8 points and is the only other Cougars player averaging in double figures. UCLA is coming off a 71-69 loss Thursday at Washington — the second consecutive road game in which the Bruins blew a double-digit lead. They were up by 10 points with seven minutes left. UCLA led Oregon by 13 at halftime before losing, 75-68, on Jan. 21. Joshua Smith had a career-high 24 points against Washington. The Bruins have a 1-7 record outside of Southern California this season, but have won their last 18 games at Washington State.
UCLA forward Travis Wear sprains ankle
UCLA's Travis Wear falls over
Washington's Terrence Ross, left, during the second half of the Bruins' loss
Thursday. Wear sprained his ankle on the play and probably will sit out of
Saturday's game against Washington State. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press
/ February 2, 2012)
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UCLA forward Travis Wear sprains ankle
UCLA forward Travis Wear suffered a high ankle sprain in Thursday's loss to Washington and is expected to sit out against Washington State on Saturday.
By Chris Foster
The Los Angeles Times
7:16 PM PST, February 3, 2012
UCLA will try to win its first game against a Division I opponent outside of Southern California on Saturday but will do so without 6-foot-10 forward Travis Wear.
Wear suffered a high ankle sprain in the Bruins' 71-69 loss to Washington on Thursday and is unlikely to play against Washington State. He is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
High ankle sprains generally linger, but Coach Ben Howland said Wear's is "mild." "There's not a lot of swelling."
Joshua Smith, coming off a 24-point game against the Huskies, will start. Howland said Anthony Stover and Brendan Lane will "play significant minutes."
Smith, a Washington native, made nine of 13 shots against the Huskies while playing a season-high 26 minutes.
Howland said Smith's conditioning is improving. "I think he was also very excited to be playing in front of family and friends in Seattle," Howland said. "It was obviously his best game of year."
Road worriers
This will be the true test of whether UCLA is a bad road team. The last time the Bruins lost at Washington State, Howland was an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara.
The 18-game winning streak at Beasley Arena covers three head coaches at UCLA. The Bruins have won 44 of 47 games against the Cougars since 1989.
The Bruins were buried by second-half runs in their last three road losses, and their only road win in eight games outside Southern California this season came against Chaminade in Hawaii.
The Bruins led, 65-55, with six minutes left against Washington on Thursday. The Huskies finished the game — and UCLA — with a 16-4 run.
The Bruins were tied with Oregon State, 51-51, with 14 minutes left on Jan. 19. The Beavers went on a 15-4 run and won, 87-84.
UCLA led Oregon, 37-24, at halftime two nights later. That lead was cut to two points when the Ducks scored the first 11 points of the second half. UCLA lost, 75-68.
"We have to execute, whether it's offense or defense," Howland said.
Norman Powell is sick
Guard Norman Powell played with the flu Thursday.
"He's a lot better today than he was yesterday," Howland said Friday.
Powell played 20 minutes against Washington, making one of four shots. He missed a jumper at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
Reviewing the tape, Howland saw a missed opportunity: "Josh [Smith] was wide open under the basket, and we didn't see him."
UCLA can't hold off Washington, loses 71-69
UCLA's Joshua Smith had arguably the best game of his career, but it wasn't enough in a loss. Photo Joe Nicholson/US Presswire
Men’s basketball loses grip on lead against Washington
By RYAN MENEZES
Daily Bruin in Men's BasketballSports
Published February 3, 2012, 1:04 am
SEATTLE — Joshua Smith saw the ball rolling off the rim and was committed until the very last second to put that missed shot back in.
But that last second ended with the buzzer sounding and Smith flat on his back after diving for the rebound. He was staring straight up at the low, noise-amplifying roof of Alaska Airlines Arena, then put his hands over his head in disbelief.
Smith’s best performance of his career was squandered. The UCLA men’s basketball team’s best opportunity to notch a signature road win was lost in a 71-69 come-from-behind victory by conference leader Washington in its home gym.
“We missed a big opportunity,” said Smith, his eyes red and his voice soft. “Playing a team that’s No. 1, a good team, they showed why they’re No. 1. What’s really important in our league is closing out home games. We had an opportunity to close out the game, we didn’t.”
Smith finished with 24 points – a career-high – and nine rebounds, once again playing close to his home in Kent, Wash.
This was a place that UCLA (12-10, 5-5 Pac-12) couldn’t win inside in the past. That vexing streak – now eight straight losses inside Alaska Airlines Arena – continued.
After UCLA went up 10 with less than seven minutes to play, Washington switched to a zone defense to counter Smith’s dominance. UCLA couldn’t find the guy it had been going to all night, and Washington (15-7, 8-2) started a run.
“We didn’t attack their zone well,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “I’m responsible for that. We were a little discombobulated and didn’t execute down the stretch offensively, which starts with me.”
That began a four-minute long cold streak for the Bruins, who watched the Huskies electrify the crowd with a 13-0 run to go up three.
The rowdy arena known as “Hec-Ed” was as much of a home-court advantage as advertised. A crowd that grew irate as UCLA built its lead let loose as Washington chipped right back.
“We couldn’t hear the play calls or anything like that,” redshirt sophomore forward David Wear said of the Huskies fans. “The crowd was really a factor there towards the end.”
An 18-point second half by Huskies sophomore guard Terrence Ross helped Washington take the lead, but UCLA still had a chance late because of Smith.
Smith had 14 first-half points and his start-to-finish effort was capped off by a possession where he grabbed two rebounds before getting a putback through a foul. He missed the free throw, leaving UCLA trailing 71-69.
Howland elected to not call a timeout with about 20 seconds left and the Bruins holding the ball down two. The ball found freshman guard Norman Powell – who was on the floor in place of fouled-out sophomore guard Tyler Lamb. Powell’s shot hung on the rim before falling out.
Three straight road games have seen UCLA go down to the wire with its opponent. The latest was more deflating than the other two. Their next chance to win comes Saturday across the state in Pullman, Wash.
“We want to come away from this road trip with one win,” David Wear said. “It’s crucial that we let this one go and we focus on beating Washington State now.”
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Bruins lose a lot in loss to Huskies
/ THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 2, 2012 Updated: 11:03 p.m.
SEATTLE – In a season full of too many of them, this wasn't just another loss for UCLA.
There was no way to diminish the enormity of the Bruins' collapse in a 71-69 loss to Washington on Thursday night, neither its manner nor what was wasted.
UCLA's Jerime Anderson reacts after Washington rallied in the final minutres to stun the Bruins, 71-69, on Thursday night in Seattle. Photo: ELAINE THOMPSON, AP
UCLA (12-10, 5-5 Pac-12) blew a 10-point lead in the final six minutes and a whole lot more in falling to Pac-12 co-leader Washington (15-7, 8-2) on a night that almost certainly ended the Bruins' conference regular-season title hopes. It also placed the Pac-12 preseason favorites in the likely position of needing to win the conference tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament.
"We missed a big opportunity," said UCLA sophomore center Joshua Smith, who finished with a game- and career-high 24 points along with nine rebounds.
Despite throwing away the lead, the Bruins still had a final chance to escape from Hec Ed with their first victory in Seattle since 2004 when Smith pulled down A Huskies miss with 24.8 seconds to play.
However, freshman guard Norman Powell's 10-foot jumper in front of the Bruins bench bounced off the rim and Smith couldn't grab the rebound as the final buzzer sounded.
"I thought that for 34 minutes we really played tough, really played smart," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "We made some really bad mistakes. No.1: costly fouls."
Within 45 seconds of extending the lead to 10, a pair of sloppy UCLA fouls threw the Huskies a lifeline, Washington guard C.J. Wilcox sinking four free throws to close the gap to 65-59.
Then Huskies guard Terrence Ross, who had kept Washington in the game with his perimeter shooting, took over the game for good, scoring 10 of his 22 points in the final 4:42.
"I thought Ross took the game over down the stretch and made all the big shots to bring them back and win the game," Howland said. "We did not have an answer for Ross."
__________________
/ THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 2, 2012 Updated: 11:04 p.m.
Up 65-55 with 6:02 remaining, UCLA gave up a pair of quick, ill-advised fouls that the Huskies converted into four points. Then the Bruins found out it could neither silence the Hec Ed crowd nor catch Washington guard Terrence Ross in a game that quickly deteriorated into a track meet. Ross scored 10 of his team-high 22 points in the final 4:42.
"Down the stretch that definitely happened," UCLA forward Travis Wear said. "We let the crowd get into it, got sped up and it just snowballed."
When it was over the Bruins had lost an opportunity to close to two games of the Pac-12 lead, any hopes of a conference regular-season title, and their first victory at Hec Ed since 2004 all buried.
"This was a really big one," Wear said. "We should have definitely won, up 10 with six minutes to go. If we had just controlled the pace we would have probably won the game."
SMITH DELIVERS
Washington fans still haven't forgiven Joshua Smith, an All-American at nearby Kentwood High, for choosing UCLA over the Huskies.
To counter the boos and jeers, the Bruins sophomore center had 32 friends and family members at Hec Ed.
His performance did not disappoint them.
Smith made 8 of his first 9 field-goal attempts, dominating the paint on both ends to finish with a game and career-high 24 points and nine rebounds.
"Josh played well," Bruins guard Lazeric Jones said. "He really played his butt off tonight, played like we expect Josh to play. He stepped up against a hostile crowd."
WEAR LIMPING
Wear suffered a sprained left ankle with 7:01 remaining and was visibly limping after the game. He said his status for Saturday afternoon's game at Washington State is uncertain.
_____________________
WASHINGTON 71, UCLA 69: Bruins blow 10-point lead with 6 1/2 minutes left
By Gene Warnick, Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Daily News
Posted: 02/02/2012 10:57:09 PM PST
Updated: 02/02/2012 11:25:44 PM
PSTInstead, the Bruins found one who couldn't have been much colder.
Freshman guard Norman Powell spent most of Thursday afternoon trying to fight off that sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, can't-get-any-rest feeling.
You know, the flu.
"I was feeling sick all day," Powell said. "I got back from the shootaround and got some rest, fluids and medication. I had a headache all game. But you have to fight through it."
Powell gave the Bruins 20 minutes off the bench, but wasn't any feeling better after his 10-foot jumper from the baseline with 3 seconds remaining rolled around the rim and out, capping a 71-69 Pacific-12 Conference defeat to Washington on Thursday night.
"We were trying to get something inside but it never presented itself," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "It wasn't a bad shot."
The Bruins (12-10, 5-5 Pac-12) blew a 10-point lead in the final 6 minutes to suffer their eighth consecutive defeat at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Jones scored all 11 of his points in the second half, including three 3-pointers.
But with the seconds ticking away, it was Powell who was open for the shot.
"You couldn't get a better shot. It is what it is," Jones said. "We just made some bad plays (down the stretch)."
The Bruins also spoiled the homecoming of Joshua Smith, who grew up in nearby Kent, Wash. With more than 30 family members and friends in attendance, Smith had a career-high 24 points and nine rebounds, shooting 9 of 13 from the field.
But Smith scored just two points in the final 7:51, and that came when he made a putback after his own two misses from close range.
"He came out to play, exactly like how we expect him to play," Jones said. "He had his fans here and really did get the job done. When he's hot, we've got to get him the ball."
The Bruins did that for most of the night - until taking a 63-53 lead with 7:05 left.
"For 34 minutes we played really tough and really smart.," Howland said. "But we had some incredibly not-smart plays (in the final minutes)."
Instead of working the clock, the Bruins inexplicably started to commit fouls. The Huskies' game-changing 15-2 run got its start with six straight free throws.
"When you have the lead, it's time not to foul," Howland said.
Washington's Terrance Ross scored 10 of his team-high 22 points in the final 6:21, with his jumper giving the conference-leading Huskies (15-7, 8-2) a 66-65 lead with 2:35 remaining.
Ross' 3-pointer with 1:21 to go made it 71-67, and Smith's putback with 56 seconds left provided the game's final points.
"It's very disappointing," Smith said. "We prepared well and had good practices leading up to this. We had opportunities to close out the game. They showed why they're the No. 1 team in our conference."
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UCLA BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Bruins left outside their comfort zone
The LA Daily News
Posted: 02/03/2012 10:39:05 PM PST
Updated: 02/03/2012 10:50:11 PM
PSTLeading by 10 points with 6 minutes left against conference-leading Washington on Thursday night, the Bruins faltered down the stretch, scoring just six points the rest of the way in a 71-69 defeat, their eighth straight at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
That was due, in part, to the Huskies switching back to a zone defense, preventing UCLA from getting the ball inside to Joshua Smith, who had just two of his career-high 24 points in the closing minutes.
The Bruins (12-10, 5-5 Pacific-12 Conference) can expect to face a similar defense this afternoon when they take on Washington State in Pullman.
"They play plenty of zone, so we're going to have to attack that better than we did," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Josh really played well, but it was our inability to attack the zone in the last five minutes (that cost the game)."
The Bruins did well enough against the zone early in the second half Thursday to turn a one-point halftime deficit into the 10-point lead.
Lazeric Jones, who was scoreless in the first half on 0 for 6 shooting, made a 3-pointer on the Bruins' opening possession of the second half and added two more 3s.
The Huskies went with a full-court press to claw their way back, then switched back to the zone after taking the lead.
"When teams go to the zone, it slows down our offense," Smith said.
"We were prepared for them to run some zone. Zeke made them pay with a couple of 3-pointers, but it came down to execution."
Bouncing back
Howland vigorously denied his team might have trouble rebounding from such a difficult defeat.
"I don't have any worries about our guys packing it in," he said.
"We're really disappointed, but we'll get by this. I don't sense anything like that."
Scouting the Cougars
Washington State guard Faisal Aden is out for the season after suffering a torn ligament in his left knee last Thursday in a loss at Arizona.
Aden, who just days earlier was named the Pac-12 player of the week for totaling 57 points in victories against Stanford and Cal, was the Cougars' second-leading scorer with 14.5 points per game and led the conference by shooting 89.4 percent from the free-throw line.
"Obviously, we are going to miss him tremendously," WSU coach Ken Bone said earlier this week.
Brock Motum scored 26 points Thursday as the Cougars defeated USC 60-53.
WSU (12-10, 4-6) is 8-0 at home this season.
UCLA falls apart in 71-69 loss to Washington
UCLA is held to three points over the final 12 minutes to help the Huskies overcome a 10-point deficit.
Associated Press
via The Los Angeles Times
10:33 PM PST, February 2, 2012
SEATTLE — Anytime that look shows up on the face of Terrence Ross, Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar knows his sophomore star needs to get shots.
That gleam showed up Thursday night. And Ross came alive in the closing minutes, scoring 10 of Washington's final 12 points as the Huskies rallied to stun UCLA, 71-69, and hold onto first place in the Pac-12 Conference.
Ross finished with 22 points, 18 of them in the second half and more than half of those coming in the final seven minutes after UCLA had taken a 10-point lead.
"I thought for 34 minutes we really played tough, really played smart," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. "We made some really bad mistakes."
Said Romar, "Terrence got that gleam in his eye, that look that forces you to make sure he gets the ball."
Ross' three-pointer from the wing with 1 minute 20 seconds left turned out to be the game-winner, but the Huskies (15-7, 8-2 Pac-12) had to watch Norman Powell's baseline jumper with three seconds left hang on the rim and fall off before celebrating their fourth straight win over the Bruins.
It ruined a career night from UCLA's Joshua Smith. who finished with a career-high 24 points and was unstoppable on the low block for much of the night.
But the Bruins silent in the final minutes, frittering away a 10-point advantage. That lead had seemed more than enough with 7:01 remaining after Travis Wear's jumper gave UCLA its biggest lead.
"It's a game we really wanted," UCLA's Lazeric Jones said. "We prepared well for this game, and for it to come down at the end like that, people are really upset.
Washington's rally started at the free-throw line. Ross and C.J. Wilcox combined for six straight points at the line, and Ross' 18-footer got Washington within 65-61 with 4:38 left. Ross then hit a three-pointer and the deficit was 65-64.
Ross converted with an acrobatic spin and scoop in the lane while being fouled, to give Washington the lead. A UCLA turnover led to a Darnell Gant dunk, and the Huskies led 68-65.
David Wear scored on a 15-footer with 1:40 left, the Bruins' first field goal in nearly six minutes, but Ross answered with another three to push the Huskies' lead to four. Smith scored on the interior while being fouled with 56 seconds left but missed the free throw.
After a Ross miss, UCLA worked the ball around the perimeter until Powell drove to the baseline and got an open look. His shot bounded around the rim, hung and fell off and the horn sounded.
_____________________
Rapid Reaction: Washington 71, UCLA 69
By Peter Yoon
ESPN Los Angeles, UCLA Report
February, 2, 2012 9:51 PM PT
UCLA blew a 10-point lead in the final six minutes and lost, 71-69, Thursday at Washington, the eighth consecutive loss for the Bruins at Alaska Airlines Arena and the fourth time in five road losses this season that UCLA has let a game get away late.
Joshua Smith had a career-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Bruins (12-10, 5-5) remained winless against Division I teams away from Southern California.
Overview: UCLA led, 65-55, with 6:02 to play, but had four turnovers and went 2-for-7 from the field over the rest of the game. Washington went on a 13-0 run to take the lead and held on for the victory when Norman Powell's 15-foot jump shot with two seconds left fell off the front of the rim and Smith couldn't corral the rebound as time expired.
Washington guard Terrence Ross scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half, including 12 in the final 6:21 as Washington (15-7, 8-2) rallied back and remained in first place in the Pac-12 Conference standings. Ross made 7-of-8 shot attempts in the second half and Washington shot 52 percent from the field in the game despite a 4-for-11 performance by leading scorer Tony Wroten.
Turning point: UCLA led by 10, but during a 28-second span, Lazeric Jones and Tyler Lamb each picked up their fourth fouls and a minute later David Wear picked up his fourth.
Those fouls seemed to deflate the Bruins, who went a stretch of five minutes, 30 seconds without a field goal. Twice the Bruins committed offensive fouls for turnovers during that span and Ross began heating up.
His layup with 2:35 to play gave Washington a 66-65 lead, it's first since halftime, and his 3-pointer with 1:15 to play gave the Huskies a 71-67 lead.
UCLA star of the game: Smith played easily the best game of the season and probably the best game of his career as the 6-foot-10, 305-pound center played with energy and passion.
He displayed some post moves he had not shown in past games, going up and under for some baskets and even made a mini-jump hook. He fought for position in the paint and took the ball to the basket with a purpose -- something he has been criticized for not doing all season.
Smith made 9-of-13 shots, setting career highs in both shots made and attempted as he finally showed the type of dominating force he could be as he finally gets his conditioning level up. Surely Smith, who grew up in Kent, Wash., had extra motivation playing in front of his hometown crowd.
Stat of the game: On the surface, UCLA's 44.3 percent shooting doesn't look horrible, but a closer look reveals that Smith, David Wear (5-for-6), and Jerime Anderson (3-for-4) combined to make 17-of-23 (73.9 percent) while the rest of the team was 10-of-38 (26 percent).
UCLA's leading scorers for the season Jones and Travis Wear were a combined 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) with Jones seemingly going rogue and getting out of the structure of the UCLA offense at times and reverting to his early-season habit of trying to force things.
Travis Wear entered the game leading the conference with a 65.8 shooting percentage in Pac-12 games, but made only 4-of-15 shots as he missed several tip-ins and open jumpers. Lamb was 2-for-7 and Norman Powell was 1-for-4.
Lamb is 6-of-25 (24 percent) in UCLA's last four road games.
What it means: UCLA will not win the Pac-12 regular-season title.
Only two teams in the last 48 seasons have won the conference title with five losses and the Bruins chances of doing it this year are pretty much gone as they now trail Washington by three games and have five teams between them and the top, meaning it's a near certainty that UCLA will have to win the Pac-12 tournament to make the NCAA tournament.
UCLA's best hope now is to finish among the top four in the conference to get a first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament. Otherwise, the Bruins would have to win four games in four days to make the NCAAs.
The Bruins have only themselves to blame as they have been unable to close out games on the road despite being close in just about every one. Before throwing away the 10-point lead at Washington, they blew a 13-point halftime lead in a 75-68 loss at Oregon and allowed Oregon State to shoot 58 percent in an 87-84 loss.
At Stanford, Jones missed a buzzer-beating attempt in a 60-59 loss and at California the Bruins were within a point at halftime before getting blown out, 85-69, as they allowed Cal to shoot 65 percent.
Boxscore (Yahoo.com)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
UCLA In Seattle To Face UW on ESPN
| |
Jan. 31, 2012
LOS ANGELES -
UCLA Game Notes | UW Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide
Howland's Press Conference Video | Gametracker | Live Audio
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Feb. 2, 2012
SITE: Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)
TIP-OFF: 6:05 p.m. (PT)
TV: ESPN
TALENT: Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Dan Dakich (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (UW's): Channel 93
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (UW's): Channel 191
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 91-39
SERIES AT UW: Series tied 31-31
SERIES STREAK: Washington +3
SERIES VS. WASHINGTON
This is the 131st meeting between UCLA and Washington with the Bruins leading the series 91-39 (.700). The series is tied at 31-31 in all-time matchups in Seattle, but the Bruins have lost the last seven at Alaska Airlines Arena. UCLA dropped last year's matchup on the road, 70-63, on March 3, 2011. The Bruins led 25-24 at halftime but C.J. Wilcox scored all of his career-high 24 points in the second half to lead UW to the win. Jerime Anderson led UCLA with 16 points while Joshua Smith, making his first trip home to Washington, had 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Washington pulled off just its third sweep of UCLA in 59 seasons by defeating the Bruins 74-63 in the matchup in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2010. Matthew Bryan-Amaning posted a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Huskies while Reeves Nelson led UCLA with 19 points and 10 boards. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 7-10 against Washington. It is the only Pac-12 school he has a losing record against.
CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 369-190 (.660), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).
COACH HOWLAND HITS MILESTONES
Ben Howland won his 200th game at UCLA with the win over Utah (201-92, .686 at UCLA in his ninth season) on Jan. 26. He won his 100th Pac-12 game with the win at USC on Jan. 15 (102-51, .667).
BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward David Wear, who left the game in the final minutes at Oregon (Jan. 21) after hurting his left knee, had an MRI on Jan. 23, 2012. That MRI showed no significant injury (was negative) and he returned to practice on Jan. 23. He started in both wins last week against Utah (Jan. 26) and Colorado (Jan. 28) registering 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists combined in the two games.
JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 16 games. The Bruins are 11-5 in the last 16 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 16 games, Jones has averaged 14.8 points, 4.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 50.0 percent (85-for-170) from the field and 43.1 percent (25-for-58) from three-point range.
TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game eight times this season and they have done so in six of the last 10 contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last eight games, David is averaging 12.8 points while Travis has averaged 14.8 points per game. David has shot 64.1 percent from the floor (41-for-64) while making 85.7 percent (6-for-7) of his three-point shots and draining 14-for-19 (.737) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 65.3 percent (47-for-72) from the field while sinking 24-for-27 (.889) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 88-for-136 (.647) from the field and 38-for-46 (.826) from the charity stripe.
2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.
All-Session $283: includes lower-level seat to both the men's and women's basketball Pac-12 Tournaments.
All-Session $115: includes an upper-level men's basketball seat and a lower-level women's basketball seat to the Pac-12 Tournaments.
All men's games are played at Staples Center. The first two rounds of the women's tournament are at Galen Center and the semifinals and finals will be held at Staples Center.
2011-12 "BRUIN ROAD SHOW" TICKETS
The Bruins host five more home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (downtown L.A.). Catch all five exciting contests in UCLA's inaugural Pac-12 season.
Mini-Plans: Everybody wins with options starting at $49.
Group Tickets: Games are better in groups starting at $15.
Single-Game Tickets: Choose your games starting at $15.
UCLA Ticket Spot
LOS ANGELES -
UCLA Game Notes
| UW Game Notes | 2011-12 Media Guide Howland's Press Conference Video
| Gametracker | Live AudioGAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Feb. 2, 2012
SITE: Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)
TIP-OFF: 6:05 p.m. (PT)
TV: ESPN
TALENT: Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Dan Dakich (analyst)
RADIO (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570
SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO (UW's): Channel 93
SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO (UW's): Channel 191
TALENT: Chris Roberts (play-by-play) and Don MacLean (analyst)
SERIES RECORD: UCLA leads 91-39
SERIES AT UW: Series tied 31-31
SERIES STREAK: Washington +3
SERIES VS. WASHINGTON
This is the 131st meeting between UCLA and Washington with the Bruins leading the series 91-39 (.700). The series is tied at 31-31 in all-time matchups in Seattle, but the Bruins have lost the last seven at Alaska Airlines Arena. UCLA dropped last year's matchup on the road, 70-63, on March 3, 2011. The Bruins led 25-24 at halftime but C.J. Wilcox scored all of his career-high 24 points in the second half to lead UW to the win. Jerime Anderson led UCLA with 16 points while Joshua Smith, making his first trip home to Washington, had 12 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Washington pulled off just its third sweep of UCLA in 59 seasons by defeating the Bruins 74-63 in the matchup in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2010. Matthew Bryan-Amaning posted a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Huskies while Reeves Nelson led UCLA with 19 points and 10 boards. UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland is 7-10 against Washington. It is the only Pac-12 school he has a losing record against.
CHARTING COACH HOWLAND
Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic (Dec. 13, 2008). He is currently 369-190 (.660), which ranks 35th on the winningest active coaches list by percentage and 50th on the active list by victories. Howland's first career victory was his first game at Northern Arizona in 1994, a 71-69 victory over New Mexico Highlands. His 100th career victory came in his second season at Pittsburgh in the 77-65 win at home over Seton Hall (Jan. 13, 2001). His 200th win came in his third season at UCLA with the 56-37 home win over Delaware State (Nov. 19, 2005). Howland is 19-9 (.679) in the NCAA Tournament (15-6 (.714) at UCLA).
COACH HOWLAND HITS MILESTONES
Ben Howland won his 200th game at UCLA with the win over Utah (201-92, .686 at UCLA in his ninth season) on Jan. 26. He won his 100th Pac-12 game with the win at USC on Jan. 15 (102-51, .667).
BRUINS' INJURY REPORT
Sophomore forward David Wear, who left the game in the final minutes at Oregon (Jan. 21) after hurting his left knee, had an MRI on Jan. 23, 2012. That MRI showed no significant injury (was negative) and he returned to practice on Jan. 23. He started in both wins last week against Utah (Jan. 26) and Colorado (Jan. 28) registering 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists combined in the two games.
JONES LEADING UCLA
Senior point guard Lazeric Jones had his career-best eight straight games in double figures snapped in the loss at Cal (Dec. 31). He has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 16 games. The Bruins are 11-5 in the last 16 contests after starting the season 1-4. In the last 16 games, Jones has averaged 14.8 points, 4.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting 50.0 percent (85-for-170) from the field and 43.1 percent (25-for-58) from three-point range.
TWIN PEAKS
The Wear twins (David and Travis) have scored in double figures in the same game eight times this season and they have done so in six of the last 10 contests. Additionally, they posted career-highs in scoring in back-to-back outings as David scored a career-best 17 points in the loss at California (Dec. 31) while Travis had a career-high 20 points in the win over Arizona (Jan. 5). In the last eight games, David is averaging 12.8 points while Travis has averaged 14.8 points per game. David has shot 64.1 percent from the floor (41-for-64) while making 85.7 percent (6-for-7) of his three-point shots and draining 14-for-19 (.737) from the free-throw line. Travis has shot 65.3 percent (47-for-72) from the field while sinking 24-for-27 (.889) of his free throw attemtps. Combined, they are 88-for-136 (.647) from the field and 38-for-46 (.826) from the charity stripe.
2012 PAC-12 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COMBINED MEN'S & WOMEN'S ALL-SESSION PACKAGES
Experience the March to Madness and help your Bruins feel at home in Staples Center! There are 2012 Pac-12 Basketball all-session ticket packages available online or by calling (310) UCLA-WIN today.
All-Session $283: includes lower-level seat to both the men's and women's basketball Pac-12 Tournaments.
All-Session $115: includes an upper-level men's basketball seat and a lower-level women's basketball seat to the Pac-12 Tournaments.
All men's games are played at Staples Center. The first two rounds of the women's tournament are at Galen Center and the semifinals and finals will be held at Staples Center.
2011-12 "BRUIN ROAD SHOW" TICKETS
The Bruins host five more home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (downtown L.A.). Catch all five exciting contests in UCLA's inaugural Pac-12 season.
Mini-Plans: Everybody wins with options starting at $49.
Group Tickets: Games are better in groups starting at $15.
Single-Game Tickets: Choose your games starting at $15.
UCLA Ticket Spot
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