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Friday, November 25, 2016
2016 Wooden Legacy: UCLA vs Portland 'sorta' Lonzo highlight reels
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2016 Wooden Legacy: No. 14 UCLA Takes Down Portland, 99-77
FULLERTON, Calif. – Freshman Lonzo Ball had 18 points and 11 assists and Thomas Welsh registered 16 points and 10 rebounds as No. 14 UCLA defeated Portland, 99-77, in a first-round game of the Wooden Legacy on Thursday night.
Ball logged his third double-double in five games for UCLA (5-0), finishing with 11 assists and just two turnovers over 27 minutes. The 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., made 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 3-point attempts.
In all, the Bruins finished with six players scoring in double figures. Aside from Ball and Welsh, Isaac Hamilton had 16 points, Aaron Holiday and TJ Leaf each scored 14 and Bryce Alford totaled 13.
"We're really sharing the ball," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "We had six people in double figures, so we have a really good balance. We can beat you inside or outside. I didn't like our start defensively and didn't like our mindset. I thought as the game went on, we picked up our intensity."
UCLA's 99 points on Thursday on the campus of Cal State Fullerton marked a single-game record in the history of the Wooden Legacy and the Wooden Classic (dating back 22 years).
Hamilton also added to the Bruins' list of milestones. The senior guard drilled a 3-pointer with 19 minutes to go in the second half, pushing his career point total past 1,000. He became the 54th player in program history to have reached that career mark.
Leaf finished one rebound shy of a double-double, totaling 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Jazz Johnson scored a game-high 25 points for Portland (3-1), which trailed the Bruins at halftime by a 45-37 margin.
Leading 51-41 with 18:47 left in the contest, UCLA used an 11-0 scoring run over the game's next three minutes to secure a 62-41 cushion. That 11-point span featured three jump shots from Welsh and was capped by a 3-pointer from Ball. The Bruins pushed their advantage to 25 points – 72-47 – with 10:32 left in the second half.
The first half was not as decisive as the second. UCLA led 34-32 with 4:17 to play before intermission before Alford and Hamilton hit back-to-back layups. Portland answered with a 3-pointer from Rashad Jackson, cutting the margin to 38-35, before UCLA closed the opening half with a 7-2 scoring run.
Both teams finished with 14 3-pointers – the Bruins made 14 of 29 shots from long range while the Pilots were 14 of 32 from beyond the arc.
UCLA will face Nebraska (4-0) in a semifinal contest of the Wooden Legacy on Friday night. Game time at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym is 9 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be televised on ESPN2.
Portland moves on to face Dayton in a consolation game on Friday at 6:30 pm (PT).
Ball logged his third double-double in five games for UCLA (5-0), finishing with 11 assists and just two turnovers over 27 minutes. The 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., made 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 3-point attempts.
In all, the Bruins finished with six players scoring in double figures. Aside from Ball and Welsh, Isaac Hamilton had 16 points, Aaron Holiday and TJ Leaf each scored 14 and Bryce Alford totaled 13.
"We're really sharing the ball," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "We had six people in double figures, so we have a really good balance. We can beat you inside or outside. I didn't like our start defensively and didn't like our mindset. I thought as the game went on, we picked up our intensity."
UCLA's 99 points on Thursday on the campus of Cal State Fullerton marked a single-game record in the history of the Wooden Legacy and the Wooden Classic (dating back 22 years).
Hamilton also added to the Bruins' list of milestones. The senior guard drilled a 3-pointer with 19 minutes to go in the second half, pushing his career point total past 1,000. He became the 54th player in program history to have reached that career mark.
Leaf finished one rebound shy of a double-double, totaling 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Jazz Johnson scored a game-high 25 points for Portland (3-1), which trailed the Bruins at halftime by a 45-37 margin.
Leading 51-41 with 18:47 left in the contest, UCLA used an 11-0 scoring run over the game's next three minutes to secure a 62-41 cushion. That 11-point span featured three jump shots from Welsh and was capped by a 3-pointer from Ball. The Bruins pushed their advantage to 25 points – 72-47 – with 10:32 left in the second half.
The first half was not as decisive as the second. UCLA led 34-32 with 4:17 to play before intermission before Alford and Hamilton hit back-to-back layups. Portland answered with a 3-pointer from Rashad Jackson, cutting the margin to 38-35, before UCLA closed the opening half with a 7-2 scoring run.
Both teams finished with 14 3-pointers – the Bruins made 14 of 29 shots from long range while the Pilots were 14 of 32 from beyond the arc.
UCLA will face Nebraska (4-0) in a semifinal contest of the Wooden Legacy on Friday night. Game time at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym is 9 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be televised on ESPN2.
Portland moves on to face Dayton in a consolation game on Friday at 6:30 pm (PT).
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Oh, Canada!!!
Jordin Canada Named Pac-12 Player of the Week
The junior guard recorded just the sixth double-double in UCLA history this week while also scoring her 1,000th career point.
UCLA Women's Basketball | November 21, 2016 | Link
SOCIAL MEDIA: WBB on Twitter | WBB on Facebook | WBB on Instagram
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) -- UCLA junior Jordin Canada (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward) was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week today as announced by the league.
Canada led the Bruins to a 2-1 week by averaging 17.7 points, 9.0 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game while shooting 46.3 percent (19-for-41) from the field and 100 percent (15-for-15) from the free throw line.
The 5-foot-6 guard recorded the sixth triple-double in UCLA history and the first since 2012 when she had 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists in a home win over Southern on Nov. 18.
She nearly had the first back-to-back triple-double in UCLA history and the first in the Pac-12 since 2002 but finished one assist shy with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a home win over Cal Poly on Nov. 20.
Canada began the week with 23 points, six assists, four steals and three boards in a loss at #2 Baylor (Nov. 14).
She also became the 32nd player in UCLA history to surpass the 1,000-point mark in her career in the same game as the triple-double.
When asked about it by the Associated Press, Canada said "It's also an honor. It's a great feeling to know that I've put in the work. I'm very proud of myself, but it's not all about points. Yes, it's a great honor, but it's not everything."
ALSO NOMINATED: Labrittney Jones, ARIZ; Kristine Anigwe, CAL; Haley Smith, COLO; Marie Gulich, OSU; Brittany McPhee, STAN; Minyon Moore, USC; Emily Potter, UTAH; Kelsey Plum, WASH; Louise Brown, WSU.
The 5-foot-6 guard recorded the sixth triple-double in UCLA history and the first since 2012 when she had 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists in a home win over Southern on Nov. 18.
She nearly had the first back-to-back triple-double in UCLA history and the first in the Pac-12 since 2002 but finished one assist shy with 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in a home win over Cal Poly on Nov. 20.
Canada began the week with 23 points, six assists, four steals and three boards in a loss at #2 Baylor (Nov. 14).
She also became the 32nd player in UCLA history to surpass the 1,000-point mark in her career in the same game as the triple-double.
When asked about it by the Associated Press, Canada said "It's also an honor. It's a great feeling to know that I've put in the work. I'm very proud of myself, but it's not all about points. Yes, it's a great honor, but it's not everything."
ALSO NOMINATED: Labrittney Jones, ARIZ; Kristine Anigwe, CAL; Haley Smith, COLO; Marie Gulich, OSU; Brittany McPhee, STAN; Minyon Moore, USC; Emily Potter, UTAH; Kelsey Plum, WASH; Louise Brown, WSU.
Related:
Oh, Canada!!! (SLAM No. 203 Dec 2016) (link)
Jordin Canada's profile on UCLA Women's Basketball page (link)
No. 14 UCLA Set to Play at Wooden Legacy
The Bruins open their tournament schedule in Fullerton, Calif., on Thursday versus Portland.
Story Links
LOS ANGELES – No. 14/13 UCLA (4-0) will face Portland (3-0) in a first-round game of the 2016 Wooden Legacy at Cal State Fullerton on Thanksgiving night. Game time is 8 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game at Titan Gym will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Fans can also listen to the radio call in the Los Angeles area on AM 570 (KLAC).
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Titan Gym at Cal State Fullerton (4,000)
Game Time: 8 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Doug Sherman (play-by-play), Sean Farnham (analyst), Jeff Goodman (courtside)
Radio: AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Radio Channels: Ch. 81/Ch. 81
SIRIUS App. Channel: Ch. 81
WHAT'S NEXT
Ranked No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches poll, UCLA looks for its fifth win in as many games this Thursday at the Wooden Legacy. UCLA last played in the Wooden Legacy tournament in Nov. 2009, when the event was known as the 76 Classic (and was played at the Anaheim Convention Center). The winner of Thursday's matchup will face either Dayton or Nebraska in a semifinal contest on Friday evening at 9 p.m. (PT). All four contests on Sunday will take place at the Honda Center (Anaheim). The championship game is at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) and the third-place game will begin at 1 p.m. (ESPNU).
HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE
UCLA averaged 105.8 points in its first four games, the first time since Dec. 1990 in which the Bruins had averaged that many points through a four-game span. From Dec. 2-15, 1990, UCLA averaged 115.8 points per game, buoyed by a 149-98 win over Loyola Marymount before defeating Saint Mary's, 123-93, three days later. With TJ Leaf scoring a team-high 20.3 points per game, this season's squad currently features six players averaging in double figures.
EXTRA POINTS
With its 119-80 win over Pacific in the season opener (Nov. 11), UCLA recorded its highest single-game point total since defeating Cal State Fullerton, 120-91, on Dec. 13, 1997. In addition, UCLA has scored at least 40 points in all eight halves this season, recording a season-best 63 points in the first half of its season-opening victory against Pacific (Nov. 11).
LAST WEEK
The Bruins have posted a 4-0 record, most recently securing victories over San Diego (88-68 on Nov. 17) and Long Beach State (114-77 on Nov. 20). In two games last week, freshman TJ Leaf averaged 23.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, making 19 of 25 field goal attempts (76 percent) and hitting 8 of 9 free throw shots (88.9 percent). UCLA shot 59.1 percent from the field through both games and was 29 for 33 from the free throw line.
HAVIN' A BALL
Freshman Lonzo Ball has been named to the 50-person watch list for both the Naismith Trophy (presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club) and the John R. Wooden Award. Averaging 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, Ball has shot 61.1 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from 3-point range. In UCLA's season opener (Nov. 11), he had 19 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Ball has twice recorded 11 assists, one shy of UCLA's single-game freshman record – Pooh Richardson had 12 as a freshman in a double-overtime win at Washington State (Jan. 11, 1986).
SCORING BALANCE
Seven UCLA players scored in double figures in the season opener against Pacific (Nov. 11). In addition, six Bruins scored in double figures against San Diego (Nov. 17) and versus Long Beach State (Nov. 20). Prior to this season, UCLA had not seen seven of its players score in double figures in the same game since Dec. 19, 1998, when the Bruins defeated CSUN, 114-97. UCLA's previous games with at least six double-figure scorers took place in wins over Montana State (Nov. 14, 2014 – Pauley Pavilion) and against Stanford in overtime (March 4, 2000 – Maples Pavilion, at Stanford).
VETERAN GUARDS
Seniors Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton have opened the year as two of the Pac-12's most veteran players. Alford ranks No. 24 on UCLA's all-time scoring list (1,439 points), having averaged 13.2 points per game in 109 career contests. He entered this season as the only returning player in a Power 5 conference to have averaged at least 16.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game last year. Hamilton entered the year as the Pac-12's top returning scorer from one year ago (16.8 ppg last year) and has totaled 988 career points in 72 games at UCLA.
1,000 POINT CLUB: Isaac Hamilton is just 12 points shy of becoming the 54th player at UCLA to have scored at least 1,000 career points for the Bruins. He has totaled 988 career points, averaging 13.7 per game.
PAC-12 LEADERBOARD
Freshman TJ Leaf ranks among the top five in the Pac-12 in scoring (fourth, 20.3 ppg) and rebounding (fifth, 10.0 rpg), through games played Sunday, Nov. 20. Leaf's 72.7 percentage from the field is second overall (32 of 44), while classmate Lonzo Ball ranks eighth in overall field goal percentage (61.1). In addition, Ball leads all Pac-12 players in both assists per game (9.0) and total assists (36). Through Nov. 20, Ball's 36 assists were 15 more than the next highest total of any Pac-12 player (Arizona State's Shannon Evans had dished 21 assists).
THE WOODEN CLASSIC
Prior to this tournament being renamed the Wooden Legacy before the 2013-14 season, UCLA had annually participated in the "Wooden Classic," an annual Saturday doubleheader at the Honda Center in Anaheim (typically in early December). In Nov. 2012, the Bruins played in the John R. Wooden Classic for the 16th time, losing to San Diego State. UCLA recorded a 11-5 mark in 16 total appearances at the John R. Wooden Classic, an event that began in Dec. 1994. In all, the Wooden Classic took place in 19 consecutive years before the format change in 2013.
ABOUT THE PILOTS
Portland has opened its season with a 3-0 record, securing victories against UC Riverside, San Jose State and Lewis & Clark. Under the direction of first-year head coach Terry Porter, Portland has outscored its opponents by an average of 25.0 points per game. Senior guard Alec Wintering (Charlotte, N.C.) has averaged a team-leading 19.0 points and 8.0 assists per game. Junior forward Gabe Taylor (Newberg, Ore.) has led the Pilots' frontcourt, averaging 17.3 points and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game (team-high 32.7 minutes per game).
SOPHOMORE SEASON
Sophomore guard Aaron Holiday has averaged 14.5 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the Bruins' first four games. Against Pacific on Nov. 11, he had 18 points and five assists (no turnovers). In fact, he came off the bench in that game midway through the first half and scored UCLA's next 10 consecutive points over a 1-minute, 27-second span. Last season, he averaged 10.3 points per game and started all 32 contests. He led the Bruins in 3-point field goal percentage one year ago, shooting 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, and averaged 4.0 assists per game.
STEADY PROGRESSION
Junior center Thomas Welsh averaged 11.2 points and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2015-16. He led the Bruins in blocked shots (32) and has now registered 85 career blocked shots, needing just seven more to crack the school's all-time top 10 leaders in blocks. Last season, Welsh earned second-team Pac-12 All-Academic acclaim, becoming UCLA's first player since the 2009-10 season to earn the conference's academic honor (Mustafa Abdul-Hamid was a first-team selection and Malcolm Lee was a second-team honoree that year).
Unbeaten Bruins could have their first taste of adversity in Wooden Legacy tournament
NOV 23, 2016 |
BEN BOLCH | THE L.A. TIMES | ARTICLE LINK
Steve Alford knows it’s coming despite the high-scoring romps, the nonstop ball movement, the feeling that UCLA’s early season euphoria might stretch all the way into late March.
There will be a time when the shots don’t fall so easily, the ball gets stuck in a few players’ hands, the scoreboard defies the Bruins. Only then will UCLA learn whether it has the resolve to go with its talent.
“Adversity hasn’t hit,” said Alford, whose team has defeated its four opponents by an average of 27.8 points, “and that sometimes can help build things or it can rip things apart. There’s going to be adversity hit at some point. How do we handle that? How do we handle a close game? Where does the ball go? Who takes the shot? How do we get the stop?
“These are all things that this team hasn’t endured yet that we will endure. I’m anxious to see how we respond to it because we’ve got a great group of guys that really care.”
The No. 14 Bruins (4-0) could find out during an upcoming stretch that will be their toughest in a young season. They will open the Wooden Legacy on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym against Portland (3-0), the start of a three-games-in-four-days test that could include two bedtime starts.
The winner of UCLA’s first game will play either Dayton or Nebraska at 9 p.m. Friday, leading to a daylong wait.
“Those late games, sometimes you get caught sitting in a hotel room all day, so I’m sure the coaches will do a good job of letting us get out, letting us go on a walk, do something,” Bruins guard Bryce Alford said. “Usually we get out of the hotel room just so we’re not so anxious, because we’re so ready to play …. That’s a challenge, but I think we’ll handle it pretty well.”
UCLA will play its final game in the tournament Sunday at the Honda Center in Anaheim against either Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Texas A&M or CSUN. The Bruins already defeated CSUN, 102-87, earlier this month.
Steve Alford said he wasn’t thinking about a possible championship matchup because the three potential opponents on UCLA’s half of the bracket have a combined 8-1 record.
“The competition will bring the best out of us,” Bruins guard Isaac Hamilton said. “We just have to be a little nastier on defense to get more stops.”
This will be UCLA’s first appearance in the tournament formerly known as the 76 Classic since a 2009 performance at the Anaheim Convention Center that included an opening-round loss to Portland as part of an 0-3 weekend.
These Pilots have some similarities to the Bruins, at least stylistically. They like to push the pace and feature a star guard in senior Alec Wintering, a first-team All-West Coast Conference selection last season who leads the team with averages of 19.0 points and 8.0 assists per game. Portland also has a stretch power forward in junior Gabe Taylor, who has made 44.4% of his three-point attempts while leading the Pilots with 8.0 rebounds per game.
Like UCLA, Portland has also routed its early opponents, winning its games by an average of 25 points.
UCLA’s willingness to share the ball could gird the Bruins for the inevitable hardship that awaits this season. Freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf have been among the team’s best passers, winning the immediate respect of more veteran players and leading to cohesiveness. Six UCLA players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Leaf’s 20.3 points per game.
“Whoever’s hot that night we’re going to continue to feed him,” Bryce Alford said, “and if we’re all hot then we’re just going to keep sharing.”
The unselfish approach has led to what could be UCLA’s early season mantra: The team that slays together stays together.
UP NEXT
UCLA VS. PORTLAND
When: Thursday, 8 p.m. PST.
Where: Titan Gym at Cal State Fullerton.
On the air: TV: ESPN2; Radio: 570.
Update: UCLA (4-0) expects freshman forward-center Ike Anigbogu to make his season debut at some point during the three-game Wooden Legacy, possibly in the opener against Portland (3-0). Anigbogu has been sidelined since last month after undergoing surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee.
Bruins Coach Steve Alford is familiar with Portland counterpart Terry Porter, having faced him in the NBA when Porter was an All-Star point guard with the Portland Trail Blazers. Porter had stints as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns before the Pilots hired him in April.
Portland assistant coach Bob Cantu is a former assistant and interim head coach at USC.
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