UCLA Outlasts Brisbane Bullets in Australia, 94-91

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for complete game go to link 


AUGUST 29, 2016 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEBSITE | ARTICLE LINK

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Aaron Holiday scored 17 points as the Bruins rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half.

BRISBANE, Australia – Aaron Holiday totaled a team-high 17 points to help the UCLA men's basketball team earn a 94-91 win over the Brisbane Bullets before a capacity crowd at the Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre on Monday night.

Holiday, who made nine of 10 free throws, was one of four Bruins to score in double figures. Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton each had 16 points, while Ike Anigbogu registered 13 points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.

Thomas Welsh finished two points shy of a double-double, logging eight points and a team-leading 11 rebounds.

Brisbane's Daniel Kickert registered a team-high 17 points for the National Basketball League squad that was playing its first preseason game since resurrecting its organization. The Bullets left the NBL in 2008 and will rejoin the league this season.

UCLA's win came after some an interesting final sequence.

The Bruins led 94-91 after Holiday made a pair of free throws with five seconds to play. Brisbane inbounded the ball and raced down the court before guard Ryan Vines heaved a wild desperation three-point shot, but UCLA's Bryce Alford was whistled for the foul. That sent Vines to the free throw line with a chance to even the score.

Vines missed each of his first two free throw attempts and appeared to intentionally miss the final shot before UCLA'sIke Anigbogu grabbed the rebound to seal the victory.

With Monday night's win, UCLA closed its three-game trip to Australia with two wins and one loss.

"This is what we really needed and wanted in a foreign trip," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "Our guys were tested. I'm really glad that we won this last game. Even had we lost, it would have been a really good trip for us. But obviously, I'm glad that our guys got some momentum with this win tonight."

Earlier in their overseas trip, the Bruins earned a 123-76 win at Sydney University on Aug. 23 before dropping an 89-84 decision to the Melbourne United of the NBL on Aug. 27. UCLA's three games in Australia will help the team prepare for its preseason practices in October.

"We're further ahead with what we want to do offensively and with the basis of what we'd like to do on defense," Coach Alford said. "We'll come home with three games of really good film, particularly with those last two games against Melbourne and Brisbane. Between those two games against pro teams, we will have 80 minutes of really good film to show our guys and break down with one month before our preseason gets started."

Monday's victory didn't come easy for UCLA. The host Bullets led throughout much of the first half and entered halftime with a 51-49 cushion, only after Alford nailed a 3-pointer with one second left in the second quarter to trim the gap to two points.

In fact, the Bruins trailed by as many as 11 points with 4:18 to pay in the second quarter. The first quarter featured three lead changes before Brisbane claimed a 19-17 lead with 4:46 remaining. The Bullets never trailed until early in the third quarter.

Down by a 52-51 margin just 25 seconds into the third quarter, Brisbane used a 6-0 scoring run to lead 57-52 and pushed its cushion to as many as 10 points – 66-56 – with five minutes left in the frame.

Anigbogu converted an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 1:07 mark, making the score 71-66 in Brisbane's favor. A basket by Hamilton with one second left in the third followed by another score from Hamilton to open the fourth quarter reduced Brisbane's advantage to 75-73.

But the most notable sequence to lift the Bruins came from Bryce Alford and Lonzo Ball. Alford pulled the trigger on a sensational step-back 3-pointer to tie the game, 79-79, with 7:26 remaining and Ball immediately followed with a deep ball of his own, giving UCLA an 82-79 lead. The Bruins never trailed from that point.

Brisbane twice tied the contest – at 82-82 and 84-84 – before Anigbogu scored with 4:26 remaining to push UCLA ahead, 86-84.

"We didn't play too well in the beginning," Holiday said. "But we started to really dig in during that second half, started to play tougher on defense, and we got going. It's great that we got the win."

Holiday's tenacity on both sides of the ball was critical for the Bruins. The sophomore guard stuffed the stat sheet for UCLA, totaling four rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists.

"I thought that he was a pitbull," Coach Alford said. "He really competed. With Isaac in some foul trouble there in the second half, I thought that Aaron really fought through, having to play some extended minutes. He did some great things for us at both ends of the floor."

Monday's win helped the Bruins cap the basketball portion of their 10-day trip abroad. As for Tuesday, the team's final full day in Australia, the surf and sand is on the team's itinerary.

Staying at a hotel adjacent to the shores of the Gold Coast, members of the Bruins' travel party will have opportunities to partake in surfing lessons on Tuesday afternoon.

As for the chance of a "surf-off" contest between any coaches or players?

"Spending the day at Surfer's Paradise, some of us are trying to get a surf-off going between Alec Wulff and Coach Broussard," Coach Alford joked. "And I can't wait to see that."

For the latest updates about the team's trip in Australia, follow the Bruins' official social media accounts in addition to uclabruins.com. Updates will are being provided on Twitter (@UCLAMBB), Instagram (UCLAMBB), Facebook (facebook.com/uclamensbasketball) and Snapchat (uclambb).

For all the reports from Australia 2016 go to link. 

Men's Basketball Edged by Melbourne United, 89-84

game videos c/o the melbourne united basketball club 

1st quarter
sr Isaac Hamilton restrains So aaron holiday from further jawin' at the 15:55 mark


2nd QUARTER



3rd QUARTER


4th QUARTER

AUGUST 27, 2016 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEBSITE | ARTICLE LINK

BOX SCORE


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Senior guards Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford each scored a team-leading 18 points.

MELBOURNE, Australia – Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton each scored 18 points as the UCLA men's basketball team fell to Melbourne United, 89-84, before a capacity crowd at State Basketball Centre on Saturday evening.

Playing their second of three games during a 10-day offseason trip to Australia, the Bruins led by a 40-37 margin at halftime. Melbourne United outscored UCLA by a 31-20 margin in the third quarter, and the Bruins were unable to tie the contest in the final period.

Melbourne United's David Barlow and Owen Odigie each scored a team-leading 16 points.

Aaron Holiday finished with 16 points and Thomas Welsh totaled 10, rounding out UCLA's list of double-figure scorers. Hamilton dished a team-leading five assists and scored 16 of his 18 points before halftime.

Lonzo Ball scored eight points and led the Bruins with 13 rebounds, including five offensive boards.

Saturday's game featured an opponent with significantly more basketball experience than the Bruins' Tuesday night opponent, Sydney University. Melbourne United is one of eight professional Australian basketball teams in the National Basketball League, or NBL. UCLA will face another NBL team, the Brisbane Bullets, on Monday evening.

After having cruised to a 123-76 win in Sydney, UCLA was locked in a see-saw battle with Melbourne United on Saturday. The game featured 10 lead changes, including three in the third quarter.

"This was good for us, and it's a big reason why we take trips like this," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "We are probably going to get a similar challenge when we're in Brisbane. Our players are going up against pros, against grown men."

Hamilton had an impressive first half for the Bruins, a half that ended with the senior guard nailing a buzzer-beating floater to put UCLA ahead, 40-37. His shot pushed his first-half point total to 16 points and helped the Bruins finish the second quarter on a 17-3 scoring run through the final five minutes.

For Hamilton, the team is still coming together. But he says he's been encouraged by what he has seen through the first two games.

"This feels like a new team," said Hamilton, who averaged a team-leading 16.8 points per game last season. "There are going to be mistakes, some turnovers. That type of stuff is going to happen. But overall, I thought that we played pretty well for this being our second game playing together."

Melbourne United claimed the lead for good midway through the third quarter. Trailing 53-48 with 7:05 to play in the period, Melbourne United used an 11-5 run to lead 59-58 at the 3:53 mark. The host team closed the third quarter with a 9-2 scoring run to push its advantage to 68-60.

UCLA reduced the gap to 78-76 with 4:01 remaining. Melbourne United saw its 76-66 cushion reduced to just two points midway through the final period. Six of the Bruins' 10 points during a span of 2:25 were scored by Holiday, including a fastbreak dunk that electrified the crowd.

Melbourne United followed with a layup before Nate Tomlinsion's 3-pointer put the host team ahead 83-76. From that point, the Bruins never closed the gap to fewer than five points.

Bryce Alford had a strong shooting performance after having opened the game making just one of six shots. The senior from Albuquerque, N.M., finished the game having made 6 of 12 total shots. He went 6-for-9 from 3-point range.

"Mentally, I'm always the same," he said. "With the experiences that I've had here the last three seasons, I have a strong mental game. I don't worry about that. I can start a game missing who knows how many shots, but I have the confidence in myself that I'm going to end up hitting shots. It's just about finding good ones."

UCLA twice overcame modest first-half deficits. Down 10-4 in the first four minutes, the Bruins clawed back, taking a 14-12 lead on a basket from Hamilton. Minutes later, a jump shot from Welsh put the Bruins ahead 22-19 before Melbourne United used a 13-0 run to secure a 32-22 lead.

Alford helped ignite the team's next rally, hitting a 3-pointer to cut an 11-point deficit to 34-26 with 4:54 left in the second quarter. Consecutive baskets from Ball, Welsh and Hamilton trimmed Melbourne United's lead to 35-33.

Asked about the production from his two seniors guards, Coach Alford pointed to their past experience playing a pivotal role.

"Isaac did a good job of getting us going early," Coach Alford said. "He and Bryce can really score the basketball, and need to have that. They are veteran guards. Those guys have to play at a high level, and I thought tonight they did that."

Up next for UCLA is a Sunday morning flight to Brisbane. The Bruins will head to Gold Coast for the final three days of their trip in Australia. UCLA returns to the court against the Brisbane Bullets on Monday, Aug. 29. Game time is 7 p.m. (local time) at Logan Metro Indoor Sports Center (2 a.m. PT in Los Angeles).

For the latest updates about the Bruins' travels, follow the team's official social media channels in addition to uclabruins.com. Updates will be provided on Twitter (@UCLAMBB), Instagram (UCLAMBB), Facebook (facebook.com/uclamensbasketball) and Snapchat (uclambb).

For all the reports from Australia 2016 go to link. 

UCLA Registers 123-76 Win at Sydney University

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AUGUST 23, 2016 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEBSITE | ARTICLE LINK

final stats

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Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu make their UCLA debuts in Sydney, Australia.

SYDNEY, Australia – Seven Bruins scored in double figures as the UCLA men's basketball team cruised past Sydney University, 123-76, before a capacity crowd at Brydens Stadium on Tuesday night.
 
More than 48 hours after arriving in Sydney on Sunday morning, the Bruins didn't waste any time in sharing the ball and taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter. UCLA finished with 33 assists on 49 made field goals and tallied 18 blocks.
 
Playing four 10-minute quarters, the Bruins used a 9-0 run to lead 22-10 after a 3-pointer by Isaac Hamilton with 3:13 to go in the opening period. UCLA's cushion never fell to fewer than 10 points.
 
UCLA's three incoming freshmen accounted for 46 of the Bruins' 123 points. TJ Leaf finished with 21 points, while Ike Anigbogu had 16 and Lonzo Ball totaled nine.
 
In his first game wearing the blue and gold, Ball elicited the loudest cheers from the crowd even as the game was out of reach. With UCLA ahead, 114-69, he stole the ball at midcourt with 3:29 to play and outran one defender before throwing down a slick one-handed jam – one of many dunks for the Bruins on Tuesday. After the game, he was only thinking about UCLA's next game.
 
"We came out and did what we're supposed to do," said Ball, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif. "Now we've got to go back, get some rest, go to the next city and do the same thing. It's all about taking this day by day, because it's a long journey."
 
UCLA head coach Steve Alford, entering his fourth season at the helm in Westwood, was encouraged with the performance of the team's three freshmen.
 
"They were outstanding, all three of them – Ike, Lonzo and TJ," Coach Alford said. "We know what they can do. They came here in their first exhibition game and all three played very well."
 
The Bruins' returning players were equally impressive in a balanced offensive attack. Senior guards Isaac Hamilton andBryce Alford tallied 18 and 17 points, respectively. Junior G.G. Goloman and sophomore Alex Olesinski each scored 11 points, while junior Thomas Welsh made each of his first four shots – all in the first quarter – and finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
 
The balance and firepower between UCLA's newcomers and veterans was more than apparent for the 2,000-plus fans in attendance on Tuesday night.
 
"A lot of the vets on this team have experienced the good, and then they experienced the bad last year," Coach Alford said. "They know which taste tastes better. When you put three very good freshmen in that mix, if we can stay healthy, I think we'll be a team that continues to get better."
 
UCLA led by a 29-16 margin after the first quarter and opened the second period with a 19-3 scoring run to lead, 48-19 at the 3:13 mark. The Bruins entered their locker room at halftime ahead, 58-28. UCLA kept its foot on the gas pedal in the third quarter, staking itself to a 39-point lead moving into the final period (91-52).
 
After weeks of summer practices and intersquad scrimmages, Tuesday's game came as a welcome change of pace for the Bruins.
 
"We've been looking forward to this because you get tired of going up against your teammates on a regular basis in the offseason," Bryce Alford said. "Finally, we all got to be on the same team together and got to see how we're going to mesh."
 
UCLA had no issues meshing in its first exhibition contest. The Bruins churned out 33 assists and committed just eight turnovers. Holiday was responsible for nine of those assists, finishing with 10 rebounds, eight points and three blocks in a team-high 26 minutes.
 
"I thought we played well today, and once we get to that next game, we'll just have to build from there," said Holiday, who averaged 10.6 points in all 32 games last season. "By the time we get to our third game on this trip, we should be at our best. It's not going to take long to get more comfortable with each other."
 
Not only were the points evenly distributed along UCLA's offense, the minutes were too. The Bruins employed different starting lineups between each half and will continue to tinker with various combinations. No player had more than 27 minutes on the court.
 
Moving forward, the Bruins will have three days without a game before returning to action against the Melbourne United on Saturday evening.
 
"I thought that this was a tremendous start," Coach Alford said. "It was very similar to what we have seen in practice. We have high-level guys with a lot of talent who can really score the basketball."
 
With his first game under his felt, Leaf was encouraged with his new team's initial impressions. The 6-foot-9 forward from El Cajon, Calif., made 10 of 18 shots, including one 3-pointer, and grabbed nine rebounds.
 
"It was so much fun to be on the court with all of my guys," Leaf said. "With that first game, you're wondering how it's going to go. But it definitely went well, and I'm excited to see where that can take us."
 
As for improvements?
 
"Well, we need to get a lot better on defense," Leaf added. "From reading screens, to reading a lot of other things. We can't let teams go baseline like they did. Our offense looked good, and we're proud of that. But we know we have to keep working on defense so that we're in top shape this fall."
 
UCLA will remain in Sydney on Wednesday before making the 90-minute flight south toward Melbourne on Thursday. Until then, more sightseeing is in order for the Bruins.
 
Tuesday began with a short walk to Sydney's Circular Quay and the historic Sydney Opera House. Weather pending, Wednesday's schedule could include a trip to the world-famous Bondi Beach.
 
Fans can keep up with the team's travels in Australia by following the team's official social media channels in addition to uclabruins.com. Follow "UCLAMBB" on Twitter (@UCLAMBB), Instagram (UCLAMBB), Facebook (facebook.com/uclamensbasketball) and Snapchat (uclambb).

For all the reports from Australia 2016 go to link. 

UCLA Men's Basketball: Men's Basketball Arrives in Australia

AUGUST 21, 2016 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL WEBSITE | ARTICLE LINK

Bruins arrive in Sydney on Sunday morning after 15-hour flight from Los Angeles.

For the UCLA men's basketball program, the first leg of this weekend's journey to Australia indicated that this isn't going to be a regular road trip.
 
Not only did the nonstop 15-hour, 7,500-mile flight involve travel to another country, but the Bruins crossed the international dateline over the Pacific Ocean, thereby never seeing their Saturday. UCLA's flight on Qantas Airways departed from Los Angeles International Airport around 11:30 p.m. on Friday evening and touched down in Sydney at 7 a.m., local time, on Sunday.
 
"It's such a unique experience when you talk about travel," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "We never experienced Saturday because of the substantial time change. But Sydney is a very special place, and we're looking forward to our guys getting out in the city to see places like the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge."
 
Since the program's most recent foreign trip – to China in Aug. 2012 – UCLA's team has certainly accrued its fair share of airline miles. Between in-season trips to the Bahamas (2014), Maui (2015), Chicago (2014), Louisville (2015), Houston (2015) and three getaways to New York City in the last four seasons, the Bruins have become a well-traveled group.
 
In fact, since February 2015, the Bruins have played in all four time zones across the continental United States.
 
"College is a special, educational time in the lives of our young men," Coach Alford said. "So our guys at UCLA are going to get that piece of it, whether it's them traveling to the East Coast in our own country, or going to the Bahamas or Maui. And now in this case, they're able to visit Sydney and Melbourne and the Gold Coast."
 
Having the opportunity to take an off-season foreign trip, as permitted by the NCAA once every four years, will provide this year's team more room for growth as the Bruins continue to gel after several weeks of off-season workouts.
 
"You bring a team like this to a different part of the world so they can get different experiences each and every day," Coach Alford said. "From a team standpoint, you're going to see a different part of the world. You get to be together, to hang with each other, and hopefully we'll see our guys build that trust with each other. That's the biggest thing we'd like to see. And secondly, there's a great educational opportunity with seeing a different part of the world and being able to learn about their culture."
 
Now getting acclimated to a new time zone and different surroundings – and slightly cooler weather – the Bruins will wake up Monday knowing they have three exhibition games on the horizon against Australian teams. Practice is in order for the team on Monday afternoon.
 
As far as games are concerned? Up first, a Tuesday night contest against Sydney University (7:30 pm in Australia, 2:30 am in Los Angeles). Also in the schedule are evening games against Melbourne United on Aug. 27 and the Brisbane Bullets on Aug. 29. UCLA will return to Los Angeles on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
 
As for their first day in Australia, the Bruins headed from the airport to the Coogee Bay Hotel for breakfast before taking a walk across the street to the bay. Described as a classic suburban beach, Coogee also served as a perfect backdrop for players and coaches to take photos and stretch their legs after the long flight and morning meal.
 
UCLA continued its first day in Sydney with a visit to the Taronga Zoo, now celebrating its 100th year as a city zoo in Sydney. With wildlife and exhibits featuring over 2,600 individual animals, Taronga Zoo gave the Bruins a chance to see swamp wallabies, red kangaroos, koalas, emus, Tazmanian devils, and laughing kookaburras, among others, at close distances.
 
The late afternoon hours provided the team with a chance to check into its hotel in Sydney, unpack and rest before dinner at Nick's, a seafood restaurant overlooking Darling Harbour in Sydney.
 
While the players will be adjusting to a new time zone as they get their first night of sleep in Australia – the time zone in Sydney and Melbourne runs 17 hours ahead of the Pacific Time Zone – one itinerary item in particular penciled in for Monday could provide quite the thrill for those who are not afraid of heights.
 
Be sure to check out Monday's adventures by following the Bruins' basketball program on its social media channels in addition to uclabruins.com. Follow "UCLAMBB" on Twitter (@UCLAMBB), Instagram (UCLAMBB), Facebook (facebook.com/uclamensbasketball) and Snapchat (uclambb).