SEATTLE – Perhaps the only thing rarer than a basketball team
committing 29 turnovers is seeing the team still win.
Trapped in the tentacles of a suffocating full-court press
Thursday night against Washington, seemingly inventing
revolutionary ways to give up possession, the Bruins amazingly
managed to do both.
Cedric Bozeman carried over a dribble as he passed by Husky
defenders.
Ryan Walcott hurled a woefully ill-advised pass the length of
the court with no chance of Bozeman receiving it.
Andre Patterson tried to inbound a ball, but it was deflected
right back and off of him as he stood out of bounds.
In all, eight of the nine Bruins who played got in on the act,
and four UCLA players had five or more turnovers.
"We have stretches where we get casual with the ball," UCLA head
coach Steve Lavin said. "There were some Keystone Kops moments for
both teams." But amid all of the lapses, UW garnered only 26 points
off Bruin mishaps, and shot just abysmally enough (33 percent) to
make up for a UCLA team that showed itself to be accustomed to
running the press, not to beating it.
"That’s our weakness," sophomore Dijon Thompson said. "It’s not
that we can’t handle the pressure, but we need to be able to put
the pressure back on."
Washington’s strategy became clear enough early when it began to
press after nearly every basket. Three defenders in the backcourt
constantly cornered UCLA players who had yet to face such constant
pressure all season.
When the points began to come easy for the Huskies and they tied
the game with a long run to start the second half, the usually
press-happy Bruins found that their own medicine tasted a lot like
three-day-old Seattle rainwater.
On numerous instances, Bruin players failed to communicate to
each other where they would be, and passes ended up meeting phantom
targets. At other times, adventurous long-range passes in
transition sailed awry.
Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar credited his team for
creating the Bruins’ mishaps.
"We forced 29 turnovers by putting our hands on the ball and
being aggressive, and we did it without committing too many fouls,"
he said.
Ultimately, though, UCLA’s talent and athleticism took over,
wearing down UW in the latter part of the second half as the
Huskies tried desperately to maintain the same level of intensity.
The press broke down, and the Bruins got uncontested layups or
dunks.
Washington’s Bank of America Arena – a venue where the only
banner hanging from the rafters is the American flag – is one of
only a few places in the Pac-10 where UCLA will likely be able to
get away with such sloppy play and win.
"We need to play with more poise," senior Jason Kapono said.
But though they aren’t likely to try and make 29 turnovers a
habit, Lavin’s teams have also often been at their best when games
seem to get out of control and physical gifts become more
important.
"I’d much rather play aggressively and win than play
conservatively and lose," Patterson said.