UCLA and No. 21 Stanford turned Pauley Pavilion into a shooting
gallery on Saturday ““ but the better defense won the game,
and the Cardinal came out victorious, 93-84.
“It was one of those days that it was like they were
shooting rocks into the ocean,” UCLA forward sophomore Andre
Patterson said.
Stanford (21-6, 12-3 Pac-10) shot 60 percent for the entire
game, 59 percent from behind the three-point line and 90 percent
from the free throw line.
The Cardinal’s marksmanship was the difference in the
game, as it was able to convert key opportunities down the
stretch.
After sophomore Dijon Thompson hit a three-pointer to cut the
Bruins’ (6-17, 3-11 Pac-10) deficit to 77-76 with four
minutes to play, Stanford caught fire. The Cardinal scored the
game’s next seven points, and essentially took control of the
game.
“We definitely couldn’t come up with the big stop or
a series of stops,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said.
“Going into the game we wanted to tag their shooters, but we
did a very poor job of that.”
While the Bruins struggled defensively, they showed signs of
offensive cohesiveness throughout the game. Four players recorded
double figures, including senior Ray Young’s career-high 22
points and Jason Kapono’s game-high 27.
But at the end of regulation it wasn’t good enough to
win.
“We get up so much on the offensive end,” Young
said. “We have to let some of that bleed over into the
defensive end.”
The Bruins shot 48 percent overall and 55 percent from the
three-point line. Although it took them about eight minutes to
score their first six points of the game, they eventually regained
their touch.
After falling behind by 16 in the first half, UCLA gained ground
quickly, narrowing the deficit to 44-39 at the intermission.
The Bruins continued their 10-0 run to start the second-half and
took their only lead of the game, 45-44, on a pair of Kapono
three-pointers with 18 minutes left.
Stanford answered the Bruins’ flurry with a 10-0 run of
its own, and UCLA played catch-up for the remainder of the
game.
Even Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery felt that the Bruins
performed well, at least on the offensive end.
“They were playing with confidence,” he said.
“They’ve put the turmoil behind them.”
Regardless of the Bruins’ confidence, they still had no
answers in this game.
“Sometimes we get a little too lackadaisical
defensively,” Young said. “They hit some really tough
shots too.”
Only Justin Davis, who took just three shots, shot less than 50
percent for Stanford, who won its sixth straight at Pauley
Pavilion.
After the game, one of the two Bruins to foul out felt the
referees may have hindered the squad’s defensive efforts.
“I felt the refs took me out of the game,” junior
T.J. Cummings said. Cummings played 21 minutes before fouling
out.
“I really pride myself on my defense, and it’s how
our season’s been,” he added. “It’s been
really hard to see how the refs take us.”
Cummings may or may not have made a difference; but regardless,
there was plenty of frustration in the air.
The Bruins know that they need to improve their defensive game
to complement their offensive potential. Otherwise, they will soon
bypass the 62-year-old school record of 20 losses in a single
season.
“We haven’t seemed to be getting crucial stops, but
we know that we are capable of getting them,” Young said.