And so the restoration of the UCLA legacy begins in
earnest.
A day that started with a ceremony commemorating the dedication
of the Nell and John Wooden Court ended in celebration of Ben
Howland’s first marquee victory as Bruins’ new
coach.
Venerable Pauley Pavilion was awash in blue and gold Saturday as
a sell-out crowd roared in approval with every floor burn, every
hustle play, every hint of effort in UCLA’s 64-58 win over
No. 25 Michigan State.
The Bruins (4-2), who appeared utterly lifeless in a one-point
loss to UC Santa Barbara earlier in the week, took to the court
determined to christen the newly renamed floor with a
victory.
“It was a pride thing,” senior forward T.J. Cummings
said. “We wanted to get a win for Coach Wooden. We had to
make sure we came out and represented.”
Clad in 1960s vintage throwback uniforms, UCLA gave a
performance worthy of its storied past. With more than 60 of
Wooden’s former players in attendance, the Bruins displayed
the intensity and passion that were the trademark of the program in
its glory years.
What UCLA lacked in offensive efficiency, it made up for in
intangibles: attacking loose balls, crashing the glass or skidding
across the floor with a fervor seldom seen in Westwood
lately.
The Bruins forced 18 turnovers, limited the Spartans (4-5) to 35
percent shooting from the field, and generally dictated the flow of
the game.
“We won on toughness today,” Howland said.
“I’m really proud of our guys. They never said die,
they never gave up, and they never quit. That’s the attitude
that we’re learning here.”
The outcome probably should have been more lopsided had it not
been for UCLA’s free-throw shooting woes. The Bruins built an
eight-point advantage three times in the second half, but failed to
break the game open due to an inability to convert from the charity
stripe.
The team finished 16-of-34 from the line, highlighted by guard
Cedric Bozeman’s anemic 1-of-9 performance. Seven of
Bozeman’s misses came in the second half, including three
with less than two minutes to play.
“A couple of them went in and out, and then it just
snowballed,” Bozeman said. “I’ve never missed
that many free throws before in one game in my
life.”
Michigan State had every opportunity to get back in the game in
the final minutes, but a combination of stingy defense and poor
outside shooting thwarted its efforts. Trailing 61-55 with less
than two minutes left to play, the Spartans had no less than five
clean looks at the basket, but could not convert any of
them.
Bozeman went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with 35.5 seconds
to play, earning a mock ovation from the crowd and effectively
icing the game.
Cummings, who started for the first time this season, led UCLA
in scoring with 13 points while Brian Morrison and Dijon Thompson
also finished in double figures with 11 and 10
respectively.
Morrison left the game with 3:23 to go in the second half with a
pulled left hamstring. He is expected to miss at least two
weeks.
Defeating Michigan State should prove to be quite a salve for
the Bruins’ wounds as they prepare to take a few days off for
the Christmas holiday before travelling to Michigan
Saturday.
Embarrassed by their loss to UCSB this past Wednesday, UCLA was
eager to take the floor again and erase the memory of the upset by
pulling one of their own. After two arduous days of practice, a
moving half-hour ceremony, and forty minutes of grueling, physical
basketball, it was mission accomplished.
“This was a very good win over a tough, hard-nosed
team,” Howland said. “It was a great finish to a
special day.”