Instead of chatting with friends, watching some television or
catching up on lost sleep, Dijon Thompson spent his study breaks
during finals week at UCLA, well, studying.
Once UCLA coach Ben Howland informed him early last week that he
would be making a switch from wing to power forward, the senior
took it upon himself to learn the nuances of the position.
To say the least, Thompson aced his final test of the week.
Playing his first game since tearing the webbing between the index
and middle fingers on his shooting hand earlier this month,
Thompson scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Bruins past
Michigan 81-79 Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.
“I knew I had to learn the position and find the spots on
the floor where I could thrive," Thompson said. “I’ve
never played the post before, and it’s a big responsibility
in our system. But I’ve been watching film, learning how to
play the role, and it paid off.”
Even with the two fingers taped together and 13 stitches still
in place, Thompson made a seamless transition from wing to power
forward on the offensive end of the floor.
Taking advantage of his superior quickness, he repeatedly beat
the brawnier Michigan big men off the dribble in the first half.
Once the Wolverines (6-5) made the adjustment at halftime, Thompson
too changed his strategy, scorching the defense from the
perimeter.
The senior hit 12 of his 14 shots, including the go-ahead
3-pointer from the top of the key with 44 seconds left that gave
UCLA (6-1) a 78-77 lead.
“Dijon had his best game as a Bruin,” said Howland,
who plans to start Thompson at power forward in place of junior
Ryan Hollins for Tuesday’s game at Michigan State and keep
freshman Josh Shipp in the lineup at wing.
“He didn’t press today. He let the game come to him.
Teams are going to be hard-pressed to match up with us defensively
with him at the four.”
Indeed, Michigan did have trouble stopping the four-guard
alignment as UCLA shot a season-high 58.7 percent from the field.
But the Bruins also struggled to match up with the bigger, bulkier
Wolverines in the paint, surrendering 21 points to 6-foot-11,
225-pound forward Chris Hunter and 17 points to 6-11, 245-pound
center Courtney Sims.
But with the game on the line, the UCLA defense stiffened.
Trailing 75-69 with 3:46 remaining, the Bruin defense, buoyed by
a vocal crowd of 10,782, forced three Michigan turnovers and
sparked a decisive 9-2 run. Thompson collected five points, two
rebounds and a steal during the spurt, capping it with his bandaged
hand raised in triumph as his 3-pointer ““ a high arcing
22-footer shot over a Jordan Farmar screen ““ rattled through
the rim to regain the lead for UCLA.
“Coach said in the huddle that I was going to be wide open
because they’re not going to be able to guard me coming off
picks,” Thompson said. “There was a lot of space
between me and the defender, so I shot it and it went
in.”
The Wolverines, who were playing without three injured starters,
including standout guard Daniel Horton, still had a chance to tie
the game on their final possession. After Farmar went 1-for-2 from
the free throw line with 7.8 seconds remaining, Michigan guard Dion
Harris took the inbound pass and drove at UCLA freshman Arron
Afflalo. But his last-second runner never had a chance, caroming
harmlessly off the glass as time expired and giving the Bruins
perhaps their most impressive victory of the season.
“They needed a layup, so I knew he would be trying to go
to the basket and draw a foul,” Afflalo said. “I just
wanted to keep my space, force him to jump stop and make a tough
shot.”
Securing the victory was especially meaningful for Howland
because the Bruins retired former UCLA great Gail Goodrich’s
No. 25 jersey at halftime. Dozens of Bruin legends, including Ed
O’Bannon, Bill Walton and Walt Hazzard, attended the game to
honor Goodrich, 61, a member of UCLA’s first two national
championship teams in 1964 and ’65.
Fittingly, the Bruins defeated Michigan in the 1965 NCAA
championship game, with Goodrich scoring 42 points.
Though Thompson did not match Goodrich’s scoring output
that night, Howland was pleased with the performance of his senior
leader. He also marveled at the resolve of his young team, which
also came back from a late deficit against Pepperdine last
Saturday.
“We’ve had two games in a row where battled back and
found a way to win,” Howland said. “It shows a lot of
character and a lot of toughness. I really like that about this
team.”