With just over a minute left in the game, senior Dijon Thompson
held the ball near the top of the circle. Pauley Pavilion erupted
as soon as the ball reached his hands, and the anticipation from
the crowd was practically palpable. Without looking at the
scoreboard, a casual observer might have thought that Thompson was
about to attempt a game-winning jumper for a dramatic end to a
hard-fought game.
But nothing could be further from the truth. The only drama left
in UCLA’s 95-76 blowout victory over Arizona State was
Thompson’s pursuit of a milestone.
Having already shattered his previous career high and stuck on
39 points, Bruin fans and Thompson himself eagerly yearned for the
senior to hit the 40-point mark. Thompson drove hard to the hoop,
and when the whistle blew fans thought Thompson would be headed to
the free-throw line to reach the magic number. But instead he was
called for an offensive foul, ending his quest for 40 points.
“I wanted (to score 40) really bad, but I’ll get it
again,” Thompson said.
Thompson knocked down his first shot, a 3-pointer on
UCLA’s first possession of the game. Then he scored the
Bruin’s first eight points, and with just over seven minutes
remaining in the first half, he already amassed 19 of UCLA’s
22 points. But perhaps as a testament to the importance of the game
itself, the Bruins remained more focused on picking up a
much-needed win than on Thompson’s virtuoso performance.
“I was so focused in the game, I don’t think I even
saw his first 15 points,” junior Michael Fey said. “I
looked up at the scoreboard with about seven minutes left and I saw
he had 19, and I said, “˜Wait a minute, I didn’t even
see him score.'”
Thompson finished the first half with 27 points on spectacular
10-for-12 shooting, and along with 10 points from fellow senior
Brian Morrison, helped stake UCLA to a 14-point lead at
halftime.
“What can you say about Dijon Thompson and (Brian
Morrison)?” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “He was
absolutely unbelievable tonight, he showed that he’s not only
one of the best players in the league but one of the best in the
country.”
By comparison, Thompson’s 12 second-half points seemed
almost pedestrian, but perhaps that was only because the outcome of
the game had long been decided. The final margin of victory was the
largest of the season, but it took more than just hot shooting from
Thompson to put away the Sun Devils.
Ike Diogu, Arizona State’s superstar forward, was held to
four field goals, and although he converted 10 of 11 free throws,
the junior was largely a non-factor in the second half. For the
night the Sun Devils shot only 41 percent, while UCLA knocked down
shots at a blistering 60 percent clip.
While Thompson carried UCLA in the first half, freshman Jordan
Farmar rediscovered his offensive groove after halftime. Following
a miserable first half in which the freshman had four turnovers and
two points, Farmar knocked down all five of his field goal
attempts, including three 3-pointers, in a turnover-free second
half.
“I needed that (first shot) to go down,” said
Farmar, who collected seven assists on the night. “When it
went down I knew I was in a rhythm and that I was going to keep
shooting.”
With the win, the Bruins earned themselves sole possession of
third place in the Pac-10, one half-game ahead of Stanford and one
and a half games over California.