It certainly wasn’t how Jordan Farmar envisioned his best
game as a Bruin. The freshman point guard scored a career-high 27
points and dished out five assists to go along with just two
turnovers, but after the game he appeared just as disappointed as
the rest of his teammates. “None of that matters,” said
Farmar, who also had five rebounds and a pair of steals in a
game-high 38 minutes. “I’d rather have zero points and
nine turnovers and have us win.” Nevertheless, Farmar’s
impressive play over the weekend seemed to pull him out of an
almost monthlong rut. After shooting just 31 percent from the field
in the previous three weeks and getting shut out in the first half
against Arizona State on Thursday, Farmar seized control of
UCLA’s offense in its last three halves. “I thought
Jordan had a spectacular game,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said.
“He was huge for us and one of the reasons we had a one-point
lead at the half.” Farmar’s most electrifying basket
Saturday came with 6:55 left in the first half. Out on a transition
break, Farmar faked to his right, completely freezing Wildcat
defender Salim Stoudamire in his shoes and opening an easy lane to
the basket for a layup. The move, which gave the Bruins a
four-point lead at the time, caused Pauley Pavilion to erupt in
cheers. And although the Wildcats silenced the crowd with their
second-half run, Farmar is proving he still has plenty left in the
tank for the season’s stretch run. “I’ve been
trying to stay focused toward the end of the season and finish
strong,” Farmar said. “Hopefully it keeps
going.”
MISSING POST PRODUCTION: Standing at seven feet tall, Michael
Fey and Ryan Hollins are hard to miss. Yet Saturday’s loss
was yet another game in which neither established an offensive
presence in the post. UCLA’s two big men combined for only
four points against the Wildcats and took a total of just five
shots, two of them coming from the perimeter. “We had no
inside attack tonight,” Howland said. “We have to do a
better job of getting the ball to Mike. He’s our primary
focus and he’s got to do a better job of wanting it,
demanding it, sealing, looking for it inside.” When Fey and
Hollins did demonstrate some aggression on Saturday, it was too
much. In the first half, Hollins was called for an offensive foul
after grabbing an offensive rebound and swinging his elbows.
Meanwhile, Fey was called for traveling after catching the ball
down low against an undersized opponent. Those mistakes may not
have cost UCLA the game, but still reflected how dependent the
Bruins have become on their perimeter players this season.
“When you’re just living by the jumper and never
getting it inside, it’s going to be a problem for us,”
Howland said. Defensively, Fey corralled six rebounds and limited
Arizona standout Channing Frye to 11 points. Yet on offense, it was
an entirely different story. Farmar insists he has been looking to
feed the big men the ball, but feels they need to be more assertive
in demanding it. “I’m looking inside, but if
they’re not posting and if they don’t really want the
ball, it’s hard to do,” Farmar said. “Big men
will just knock it out and then it’s a turnover.”
DRIBBLERS: UCLA scored 11 straight points in the final 66
seconds to make the score respectable. … Arizona coach Lute Olson
recorded his 301st career Pac-10 victory, leaving him three shy of
John Wooden’s record 304.