Unable to account for UCLA’s listless first-half defensive
effort against Oregon State Thursday afternoon, freshman Arron
Afflalo instead offered a promise. “I can guarantee I will
put forth more effort if we make the NCAA Tournament, and I can
guarantee this team will as well,” he said.
“We’ve got to learn from this. If we don’t, it
won’t matter if we do make the tournament. We won’t get
far.” That was a conclusion all the Bruins reached in the
wake of perhaps their worst defensive effort of the season. Oregon
State shot 59.3 percent before the break, burying six early
3-pointers and opening up a 22-point lead late in the first half.
“Awful,” senior Brian Morrison called it. “The
exact opposite of how we needed to play,” echoed junior
Michael Fey. Asked to explain why they could not match Oregon
State’s defensive intensity in the first half of a game the
Bruins deemed crucial to their NCAA Tournament hopes earlier this
week, the players were at a loss for words. They had no excuse for
why the Beavers beat them down the floor for transition layups, for
why Oregon State’s lead doubled with leading scorer David
Lucas on the bench in foul trouble, or for why Chris Stephens and
Sasa Cuic were open so often from behind the arc. “It’s
all about heart and passion,” freshman Jordan Farmar said.
“They came with it. They had it. They wanted it more than us
today. We just have to learn from this game, and move
forward.”
NO INSIDE GAME: Already trailing by 15 points at halftime, UCLA
abandoned its post-up game in the second half as it attempted to
whittle away at the Oregon State lead. Fey, who scored the first
bucket of the game, attempted only two shots after that, missing
both. Back-up Ryan Hollins was scoreless in the second half until a
meaningless dunk in the final seconds. “We just got down so
much we had to shoot threes to get back in,” Fey said.
“Oregon State did a good job defending me. I couldn’t
get any shots.” Relying on the 3-pointer wasn’t an
effective strategy for UCLA, who finished 7-for-27 from behind the
arc. “When you’re on the court, a 3-pointer always
seems like the quickest way to get back in the game,” Afflalo
said. “But when we don’t get an inside-outside game,
it’s going to be a long night for us.”
POINT OF EMPHASIS: Unable to contain Farmar last week at Pauley
Pavilion, Oregon State emphasized hedging on-ball screens to shut
off the UCLA point guard’s dribble penetration on Thursday
afternoon. The strategy was effective. Farmar, who torched the
Beavers for 23 points last week, scored only 16 on 6-for-19
shooting. “We didn’t take ball screens very well last
week, and during the second half Jordan Farmar was able to take
control of the game,” Oregon State coach Jay John said.
“Tonight we didn’t give him the opportunity to turn the
corner. “If he turns the corner, he’ll rip you
apart.”
DRIBBLERS: Freshman Josh Shipp had his second career
double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds …
Oregon State’s victory is its first in the Pac-10 Tournament
since 1989 when it defeated California … This is the third
consecutive year the No. 5 seed has upset the No. 4 seed.