On Saturday, UCLA’s Luc Richard Mbah a Moute registered
the fewest minutes played of his career (19), fouled out for only
the second time this season, and only snatched six rebounds, his
lowest total in the last 10 games. So naturally, he scored 11
points, his fifth double-digit scoring output in seven games, led
all players in rebounds, and still found a way to make a
substantial impact in the Bruins’ 84-73 victory over Arizona
at Pauley Pavilion. With Arizona having chopped a 24-point deficit
to single digits and UCLA’s offense having stagnated in the
second half, Mbah a Moute provided the Bruins a spark with what he
always does ““ crash the boards ““ along with something
he rarely does ““ call for the ball behind the arc. Up by 10
points and trying to withstand the Wildcats’ final
second-half push, Mbah a Moute flew into the paint to put back a
missed Mike Roll 3-pointer to give the Bruins a 70-58 lead. He also
enlivened Pauley Pavilion from its second-half slumber. On the
ensuing possession, Mbah a Moute called for the ball in the left
corner and drilled only his fifth 3-pointer of the season and the
final nail in Arizona’s coffin. For Mbah a Moute, who picked
up two fouls just over four minutes into the game and spent more
time in a chair than on the court on Saturday, his second-half
finish erased his first-half frustration. “It was very tough
to sit,” Mbah a Moute said. “I don’t want to say
much about the referees, I mean some of the fouls I got were really
kind of … it was just tough sitting out there today. But I was
comfortable that we had the lead.” Comfortable enough that he
was studying Arizona’s seldom-used zone defense, and found a
flaw. The freshman noticed that when teammate Jordan Farmar
penetrated into the paint, the Wildcats would collapse, leaving a
shooter open in the corner. With the Bruins’ holding onto a
70-60 lead with just over six minutes remaining, Mbah a Moute
pointed it out to Farmar. On the very next possession, Farmar
penetrated and found Mbah a Moute waiting alone in the corner, who
found the bottom of the net with his 3-pointer. “I was really
excited about that 3-pointer he made today,” UCLA coach Ben
Howland said. So was Mbah a Moute, who in high school made almost
50 percent of his shots from behind the arc. “I’ve been
working on it in practice,” said Mbah a Moute, a 17 percent
3-point shooter this season. “It’s frustrating when you
miss shots. I know I can shoot. I just have to keep shooting and
shooting.”
LIVID LUTE: Arizona coach Lute Olson received a
technical foul with 11:51 remaining in the first half after he
thought a foul should have been called on UCLA’s Ryan Hollins
for a moving screen. “Well, I guess my eyes are deceiving me,
because I saw their post guy move all the way out of bounds to get
Hassan (Adams), which obviously is a moving pick,” Olson
said. “You can be half blind and still see that. Instead,
Hassan gets called for a hold. I did compliment the (referee) on
the technical. It was his first right call all day. I was happy he
was improving.” Arizona associate head coach Jim Rosborough
was nailed with a technical foul nearly a minute later.
INJURY UPDATE: Farmar injured his left ankle in
the beginning of the second half on Saturday. X-rays taken after
the game were negative and showed no abnormalities. The sophomore
played the rest of the game despite the injury, which is being
classified as a mild sprain. Farmar has missed two games this
season due to a sprained right ankle, which he has re-injured
multiple times. This is the first injury to his left ankle. His
status for this week’s games is undetermined.
DRIBBLERS: The Bruins allowed Arizona to shoot
58 percent from the field, the highest percentage UCLA has allowed
an opponent to shoot this season. … The 11-point margin of
victory was UCLA’s largest over the Wildcats at Pauley
Pavilion since 1983. … Arizona center Kirk Walters scored a
career-high 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting. … In the 15 games
Cedric Bozeman has played, the Bruins are 14-1. …
Saturday’s attendance was 8,718.