Out-of-bounds injury dampens victory

It was a sight that the UCLA men’s basketball team
hadn’t seen for nearly two months but had already seen enough
of this season. With 5:48 remaining in the first half, Bruin senior
Cedric Bozeman crashed into the baseline and fell to the ground in
obvious pain, spraining his left ankle after stepping on a
cameraman’s foot. Bozeman was immediately taken to the locker
room, where X-rays of his ankle came back negative. Following the
game, Bozeman, sitting on a table with his foot elevated and in a
protective walking boot, said he thinks he’ll be able to play
tomorrow against Arizona in the semifinals of the Pac-10
Tournament. UCLA coach Ben Howland wasn’t quite as
optimistic, saying Bozeman’s status would be a game-time
decision. “I was trying to avoid some cheerleaders on the
baseline, and ended up stepping on the cameraman’s
foot,” Bozeman said. “It got me pretty good. But the
rest of the weekend I should be fine. I’m going to do
everything I can to get this thing treated.” The injury
occurred as sophomore guard Arron Afflalo and Bozeman were on a
two-on-one fast break. The senior thought Afflalo was going to go
in for a layup, then lost his balance and fell out of bounds when
the ball was passed back to him. “Freak accident,”
Bozeman said. Afflalo may have taken the injury worse than Bozeman.
“Oh man, I’m hurt,” Afflalo said. “I
could’ve just taken the layup. I was trying to do something
out of character, and I feel like I got him hurt trying to make a
play that wasn’t there. I feel bad for him, but he’s a
warrior. He’ll be back tomorrow. I think so. I hope
so.” Bozeman has already missed eight games this season after
tearing cartilage in his left shoulder back on Dec. 27, 2005. If
Bozeman were to sit out Friday’s game, most of his minutes
would go to freshman Michael Roll, who replaced the injured senior
in the second half of Thursday’s game. Roll scored nine
points, going a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc against the
Beavers.

MAYBE MORE MATA: Sophomore center Lorenzo Mata,
out with a fractured right tibia he suffered on Jan. 12, made his
return to the court Thursday. Having practiced Tuesday and
Wednesday, Mata played the final five minutes in UCLA’s
trampling of Oregon State, finding two points and two blocks.
“My leg was a little sore,” he said. “But
it’s not something that ice can’t cure. Being back out
there feels really good.” Any chance he’ll see more
minutes as the postseason continues? “I hope so,” Mata
said.

PREMATURE PREDICTION: Following his
team’s 73-68 victory over Stanford at the Staples Center on
Thursday, Arizona coach Lute Olson said what most everyone was
probably thinking but no one had dared predict publicly.
“This will give us a chance to play the Bruins again,”
said Olson, whose team has lost both games against UCLA this
season. “I think our guys are excited about that
prospect.” Of course, the Bruins hadn’t yet advanced to
play the Wildcats at the time Olson made his comment.

BIG BRUIN BRAIN: During a timeout during the
Cal-USC game, a Trojan fan and a Bruin fan were pitted against each
other to see who could make a layup and run back to half court to
sit in the chair placed there. As the two fans broke from the
half-court line, the UCLA fan took the chair with him to make the
layup. The ingenious strategy drew a standing ovation from the
remaining Bruin contingent at the Staples Center, even though the
UCLA fan was disqualified.

DRIBBLERS: The Bruins shot 52.8 percent from
the field, the 14th time this season they’ve shot over 50
percent. They also shot a season-best 62.5 percent from behind the
arc, making 10 of 16 of their 3-pointers. … UCLA’s 32-point
margin of victory was the largest in the Pac-10 Tournament’s
history. Oregon State’s 47 points were the second fewest in
Pac-10 Tournament history. … Thursday’s victory was
UCLA’s 25th this season, the most since the Bruins won 32
games during their 1994-1995 championship season.

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