Ben Howland had warned his team of what was to come on Sunday
against UC Riverside. And it seemed as though the No. 1 Bruins
(6-0) took the warning to heart and were prepared to endure the
slow pace of the Highlanders from the start of the first half up
until the sound of the final buzzer. “It’s pretty
difficult (to slow down the pace),” junior guard Arron
Afflalo said. “We have a lot of aggressive guys on this team
that want to run up and down the court.” Making sure not to
let the frustration get the best of them after it had successfully
silenced the crowd, the Bruins began to slowly pull away with
stingy defense and an inside attack, before cruising to a 61-38
victory. “It’s pretty frustrating at times, but we just
have to hold our ground,” sophomore point guard Darren
Collison said. “We understood their game plan. There’s
nothing else we can do except play our defensive roles.” In
doing so, the Bruins forced 12 turnovers and held the
Highlanders’ shooting from the field to a mere 30 percent,
while also gathering 30 defensive rebounds. The Bruins were able to
look to one of their leaders to guide them on the defensive end,
even in the slowest-paced game of the young season. “I think
Arron did a good job of talking to us,” Collison said.
“He was constantly in our ears and keeping our intensity up,
and that’s what we need from our leader.” Afflalo
understood the mentality that the Highlanders would be bringing to
Pauley Pavilion, as UC Riverside had nothing to lose with two of
their best players already out for the season with injuries.
“We understand that we’re the No. 1-ranked team right
now and that teams are willing to do whatever they can to get a
victory,” Afflalo said. “We kind of expected them to
slow down the ball on offense.” The Highlanders’
patience on the offensive end is what made the task as difficult as
it was for the Bruins, according to Howland. And it seemed to be
UCLA’s impatience that got the team off to a slow start, as
the Bruins missed shots from beyond the arc to open the game before
attacking the post. Junior Lorenzo Mata and sophomores Luc Richard
Mbah a Moute and Alfred Aboya combined for 27 of the Bruins’
61 points. as Mbah a Moute recorded his second double-double of the
season with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, Mata recorded
four blocks while also getting back into his offensive rhythm with
the help of his teammates. “The more shots I take, the more
confidence I’m going to get,” Mata said. “So
I’m going to keep telling my teammates to get me the
ball.” On one particular play, Mata sunk a left-handed hook
shot and discussed his ability to knock down the shot. “I
always had that in my repertoire,” he said jokingly. The
Bruins will take on Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday before heading
into the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim, where they face No. 9
Texas A&M on Saturday.
ROLL JERSEY RETIRED: Sophomore Michael Roll had
his jersey retired at his former high school, Aliso Niguel, in
Aliso Viejo. Roll’s jersey was the first to be retired at the
school, and there was a ceremony conducted prior to one of the
school’s games last week. “A lot of my friends came
back from college and my family was there.” Roll said.
“It was really exciting, and I was glad to have it
done.”
DRIBBLERS: After coming off a game against Long
Beach State in which they were 13-26 from 3-point range, the Bruins
were a mere 2 of 12 from downtown on Sunday. … The loudest cheers
of the game came when eight seniors from the football team were
introduced on the court at halftime .