To say that Saturday’s conditions for No. 2 UCLA were less than ideal would probably be an understatement.
The Bruins had flown cross-country for an early game and were playing a West Virginia team on the road in the middle of a tough Pac-10 conference slate. Add to the mix not having starting point guard Darren Collison, who was held out with a shoulder injury, forcing freshman Russell Westbrook to make his first start, and clearly the situation was not the best for the Bruins.
Those circumstances added up to a 70-65 upset loss to the unranked Mountaineers (19-5) before 14,160 wild and raucous fans in a sold-out West Virginia Coliseum.
UCLA (20-3) had fallen behind by as many as 19 points in the second half, and the margin proved too much for the Bruins to overcome.
Junior Arron Afflalo matched his career high of 27 points, and sophomore Alfred Aboya continued his solid play with 11 points and nine rebounds, but it was still not enough to lift their team to victory.
“To allow them to go up by 19 really dug a big hole for us,” coach Ben Howland said. “(West Virginia) played very well, very inspired. We had the lead there early in the first half; I thought we played really well attacking their zone. We took a couple questionable shots and that fueled their fire. They did a really good job taking advantage of it.”
Indeed, early on it appeared the game would be a back-and-forth affair all afternoon with a close game going down to the wire.
Instead, a wild game of runs ensued, and without the calming presence of Collison as the lead guard, UCLA had a difficult time slowing down the West Virginia attack.
With the game tied at 22 off a layup by sophomore Alfred Aboya, the Mountaineers then went on a 10-0 run to end the first half.
West Virginia carried that momentum into the second half, eventually building a 19-point lead with a barrage of backdoor cuts and 3-pointers over a 10-minute stretch that spanned both halves.
With each basket, the Mountaineer faithful’s cheers grew louder and more forceful, and the loud road environment seemed to affect the Bruins’ play.
Compounding the problem was the loss of junior center Lorenzo Mata, who aggravated a left hip injury and was held out of the second half by Howland.
“Some of the guys got a little anxiety, a little bit myself,” Afflalo said. “But my job is to try to help the guys relax a little bit. I’m one of the more experienced guys out there.
“We did a good job responding and bouncing back a little bit, but again, every time we get behind in our three losses, we do a good job of responding, but we’re not getting over the hump, so all in all the responses mean nothing.”
After facing their largest deficit of the game, UCLA just as quickly turned the tables on West Virginia and began mounting an impressive comeback.
Redshirt sophomore Josh Shipp, who was held scoreless in the first half, scored six points in a 30-second span to cut into the Mountaineer lead, sparking a 15-0 run with just over nine minutes to go. The Bruins held the Mountaineers scoreless for more than four minutes during the run to pull within four.
From then on however, the Bruins would not get any closer. UCLA had multiple opportunities to cut the lead down to a one-score game but untimely turnovers, empty possessions and missed free throws helped lead to the Bruins’ demise.
“These guys never quit even when we were down 19,” Howland said. “We fought back … but when you’re in this big of a hole it’s hard to come back the whole way. We missed a couple big free throws. Josh (Shipp) had a chance for a 3-point play which would have cut it to three, and Luc (Mbah a Moute) missed one of his foul shots that would have cut it to three or four again.”
Westbrook showed his inexperience in the game, finishing with four points, three assists and three turnovers before fouling out in the waning moments. The freshman played a career-high 32 minutes. His previous high had been 21 against Oregon State.
“I didn’t play my game today,” Westbrook said. “I feel I didn’t play aggressively.”
And even though the presence of Collison may have changed the outcome, the team refused to let that be an excuse for their play.
“That’s just some adversity you have to deal with,” Afflalo said. “With players out, especially a player like Darren, other people have to function and take pride in stepping up to that role and making plays for us because this is not a team that can rely on one person. We need everybody to win, and if everybody is not participating, we don’t win.”