SACRAMENTO “”mdash; Arron Afflalo ran the floor, leaped in the air, put the ball through the hoop, and ran off the court excitedly as the Bruins took an 18-point lead into halftime. The funk that had plagued the junior guard and his team for the past two games was no more.
Afflalo led UCLA in scoring, finishing with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting in UCLA’s 70-42 victory over Weber State.
“Once I got into a rhythm, my teammates did a good job of playing with me,” Afflalo said. “I don’t want to say we’re back after one game, but we did definitely take a step in a positive direction.”
For UCLA, there couldn’t be a better time for Afflalo to start heating up again. In the Bruins’ last two losses to Washington and California, Afflalo’s performance was subpar, and UCLA suffered mightily as a result.
Against the Huskies, Afflalo missed seven 3-pointers and finished the game with 12 points on just 4-for-14 shooting. In last Thursday’s game against the Bears, Afflalo had no field goals in regulation and finished the overtime loss with just three points in 38 minutes. Afflalo also looked unusually sluggish against Cal and did not bring his usual intensity to either end of the floor.
“The team needs me on both ends of the floor,” Afflalo said. “When I’m not taking care of my responsibility, the team can suffer. It’s been my job for the last two or three years now and you have to take pride in it.”
Afflalo’s intensity level was clearly back to normal against Weber State. Afflalo attacked the Wildcats’ defense from the beginning of the game, scoring in the post and converting a 1-on-2 transition basket off of his own steal.
Even though Afflalo missed his first three long-range shots, and his first two 3-pointers, he stuck with his open shots and ended up shooting a high percentage.
Afflalo nailed his next three 3-point attempts and finished the game shooting 3 for 5 from 3-point range.
“It was good to see that first (3-pointer) drop,” Afflalo said. “That got me into my comfort zone a little bit.”
Most importantly for Afflalo, his game Thursday served as confirmation for himself and his teammates that he can continue to be trusted to be the one to take the big shots for UCLA.
“Arron’s always going to be our lead man,” sophomore point guard Darren Collison said. “Just to see him make shots was real good.”
NO PROBLEMS FOR COLLISON: UCLA fans held their breaths when it was announced that Collison went down with a sprained ankle in practice Tuesday.
While Collison was not quite at full strength Thursday, he was able to get through the game and be effective running the Bruins’ offense. Collison finished the game with 14 points, eight assists and three steals, making key plays for UCLA as the Bruins pulled away from the Wildcats.
“It hurts a little bit, but when I have the excitement and the adrenaline rushing, I really don’t feel any pain.”
SHOOTING SHIPP: Sophomore forward Josh Shipp has taken plenty of flack throughout the season for his low 3-point percentage. But through it all, he has always kept his confidence in his shot. That confidence is starting to pay off.
In the Bruins’ last three games, Shipp has shot 9 for 17 from behind the arc. It was Shipp’s shooting that almost single-handedly kept the Bruins in their loss to Cal, and Shipp’s two 3-pointers on Thursday against Weber State shattered any hopes of a Wildcat run in the second half.
Shipp credits his recent shooting turnaround to a renewed ability to enjoy the game.
“I’m just playing basketball and having fun,” Shipp said. “Halfway through the season, I was thinking a little bit too much. I just got back to having fun.”