This time, the UCLA men’s basketball team started its comeback a little earlier. After spotting Texas a first-half lead that ballooned to as many as 16 points, the Bruins came out strong to start the second half, and reclaimed the lead on a Josh Shipp 3-pointer with 12:53 to play.
But unlike in their come-from-behind victory over Michigan State, UCLA couldn’t make this lead stick.
The No. 2 Bruins and the No. 8 Longhorns traded baskets and momentum for the rest of the game, and found themselves tied at 61 with less than 10 seconds remaining. That’s when Texas sophomore guard D.J. Augustin put up an off-balance layup over an out-of-position Darren Collison. The shot missed, but sophomore forward Damion James was there, slamming home the rebound, and slamming shut the door on the Bruins’ hopes of a comeback.
With no timeouts left, UCLA was forced to settle for a last-second 3-point attempt by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. After Mbah a Moute’s shot bounced off the rim, all that was left was a Texas celebration at center court, with James puffing out the front of his jersey and the Longhorns’ reserves throwing up the horns over the UCLA logo.
The final score was Texas 63, UCLA 61. So ends the Bruins’ stay atop the national rankings, not to mention their 25-game home win streak.
“(Seeing Texas celebrate) wasn’t fun,” said freshman center Kevin Love, who finished with 11 points and 5 rebounds. “That was my first experience of that. (UCLA) had a long-standing winning streak at home, so that’s tough to see. But I think it could be a good wake-up call for us.”
Some of the reason Texas was able to snap the streak can be traced to Love and the rest of the Bruin inside game. While Love didn’t play poorly, the Bruins often struggled to get him the ball against Texas’ zone defense.
Additionally, the athleticism of Texas’ front line forced coach Ben Howland to give more of Love’s usual minutes to junior Alfred Aboya and senior Lorenzo Mata-Real, who are quicker and more experienced defenders than Love. The end result was that Texas out-rebounded UCLA 34-28.
“I take a lot of responsibility for that,” Love said. “Five rebounds is unacceptable on my part. I should at least have 10 rebounds every game because I need to be boxing out and seeking every rebound I can.”
Texas built that rebounding margin in the first half, when UCLA struggled against the zone. Love was held to only three shots in the half, and the Bruin guards frequently settled for outside shots rather then trying to drive to the basket.
UCLA finished 2-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half, and at one point was held scoreless for more than eight minutes.
“It was unfortunate to bury ourselves in the first half with, among other things, too many offensive rebounds by them,” Howland said. “And we were just inept at handling the zone in the first half, and (took) too many outside shots.”
The Bruins’ play picked up significantly in the second half. They shot 50 percent in the half, and outscored the Longhorns 16-3 over the first eight minutes of the half.
But down the stretch the Longhorns seemed to have an answer every time the Bruins threatened to build a lead. With just over three minutes to play, the Bruins built a four-point lead after a Mata-Real tip-in and a breakaway layup by Mbah a Moute. But Augustin nailed a 3-pointer on Texas’ next possession, stifling the Bruins’ momentum.
“Hats off to Texas; they seemed to make a big shot at the end every time we went on a run,” Shipp said. “Today they just did a great job. They outplayed us. We need to take a look in the mirror and see what we need to do to come out and be better next time.”
Despite the loss, the Bruins can take some consolation that they nearly completed another impressive comeback against one of the best teams in the country. But after losing on their home floor for the first time in nearly two years, they’re not interested in moral victories.
“Any loss to us is a shock,” said Collison, who finished with 12 points and five assists. “Especially when we’re at home. We feel like we should protect our home court with no problem.”