UCLA senior point guard Darren Collison knew exactly who he wanted to talk to when he walked into the locker room, with his team leading Miami University (Ohio) by only two points at halftime.
Collison spoke only with his veteran teammates ““ Josh Shipp, Michael Roll and Alfred Aboya.
And it was that exact group that sealed a close, grinding 64-59 victory for UCLA Thursday at Pauley Pavilion over a surprisingly savvy Miami team.
“That was just desire, not wanting to lose,” Collison said. “Me, Josh and Alfred, this being our senior year, there was no way we were going to lose that game.”
Coach Ben Howland substituted his most experienced players into the game with 6:07 remaining ““ Collison, Shipp, Roll, Aboya and James Keefe ““ with the Bruins leading 53-51.
It had been a tough test for UCLA’s highly touted class of freshmen, who struggled against Miami’s more physical and experienced players.
Freshman guard Jrue Holiday drew two quick fouls and had to sit for much of the first half. Guards Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee played sparingly, and there was no true post-player for freshman center J’mison Morgan to defend.
“You can see that we were playing veterans down the stretch,” Howland said. “There’s been 19 practices. … We have a lot to improve.”
Holiday may have had the toughest night. He committed a sloppy turnover in the second half, at which point Howland took him out of the game, and Roll replaced him.
Shipp and Collison carried the Bruins down the stretch. Both finished with 10 points in the half and 16 for the entire game.
“Me and Darren, we want the ball in our hands; we want to try to do whatever it takes,” Shipp said.
Collison hit two crucial free throws to put UCLA ahead 62-59 with only 21 seconds remaining. He said that moment felt similar to UCLA’s intense matchup at home against Stanford at the end of last season.
“At that point it’s just you and the basket,” Collison said. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go up there and knock them down.”
Those final minutes gave the Bruins an important victory and sealed a trip to New York City next week, where the team will face Michigan. They also indicated that even on this team, with such a lauded group of freshmen, veteran mettle and poise still matters.
“We have all been to the Final Four three years,” Collison said. “We all know exactly what to expect, how these games play out. At this point you just have to go to your veteran lineup.”
COLLISON HONORED: In addition to the win, Collison also took home the MVP award for the Los Angeles City Regional of the 2K Sports Classic.
The senior point guard, who is also a preseason All-American, scored 19 points in the first round against Prairie View A&M and 16 Thursday against the Redhawks.