UCLA coach Ben Howland was worried about this game.
Coming off finals week, Howland was concerned about the mentality of his players and their preparation for what he viewed as a talented DePaul team.
Yet, 40 minutes of game time later, Howland could rest assured.
The No. 16 Bruins (6-2) defeated the Blue Demons (4-4) 72-54 in front of 14,163 at the John R. Wooden Classic at the Honda Center.
Freshman guard Jrue Holiday and senior forward Josh Shipp led the Bruins with 14 points each.
Holiday proved to be particularly effective from the field, shooting six of eight from the field, including two of three from 3-point range. Holiday also looked aggressive on the offensive end, driving to the basket and getting a couple of put-back baskets.
“I felt that I started attacking early,” Holiday said. “We’re just trying to cut through the zone and try to get to the middle and distribute the ball as well as look for my shot.”
Forward Nikola Dragovic and point guard Darren Collison each added 10 points.
Throughout the game, the Bruins displayed an ability to run the ball down the floor for easy transition baskets, and they outscored the Blue Demons 16-2 in fast break points while forcing 13 turnovers.
“It all starts with good defense, and then we are trying to focus on getting out and run,” Howland said.
Howland added that Alfred Aboya’s ability to run the floor helps to collapse the defense and allows the Bruins to be an effective running team.
DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright was impressed with the Bruins’ transition game.
“They have terrific team speed,” he said.
The Blue Demons kept the game close at the start of the game, even taking a 4-3 lead three minutes into the game. But the Bruins went on a quick 8-0 run to gain a comfortable lead and to jumpstart them for the rest of the game.
Shipp said the run was a result of getting stops on defense.
“Main thing is just getting stops,” Shipp said. “Like coach said, that’s where we start. As long as we get stops, we’re able to get out on a break and get easy shots and that gets us going.”
Following the game, Howland stressed the importance of playing great defense in order to win games, yet he noted that because of the speed present on the team, they will also look to run the ball.
“We definitely want to push the ball,” Howland said. “We have guys who can run and guys who can handle the ball. We have a very good passing team, in particular with Darren, and we have good speed. Josh, Darren and Jrue for example, can really run the floor, and so when we get stops we want to take advantage of that.”
Notes: Freshman walk-on Tyler Trapani, the great-grandson of John Wooden, entered the game in the final minutes. He missed his only shot of the game. “¦ Near the end of the second half, Howland put five freshmen in the game at the same time. “¦ A tribute to Wooden was shown on the Jumbotron during a timeout, after which the crowd gave him a standing ovation.