PALO ALTO “”mdash; UCLA senior forward Alfred Aboya pulled senior forward Josh Shipp aside after the Bruins eked out a 76-71 victory Thursday night at Stanford.
“That’s what the team needs from you, if we’re going to have a chance,” Aboya said to Shipp. “You got to stay consistent. You got to bring it every night.”
Shipp’s performance saved the No. 22 Bruins (21-7, 10-5 Pac-10) from a devastating loss to unranked Stanford (15-11, 4-11 Pac-10). Playing in his final Pac-10 road games this weekend, Shipp scored 24 points and sank nine of his 12 field-goal attempts. He sparked a UCLA comeback after the Bruins fell 14 points behind and played very well defensively.
“He was phenomenal,” senior guard Darren Collison said. “He played with a lot of heart. … He’s one of the seniors; we understand the meaning of this game.”
After Stanford built a 26-12 lead behind a barrage of jumpshots, Shipp asserted himself. He scored 11 points in the final nine minutes of the first half and helped UCLA erase that deficit.
“Josh Shipp really stepped up when they were down and gave them some energy and a lift,” Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. “He took it upon himself to make some plays and he was very good (Thursday night).”
Shipp pulled down five defensive rebounds in the first half and finished the game with seven rebounds, his highest total of the season. The Bruins had emphasized rebounding this week in practice after they were outrebounded by Washington State.
The Bruins finished with 29 rebounds, four more than the Cardinal, and Shipp’s seven was the most on the team.
“This is his fifth year and he’s just a man out there,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “He’s playing like a man for us.”
Afterward, the seniors Aboya, Collison and Shipp said they understand the burden they face in this final stretch of the season. On Thursday night, they combined for 47 of the Bruins’ 76 points.
“We know that our team relies on us,” Aboya said.
Shipp said he is feeling a “big-time” sense of urgency as his finishes his college career and tries to lead UCLA on another run through the NCAA tournament.
“I’m trying to play my best basketball,” he said. “This is when the team needs me most.”
KEEFE OUT: UCLA junior forward James Keefe suffered back spasms after a shootaround Thursday morning and did not play against Stanford. His absence forced the Bruins to use some unusual lineups when both Aboya and junior forward Nikola Dragovic sat out because of foul trouble.
Howland said that Keefe experienced back problems earlier this season and that he may try to see a chiropractor today. Keefe’s status for Saturday’s game at Cal is uncertain.
PAC-10 UPDATE: First-place Washington (21-7, 12-4 Pac-10) may have sealed its first Pac-10 title since 2004-2005 with an overtime win against second-place Arizona State (21-6, 10-5 Pac-10) Thursday night in Seattle. The No. 21 Huskies have only two conference games remaining, against Arizona and Washington State, both at home.
No. 14 Arizona State, UCLA and Cal (21-7, 10-5 Pac-10) are now in a three-way tie for second place. UCLA and Cal will play Saturday at 6 p.m.
Howland said he spent most of this week preparing his team for Stanford and that he’s most concerned with resting his players before Saturday’s game in Berkeley.