PHILADELPHIA ““ It was a moment that served as a metaphor, a series of plays that perfectly encapsulated the type of game it was the UCLA men’s basketball team.
With 3:22 remaining in the first half, senior forward Josh Shipp hit a 15-foot jumpshot to cut the deficit to 12 points, capping a 7-0 UCLA run that seemed to signal to the 19,894 in attendance at the Wachovia Center that the Bruins would not go quietly.
Yet on the next Villanova possession, the Wildcats were able to maintain possession of the ball with two crucial offensive rebounds after missed shots, eventually finding junior point guard Scottie Reynolds open in the corner for a three-pointer to push the lead back up to 15 and halting whatever momentum the Bruins had.
It was that type of game Saturday for the No. 6 Bruins, an 89-69 loss to No. 3 Villanova in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that left them physically and mentally bruised.
The Wildcats proved to be the more physical and dominant team, crushing the Bruins on the boards and inside. At the end of the game, the Wildcats held the advantage in rebounds (41-28) and points in the paint (46-20).
After the game, UCLA freshman guard Jrue Holiday said he didn’t think it was Villanova’s physicality that cost the Bruins the game.
“We played physical teams, we are a physical team,” Holiday said. “I felt like we battled with them, but we didn’t do anything right today. We didn’t board, we didn’t block out, we didn’t knock down our shots. We didn’t play defense, we didn’t take responsibility for our man.”
Only adding to what turned out to be a nightmare scenario for the Bruins was an inability to stop Villanova’s balanced offensive attack. Led by senior forward Dante Cunningham’s 18 points, six Villanova players scored in double figures, part of a 46.3 percent shooting effort from the floor.
“I take full responsibility how our defense is played,” senior point guard Darren Collison said. “I don’t know if we didn’t come out with a lot of energy on defense, but they did a good job penetrating to the basket and doing a good job kicking out.
“They were the more aggressive team. The more aggressive team’s always going to win.”
Sporting a sizable gash on his lip that will require stitches, Collison pointed to how well Villanova played as a team as a big part of the Bruins’ worst loss of the season.
“They just played well as a team,” Collison said. “We couldn’t really get stops, and we played off our defense. They were making a lot of shots on offense. To give up 44 points in the first half, that’s real hard.”
WACHOVIA CENTER ALL FOR VILLANOVA: Playing on their pseudo home-floor, the Villanova Wildcats carried the momentum of the fans throughout the game.
Of the 19,894 in attendance, a majority rooted for the nearby Wildcats, with the UCLA fans relegated to a small section in the corner of the arena.
Despite the homecourt advantage the Wildcats had, UCLA coaches and players refused to use the environment as an excuse to why they lost.
“The environment didn’t do anything,” freshman Jrue Holiday said. “We’ve been here before. That didn’t have any affect on our team, and the way we played and how we came out with no heart, and we didn’t play to the best of our ability. We just didn’t come out and play today.”
Coach Ben Howland went even further.
“I’m not sure that the way that we played today and the way they played would have made a difference where the game was played.”
DRIBBLERS: Freshman forward Drew Gordon played nine minutes after missing Thursday’s game against Virginia Commonwealth University with concussion-like symptoms. “¦ In the second game, the No. 1 UConn Huskies defeated the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies, 92-66, to advance to the Sweet 16.