TUCSON, Ariz. “”mdash; The UCLA men’s basketball team’s duel in the desert with the Arizona Wildcats is living up to the hype.
After a back and forth first half, the Bruins trail 38-33 at the break in tonight’s battle for second place in the Pac-10.
Arizona’s NBA prospect sophomore Derrick Williams has caused all sorts of matchup problems for the Bruins in the first half, scoring 12 points that included a couple of electrifying dunks that sent the sell-out crowd at the McKale Center into a frenzy.
Sophomore forward Reeves Nelson has been doing his best Derrick Williams impression in the first half, leading all scorers with 17 points on seven of seven shooting.
UCLA struggled in transition, falling behind 20-13 midway through the half and forcing coach Ben Howland to call a timeout. Two quick Jerime Anderson transition layups erased the deficit and kept the Bruins in it.
Neither the sell out crowd not the bright lights of an ESPN national television broadcast seem to have fazed the Bruins.
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