TEMPE, Ariz. “”mdash; UCLA coach Ben Howland’s postgame media sessions are usually quick and businesslike. He answers each question directly and efficiently, usually in a hurry to board the team bus.
This one, albeit after a 66-57 win over Arizona State on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena, was a little different.
Asked about a conversation he had with Lazeric Jones about taking more shots, Howland paused.
“Isn’t it weird to have to tell someone to shoot more?” asked one media member.
Howland beckoned Jones over to the media scrum. Now with the senior guard in earshot, Howland asked for the question a second time.
“I could not have said it better myself, thank you,” Howland said jokingly to a grinning Jones.
In a game that neither team seemed to want in the first half, Jones stepped up and dominated in the second half much like he did a year ago in the same building.
Jones finished with 20 points to lead UCLA, with 13 of them coming in the second half, when UCLA turned a one-point, seesaw battle with one of the worst teams in the Pac-12 conference into a 17-point advantage.
“He made some big 3s for us when we needed them,” Howland said of Jones.
“I wanted to come out and be more aggressive shooting,” Jones added. “That was my mindset, just come out here and not stress too much.”
The victory was just UCLA’s second road win in conference play and improved the Bruins’ record to 16-12 overall and 9-6 in Pac-12 play as they inch toward the end of the regular season and the all-important Pac-12 Tournament, their only chance at admittance to the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona State (8-20, 4-12 Pac-12) was playing with just eight scholarship players on its roster, an improvement on the six the Sun Devils brought to the Honda Center in January in a 75-58 Bruins win.
Sophomore center Joshua Smith dominated that game and similarly helped spur UCLA late with eight of his 10 points coming in the second half.
“They were playing me one-on-one and if they’re going to do that, I’m going to be aggressive,” Smith said.
Smith, however, was again limited by foul trouble as he picked up two fouls in eight seconds shortly after entering the game.
“It’s hard, I’ve been trying to not let (foul trouble) affect me,” Smith said. “I still try to support the team.”
The rest of UCLA’s front court picked up the slack en route to outscoring Arizona State 32 to 24 in the paint.
As for Jones, he leaves Tempe with a 2-0 record against the Sun Devils in his two years as a Bruin.
“This gym is supposed to be good for shooters,” Jones said. “I don’t know if I’m a good shooter or not.”
On Thursday, he was.