UCLA was bullied, battered and kicked around in its last meeting with Arizona State, one of its most embarrassing performances of the season. Not even the absence of redshirt junior forward Travis Wear could help explain the drubbing.
The Bruins vowed to play tougher, to stand taller in their rematch with the Sun Devils – even if they were missing Wear to another injury.
It took overtime at Pauley Pavilion, but they did just that in a 79-74 win on Wednesday, pulling them into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 Conference.
“I think we played tougher tonight,” freshman Jordan Adams said.
“We came in with the mindset of being tough and trying to out-battle them on the boards.”
Arizona State’s 7-foot-2 junior center Jordan Bachynski had a career game in January, but didn’t even garner a double-double this time around, finishing with just 10 points and seven rebounds.
“I think we defended him really well,” freshman forward Kyle Anderson said.
“We knew what we wanted to do and what we wanted to take away. I think we were more prepared for him this time.”
Anderson totaled a career high with 21 points and secured his eighth double-double of the season by grabbing 15 rebounds.
His classmates pitched in as well with double-digit scoring efforts. Adams led the way with 22 points while freshman Shabazz Muhammad had 21.
“They all played great. There’s no question that those three kids are not playing like the freshmen they were in November,” Howland said.
“They’ve all improved in a lot of different respects too, and it’s exciting. I think the media got it right. They are No. 1 in the country.”
The win was anything but sure. At halftime, three players had two or more fouls, forcing Howland to go to a zone, which he called “awful” after the game.
And it wasn’t always pretty as bodies slid all over the floor and turnovers mounted, something Howland attributed to fatigue.
Without Wear (sprained right foot), UCLA has just seven scholarship players. His twin brother David did not come out of the game after halftime.
His players expended so much energy, Howland canceled this morning’s stretch to give them time to catch their breath.
They’ll need it as freshman Shabazz Muhammad sprained his left ankle in the win, though Howland was confident he would be OK for Saturday’s game against Arizona. Travis Wear’s status has been upgraded to day-to-day.
“Our guys showed a lot of character,” Howland said. “We’re taking the day off.”