After UCLA men’s basketball’s win over Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 3, coach Steve Alford told reporters he was concerned it could have been a trap game for his team, with upcoming matchups against No. 9 Gonzaga and No. 1 Kentucky on the horizon.
The Bruins won that game by 28 points.
It seems Alford’s concerns came a game early.
After a blistering start to the game by sophomore guard Bryce Alford, the Bruins found themselves trailing San Diego 35-33 at halftime. An improved effort in the second half allowed UCLA to escape with a 75-68 win, but Steve Alford made no effort to hide his disappointment with his team’s first-half play.
“If you want to press our guys, they can probably tell you at halftime I questioned their toughness too,” Alford said.
The Bruins jumped out to an early lead behind 12 quick points from Bryce Alford. But UCLA’s hot start quickly turned tepid, then cold.
Following a jump shot from freshman forward Kevon Looney that gave UCLA a five-point lead with 7:08 remaining in the first half, the Bruins went dormant. For almost the entire rest of the quarter UCLA was unable to score from the field, its only offense coming from four made free throws.
It wasn’t until 48 seconds remained in the first half that the Bruins next saw one of its field goal attempts go through the net off a put-back from sophomore forward Wanaah Bail.
San Diego, meanwhile, got anything it wanted inside. The Toreros converted several wide open dunks on uncovered backdoor cuts and posted 18 points in the paint in the first half.
Similarly, the Toreros (4-5), despite having just two players on their roster measuring in at 6 feet 9 inches or taller, out-played the Bruins (7-2) on the boards in the first half.
Looney didn’t see the rebound disparity as a height issue as much as it was a defensive one.
“We didn’t defend,” Looney said. “It’s hard rebounding made shots.”
UCLA went into halftime losing the rebound battle 17-12, though Steve Alford said he was too upset to know the exact numbers.
“My blood pressure was so high I couldn’t read the stat sheet,” Alford said.
Alford’s halftime speech, which kept the Bruins in the locker room several minutes longer than normal, seemed to have an effect on his players.
UCLA started the second half with much more energy, holding San Diego to just three of 14 shooting to start the half, allowing the Bruins to build a 50-43 lead.
The Toreros shooting percentage, which was at 50 percent at halftime, plummeted in the second half, shooting just 40 percent in the final 20 minutes.
“It had nothing to do with the Xs and Os,” said senior guard Norman Powell. “It was just about … playing defense and taking it personal when someone scores on you.”
That mindset and the rededication to toughness was apparent in the Bruins as players dove to the floor for loose balls, hustled to force turnovers and six blocks, five of which came in the second half.
After gaining their narrow lead, which never grew larger than 10, the Bruins’ newly stringent defense carried them to victory.
With Gonzaga coming to Pauley Pavilion in less than a week, Powell saw a silver lining in the slim margin of victory.
“It puts things in perspective for us because it’s not gonna come easy,” Powell said. “It’s really good to see a team come in here and challenge us this way. It’s great to be battle tested early … we got a reality check after this game.”