It was the kind of game that didn’t really seem like a
game. There were 54 fouls called, 27 on each team. There were 63
free throws shot, 34 by Washington and 29 by UCLA. And while the
Bruins refused to make excuses for their 70-67 loss to the Huskies,
the officiating was certainly a point of ire. “We all had
questionable, stupid fouls,” point guard Jordan Farmar said.
“It put us all in a bind. It changed our whole mindset, our
aggressiveness and everything because we committed dumb fouls, some
questionable ones were called, and that’s just the way it
works.” That’s the way it worked for both teams. UCLA
center Ryan Hollins fouled out with 11:54 to play making an
ill-advised attempt to grab a loose ball. After committing only one
foul in the first half, he committed three fouls in less than a
minute near the beginning of the second half. Washington forward
Jamaal Williams fouled out with 1:41 remaining, and Cedric Bozeman
was forced to commit his fifth foul with 8.1 seconds left. Aside
from those three, who paid the ultimate penalty for foul trouble,
UCLA had three other players with four fouls each and Washington
had four. UCLA guard Arron Afflalo committed his fourth foul with
13:20 remaining, blocking out Bobby Jones on the defensive end.
“You would like to just play, let there be no officiating and
let fouls be fouls,” Afflalo said. “That’s
something we can’t focus on. Our job is to go out there and
play the game. It’s not our job to officiate or worry about
what the refs are doing.” But with the game being called so
tightly, it certainly limited what UCLA was able to do. Both the
team’s defensive and offensive intensity seemed to be
affected. “It kind of takes away from your aggression,”
said Afflalo, who had five points on 2-for-10 shooting. “When
you’re in foul trouble, you don’t want to pick up
another foul. I don’t know how to explain it without making
an excuse. You just have to play through it I guess.” Coach
Ben Howland didn’t want to discuss it. “No
comment,” Howland said. “I’m not talking about
the officials. I am required by law to handle it exactly as I am
handling it. I’m not going to make any comment.” The
most costly fouls of the game for UCLA were likely the ones called
against Hollins. The Bruin center played the best basketball of his
UCLA career in Saturday’s first half, scoring seven points
and grabbing an incredible eight rebounds. But because of foul
trouble, he wasn’t there to help his team at the end of the
game. “It was clearly frustrating,” Hollins said.
“Our team plays hard and very intense, and we had to adapt to
the game. Once the whistles blow, you can’t take it back. We
need guys in there.”
BUM ANKLE(S): How close is Farmar to full
strength? “Not close, but it doesn’t matter,”
said Farmar, who struggled against the Huskies, finishing with 13
points on 2-for-13 shooting and seven turnovers. “I’m
on the floor and I’m held accountable for everything I do. If
I’m on the floor, you can’t count me as 100 percent,
because that’s how accountable I am for everything that
happens.” Farmar, who has struggled with ankle problems all
season, said he stepped on a teammate’s foot late in the
first half Saturday, once again tweaking his left ankle. He
sprained his left ankle in the Bruins’ victory over Arizona
on Feb. 4. He has injured his right ankle on four separate
occasions this season. Farmar said he would do intense rehab on the
ankle Sunday and Monday, and hopefully keep from re-injuring it
during practice this week. DRIBBLERS: You may have
noticed Howland’s strange footwear choice on Saturday, as the
Bruin coach donned white sneakers with his dark suit. Howland,
along with hundreds of coaches from around the country, wore tennis
shoes with their suits as a part of Coaches vs. Cancer National
Awareness Weekend. … Former Bruin coach Steve Lavin was the color
commentator for Saturday’s game. … UCLA shot 19-for-29 from
the free throw line Saturday, the fourth time in six games the
Bruins have been below 70 percent from the line.