Check out a breakdown of the UCLA sports stories you might have missed this week.
Hitting the books
UCLA relied heavily on senior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn Saturday night, as the Bruins were forced to kick when numerous receivers failed to hold on to near-touchdown passes. Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen said it was the first game he’s ever played in which his team managed 27 points with only two touchdowns.
The bright side, if there was one, was the fact that Fairbairn became the Pac-12’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing former Bruin John Lee’s 390 points to also break the school record. Fairbairn scored 13 points against Washington State, making all four of his field goal attempts, pushing his total to 402.
The record highlights what has been a career season for Fairbairn, who broke another school record on Oct. 21 when he made a 60-yard field goal against Cal. The senior is now 19 for 20 on field goals this season.
Who’s the point?
For the second straight year, an injury to Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio has forced ex-UCLA shooting guard Zach LaVine into action at the point.
The early returns have not been great.
Before Rubio injured his hamstring, the Timberwolves started the season 4-2, notching impressive road victories over the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. But with LaVine at the helm, Minnesota has gone winless in the four games since Rubio went down.
The Wolves have suffered on both ends of the floor. Even though LaVine has seized the extra playing time to up his scoring totals, averaging 21 points a game in Rubio’s absence, he simply hasn’t been able to match Rubio’s creative passing or nosy defending.
The Timberwolves’ offensive and defensive ratings when the second-year guard product is on the floor without Rubio or aging backup point guard Andre Miller would both rank third-worst in the league. And with LaVine running the show, only 51 percent of Minnesota’s field goals are assisted, another number good for third-to-last in the league.
With no timetable for the injury-prone Rubio’s return, LaVine will share minutes at the point with Miller in the near future. But if the past few games are any indication, that’s not a sustainable game plan.
New Bruins
The early signing period for every NCAA sport other than football, soccer and men’s water polo opened Nov. 11 and, as of Monday afternoon, 52 high school athletes have submitted their letters of intent to UCLA.
Leading the way is baseball with 11 signees, highlighted by prep standout Blake Rutherford. The Chaminade College Prep outfielder is the No. 2 high school player in the 2016 class, according to Perfect Game USA. Rutherford has a chance to be selected early in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, so there is no guarantee he’ll make his way to Westwood.
Last year, eight UCLA recruits were drafted, including four who eventually agreed to contracts with their respective professional teams and skipped college.
Women’s water polo also has a large incoming class, with five athletes already signed. One of the biggest names is Maddie Musselman, whose sister, Alex, is currently a senior goalie on the UCLA team.
After back-to-back seasons as the Pacific Coast League MVP at Corona del Mar High School, the younger Musselman sister unenrolled last spring so she could train with the U.S. senior national team full time. She has been taking online classes at Laurel Springs School.
The early period ends Wednesday and the regular period reopens in April.
Compiled by Matt Cummings, Claire Fahy and Tanner Walters, Bruin Sports senior staff.