It was all there for UCLA on Thursday night: a chance for a key Pac-12 road win, a chance to bolster a faulty NCAA Tournament resume and – for junior guard Bryce Alford – a chance to silence the taunts from the stands.
None of those things happened for UCLA.
In yet another Pac-12 road loss – their sixth in eight tries – the Bruins failed to answer the bell. Their opponent, the Cal Golden Bears (20-8, 10-5 Pac-12), opened the game on a 13-1 scoring run that was reminiscent of the 9-0 opening scoring run that USC put on the Bruins back on Feb. 4.
“USC, they’re somewhat similar to (Cal) in that they’re front-runners,” Alford said. “And if they can get at you from the beginning, it’s really, really hard to play them.”
UCLA (15-13, 6-9) weathered the early storm, cutting Cal’s lead to as little as 5 points by the 7:10 mark in the first half. The game remained close in the second half, as UCLA came to within 4 points at 59-55 with 6:02 to play.
But the Bruins’ comeback attempts were ultimately futile – they could never cut Cal’s lead to less than 4 points. The Golden Bears outscored the Bruins 16-8 over the final six minutes of play, cruising to a 75-63 victory.
“This is a really good defensive team – they make it hard on you,” said coach Steve Alford. “We gave ourselves a chance, we just didn’t make shots tonight.”
In the final six minutes, UCLA had its chances. Bryce Alford, the Pac-12’s leader in free throw percentage, went to the line and missed the front end of a one-and-one. Freshman guard Aaron Holiday followed and did the same thing on the Bruins’ very next possession. If Alford and Holiday had converted each of their one-and-one free throws, UCLA would have trailed by just two points with 4:58 to go.
“It’s just that we couldn’t get any of them in rhythm, whether it be at the free-throw line or (elsewhere),” said Steve Alford.
Bryce Alford, in particular, looked out of sorts. The 84.7-percent foul shooter went 5-for-9 from the line, facing a chorus of “Daddy’s Boy” chants from the students at Haas Pavilion. Alford said the taunts from the stands didn’t affect him, but three of his four missed free throws came in the final five minutes – when the jeers seemed to be at a fever pitch.
“Obviously today – (when) you start missing free throws and (the fans) start gaining steam like that – it’s hard; it’s very hard on you,” Alford said. “But at the same time, I don’t make any excuses for missed shots, and I’m not a guy who listens to that kind of stuff.”
Whether the fans affect Alford or not, the fact is that he has played much worse on the road this year than he has at home. In road games during Pac-12 play, Alford is shooting 27.1 percent. In Pac-12 home games, Alford is shooting 48.1 percent from the field. Alford attributes his road difficulties to the fact that it’s an unfamiliar venue, basket and basketball.
“(Bryce) knows what it is – he’s the coach’s son. And that just comes with it,” said senior forward/center Tony Parker. “It’s easy to pick on him. … But he’ll bounce back. I pick on him all the time so he’s used to it.”
The Bruins will need to bounce back quickly – and in a big way. It’s becoming somewhat of a broken record at this point, but the Bruins need signature wins, and they need them now, to make the NCAA Tournament.
Steve Alford said he still believes his team still has a solid opportunity to make it into the NCAA Tournament field, even after the loss to Cal.
“As we told the team, there’s still hope,” Alford said. “I don’t think we’ve lost hope or lost belief in what we can do. It’s just obviously a very tough road (ahead).”