Hot shooting in the first half allowed UCLA to take a slim lead
into halftime. Ice-cold shooting in the second half allowed that
lead to disappear. In the first half of Saturday’s game
against Arizona, the Bruins shot 61 percent from the floor,
including a masterful 6-for-6 performance from senior forward Dijon
Thompson. But the Bruins couldn’t keep it up after halftime,
whether due to fatigue or improved defense from Arizona. In the
second half, the Bruins went frigid from the field, failing to hit
a single jump shot over a span of 12 minutes. Thompson finally
ended the drought when he converted on a short jumper with 3:50
left in the game. But even that basket counted only because
Arizona’s Channing Frye was called for a goal-tending
violation. But, after the shot, Thompson went to the line and
calmly hit two free throws that capped a 7-0 run that tied the game
at 68-68 apiece. Freshmen Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo and Josh
Shipp combined to shoot 3-for-17 in the second half, each one
making a single bucket, as the Bruins shot only 27 percent from the
field. Thompson eventually finished the night with a double-double,
leading UCLA with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting and grabbing 10
rebounds. “We just couldn’t make any shots,
that’s all,” Thompson said. “Especially given the
way I played, and to lose by three, that’s really
tough.”
PLAGUE OF TURNOVERS: UCLA turned it over 12 times in the first
half and 11 times in the second, an alarming statistic given that
Arizona did not really utilize an aggressive defense. During one
stretch in the first half, the Bruins had three turnovers on three
consecutive possessions while they were clinging to a two-point
advantage. Senior Brian Morrison had four turnovers alone in only
10 minutes of action in the first half. “We had our
opportunities to win this game, but we had some costly
turnovers,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “They
didn’t really press us, so all those turnovers were basically
in the half court.”
I DID IT: Down by three with time running out, UCLA desperately
needed a 3-pointer. Afflalo stepped up to the line, fired away, and
swished it from behind the arc on the left sideline with 16.9
seconds remaining to tie it up 73-73. However, it appeared Afflalo
blatantly used his right arm to push Arizona forward Ivan Radenovic
away from him to create an opening for the tying basket. Yet, no
call was made. “That was definitely an offensive foul,”
said Afflalo with a smirk.