Long Beach State’s perimeter shooting may not have
threatened the Bruins chances of winning, but UCLA fans
nevertheless held a collective breath when the 49ers fired from
outside. Despite shooting an anemic 1-for-17 from beyond the arc,
the 49ers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, keeping them competitive
throughout the night. “We’ve got a real issue to solve
in terms of doing a better job of blocking out,” coach Ben
Howland said. “I thought we did a better job blocking out in
exhibition games and there’s been slippage from there.”
The 49ers, who had 18 more field goal attempts than UCLA, had
numerous put-back opportunities off their offensive rebounds.
Fortunately for the Bruins, the 49ers shot only 41 percent from the
field compared to the Bruins’ 56.1 percent. “They
outhustled us and outworked us,” point guard Jordan Farmar
said. “We have to look in the mirror and take a good look at
ourselves.”
PERFECT FRESHMAN: In a mistake-filled game, the
Bruins found some perfection in shooting guard Arron Afflalo. The
freshman was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and scored a
career-high 21 points in the game. “I was so into the game, I
didn’t know I didn’t miss a shot until just now,”
said Afflalo in the press conference afterward. Afflalo, who also
finished with six assists and five rebounds, led all scorers in the
first half with 13 points. Yet it was his 3-pointer late in the
second half that put the Bruins up eight that essentially sealed
the game for UCLA. “Arron had a great game,” Howland
said. “Day in, day out, he brings it and that’s why I
think he’s going to be an outstanding player for
us.”
APPLYING THE PRESSURE: With UCLA starting two
freshmen in the backcourt, the 49ers hoped using full-court
pressure would throw Afflalo and Farmar off-kilter. However, Farmar
attributed UCLA’s 18 turnovers to the tight pressure applied
by Long Beach State in the half-court. “Full-court pressure
wasn’t the problem,” Farmar said. “We were
working on motion all week. We weren’t working against that
active pressure. When they’re in on you that close, you have
to beat them and we were working on getting catches and spacing the
floor. We weren’t ready for it the way we should have
been.” But the Bruins were able to prevail in the end, and
seeing that type of pressure now will benefit the team in the long
run according to Howland. “That’s the kind of pressure
we’re going to see in the Pac-10,” Howland said.
“They were very active with their defense and had their hands
into us, which is a good experience for us.” But the pressure
did lead to a total of 26 fouls called on the 49ers, from which the
Bruins were able to convert 25 of 31 free throws from the charity
stripe.
DRIBBLERS: Ike Williams, who was suspended from
the team earlier this season, was on the bench in uniform Tuesday
night. … Lorenzo Mata, who played six minutes, scored his first
point as a Bruin. … UCLA improved to 4-0 for the first time since
the 1994-1995 season, the last time they won a national
championship.