SAN ANTONIO””mdash; As Lorenzo Mata-Real began to cover his head with a towel toward the end of UCLA’s Final Four loss to Memphis, teammate Michael Roll was quick to pull the towel off the senior’s head.
For the third straight year, Mata-Real helped his team reach the Final Four, but to no avail. And it isn’t something he will forget any time soon.
“It’s definitely going to be stuck in my mind the rest of my life,” Mata-Real said. “It’s definitely something I’m never going to be able to let go.”
Coming into the season, the senior lost his spot on the depth chart to a freshman, Kevin Love, but never complained about it, just wanting a chance to leave UCLA as a national champion.
That dream fell short on Saturday at the Alamodome, however, as the Bruins were ousted by the Tigers, 78-63.
Over the course of his tenure as a Bruin, Mata-Real has become a fan favorite at Pauley Pavilion. In his freshman year, a Facebook group was created in honor of him, and fans sported shirts with his face on the front.
As he sat by himself in the locker room after the game, he held back his emotions to answer questions about the game, the season and his time at UCLA ““ a far cry from the Mata-Real who had a big smile and a net draped around his neck after the Bruins won the West Regional in Phoenix.
When asked what he’d miss most about his time at UCLA, Mata-Real didn’t hesitate at all ““ it was the time he spent hanging out with his teammates.
After he becomes the first member of his family to graduate from college and earn a degree, Mata-Real plans on signing with an agent and continuing to play basketball.
“It’s been fun, and it’s been a great run, but I’ve got to move on from this,” he said.
COMING FROM CAMEROON: For the first time ever, junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was able to showcase his on-court abilities for his family in person: His parents, brother and aunt were in attendance on Saturday night.
Mbah a Moute was aware that his mother and brother would be in attendance, but his father decided to surprise him.
“It means a lot,” Mbah a Moute said. “They’ve never seen me play. It was fun to have them out there, but it’s hard that the first game they came to we lose.”
Mbah a Moute, the first player to start in three consecutive Final Four games since Michigan State’s Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell in 1999-2001, said he is even more hungry for a national title now and would love to come back next year and hope to get another chance.
“I want to win a championship,” he said. “Coming here three years in a row and losing, that really doesn’t feel good.”
DRIBBLERS: Darren Collison fouled out for the second time in the last three games. He had never fouled out in his UCLA career before this year’s tournament … Russell Westbrook scored a career-high 22 points … With 12 points, Kevin Love moved into UCLA’s all-time top 10 in season points (No. 9 with 681) … Westbrook totaled 36 minutes to set a school record for minutes played in a season with 1,318, which broke the previous record held by Arron Afflalo, who had 1,303 in 2006 … The 15-point loss was the largest of the Bruins’ season … UCLA’s winning streak was snapped at 14 … Memphis’ 43 rebounds were the second most given up by the Bruins behind Washington’s 44 from Feb. 10 … Former Memphis star and NBA player Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was in attendance and drew loud applause from Tigers fans … Memphis and Kansas fans dominated the crowds at the Alamodome, UCLA fans made up a smaller percentage, and North Carolina had the smallest fan contingent … UCLA coach Ben Howland got into a dispute with a member of the Alamodome staff over the placement of his water bottle.