Just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse for the No. 6 UCLA men’s basketball team in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s come-from-behind 75-65 victory against Oregon, sophomore guard Russell Westbrook missed a wide-open fast-break layup.
But the aftermath of the missed field goal was a cause of greater concern, as Westbrook clutched his lower leg and grimaced in pain on the floor after rolling his ankle on his way to the basket.
As he remained on the hardwood, pounding the ground with his hand, the crowd was silent ““ a far cry from what would happen just moments later.
Westbrook walked slowly to the bench with the help of team trainer Carrie Rubertino and student trainer Hany Rayan, but was quick to decline a spot on the bench, as he ran behind the baseline and began jogging slowly back and forth.
“I just wanted to play,” Westbrook said. “I just got up and walked it off.”
Knowing his team was trailing in an important conference game, Westbrook felt the need to get back into the game as soon as he could, and informed coach Ben Howland that he was good to go.
And just minutes after lying in pain on the floor, Westbrook put LeKendric Longmire down in the same spot on the court after rising up and dunking over the freshman Duck, and let out an emphatic, “Let’s go!” to get the crowd back into the game.
“I just tried to get us fired up and get it going,” Westbrook said. “I knew right then that I was all right and I could still play.”
As for what junior guard Darren Collison, who was trailing Westbrook, saw on the play, there wasn’t much of a surprise.
“What didn’t I see?” Collison said. “He does that everyday. That’s not new or anything. I think he’s one of the most athletic ““ if not the most athletic ““ players in the country.”
On a night when many Bruins had their struggles, Westbrook’s play stood out. He became more aggressive as his team fell behind, working to get UCLA back on top with a handful of impressive plays, many of which had Howland excited after the game.
“I’m just so happy for Russell, because he’s all about his team and his teammates and he’s such a great kid,” Howland said. “I’m sure he’ll love to have another YouTube highlight.”
The Bruins struggled throughout the first half with rebounding the ball, and the Ducks seemed to be scoring at will, starting the game with 9-for-12 shooting and getting several easy drives to the basket early in the possessions.
Eventually, UCLA was able to get back into the game and tie the score at 31 with just under a minute left in the half thanks to, fittingly, a Westbrook dunk.
But Oregon hit a 3-pointer with time winding down in the half to take a three-point lead into the break, and opened the second half with another field goal from beyond the arc to extend the lead to six points.
“They came out early, so we knew we had to buckle down and put out a great defensive effort in the second half,” junior guard Josh Shipp said.
Although they were slow to do so after falling behind by as many as 11 points, the Bruins recuperated and tallied an impressive 15 steals behind Westbrook’s five, and took advantage of the Ducks’ 19 turnovers.
“Oregon played very well today and very hard,” Howland said. “I was very proud with our comeback. We were able to rally and not lose our composure and fight back.”
During the comeback, the Bruins had a 19-4 run which featured several impressive defensive stops as well as offensive conversions. Westbrook made strong drives to the basket, and, on one play, found teammate Alfred Aboya for an alley-oop that brought the crowd back to its feet.
Both Westbrook and Collison played for most of the game, recording 37 and just under 40 minutes, respectively.
Both were acknowledged by Howland for their ability to play effectively without showing signs of fatigue, helping the Bruins build their lead over Stanford in the Pac-10 standings.
“I’m just as fresh (at the end of the game),” Westbrook said. “I give it all when I’m out there. If I’m not giving it 100 percent, I shouldn’t be out there. I think it’s just about sucking it up and being tough.”