ATLANTA “”mdash; The Bruins were down six.
Florida’s vaunted frontline of Chris Richard, Joakim Noah and Al Horford had combined for only six points.
Florida had zero offensive rebounds, and the Gators, who came in averaging 79.8 points per game, scored 29 first-half points.
Then the second half came.
“We had them going according to our game plan,” sophomore forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said. “We were playing good defense and kept them off the boards, but after halftime, we lost our focus for a little bit, and they just ran away with it.”
In the second half, with starters Mbah a Moute and junior center Lorenzo Mata in foul trouble, the Bruins’ inside game fell apart.
Freshman forward James Keefe and sophomore forward/center Alfred Aboya were relegated to guard the Gators’ big men and Florida outrebounded the Bruins 23-16 in the second half, including grabbing eight offensive rebounds.
That led to 16 Gator second-chance points and 14 second-half points from Gator senior center Richard.
The Bruins were outrebounded 43-26 for the game.
“Our inside game really killed us,” Aboya said. “That was the difference. We had a few chances to get stops, but they would get an offensive rebound and our momentum would be stopped.”
Much of the Bruins’ inability to block out in the second half could be attributed to the officiating during Saturday’s game.
Multiple times throughout the game, Mbah a Moute and Mata were called for loose-ball fouls while going for a rebound.
It eventually caught up to them.
“You’re supposed to be physical, but the refs we’re calling every little thing in the first half,” Mbah a Moute said. “It’s hard to get in a rhythm when you are in foul trouble, but we have to learn to play with it and stay in the game.”
More than anyone, it was Richard who was able to take advantage of the Bruins’ troubles inside.
Coming into the game averaging a mere 5.9 points per game, Richard was 7 for 7 from the field against the Bruins and had his second-highest scoring output of the season with 16 points.
“We just hit the boards hard on the offensive end,” Richard said. “(UCLA) did a good job as far as containing the post, but we got it going and kept it going.”
Saturday’s game may end up being a learning lesson for the Bruins’ big men. All season they have been able to match up with the best the opposition has to offer.
But against the Gators, they fell behind and failed to do the little things that coach Ben Howland’s teams have become famous for.
“Guys were trying to make plays, and people got out of position,” Mbah a Moute said. “We weren’t playing sound basketball, and they really took advantage.”
With National High School Player of the Year Kevin Love coming in to help the Bruins on the inside next year, it could prove to be the difference between defeat and victory the next time around.
“That will be our focus over the offseason: getting an inside presence,” Aboya said. “Opposing teams can focus solely on our perimeter players, and we need to help them out.”
BENCH PLAY: The Bruins’ bench players Aboya, sophomore guard/forward Michael Roll and Keefe combined for an astounding 60 minutes of play during Saturday’s game.
But much of their playing time went for naught, as Roll made one of his five shots for three points, and Aboya finished with five points and three rebounds.
Keefe was the Bruins’ leading rebounder with six rebounds but had many defensive lapses in the second half that hurt the Bruins significantly in the end.
DRIBBLERS: UCLA became the first team to lose back-to-back Final Four games to the same team since 1961-1962 when Ohio State lost to Cincinnati in consecutive years. The Bruins had a season-low three turnovers against the Gators. The Gators’ 76 points tied for the highest output an opposition has scored on the Bruins this season. Afflalo’s 87 3-pointers this season tied a UCLA season record.