With UCLA struggling to score against Washington State’s blistering first-half defense, the Bruins desperately needed some inside scoring to open things up.
The Cameroon Crazies answered the bell. Sophomore forwards Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Alfred Aboya scored 16 of the Bruins’ first 27 points after halftime, sparking what was an efficient Bruin offense for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Mbah a Moute scored all 10 of his points in the second half and Aboya scored six of his eight points in the second half as UCLA made a point to work the ball inside.
“We’ve put an emphasis on going inside for the past two weeks,” Aboya said. “It was good today that it worked.”
With Washington State overplaying the perimeter to prevent junior guard Arron Afflalo from getting any more points, sophomore guard Darren Collison was able to read the Cougar defense and hit both Aboya and Mbah a Moute for easy baskets inside. Collison finished the game with eight assists.
Aboya also had a couple of nifty hook shots in single coverage while Mbah a Moute made the most of his one-on-one opportunities for the second consecutive game, beating the Washington State post players on drives to the hoop.
“(Aboya and Mbah a Moute) were great,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “We did a good job of getting the ball inside of them and they did a great job running the floor and just battling. Our toughness is probably the best thing about this team.”
The Bruin post players not only left their mark on offense, but also were key to stopping the Cougars’ dribble-drives to the hoop and didn’t allow very many second-chance buckets.
But UCLA’s exposure of Washington State’s defense was a huge key. In the 10-minute stretch to open the second half (UCLA’s only effective stretch on offense in the game), nearly all UCLA’s baskets came inside. That was something the Bruins desperately needed considering the fact that they shot only 2-13 from 3-point range.
“(UCLA) is a very physical team,” said Washington State sophomore forward/center Aron Baynes. “We have a breakdown on defense inside, they will take advantage.”
TEAM DEFENSE: While the offensive attack was inconsistent at times for the Bruins, the defense was solid all the way through.
Although the Cougars shot 50 percent in the first half, UCLA forced 10 turnovers before halftime, quite a high number for a team that uses the whole shot clock on every possession.
In the second half, the Bruins got it done the old-fashioned way, stopping the Cougars from getting any easy looks. They limited Washington State to 28.6 percent from the field in the second half, making the Cougars work for every basket.
Particularly impressive was UCLA’s defense on the perimeter. Washington State had not gone a game this season without hitting at least three 3-pointers and has relied on the perimeter shot to win many close games. UCLA held them to just one converted 3-point basket on 10 attempts.
WASHINGTON NEXT: UCLA may have dominated Washington in the first game of the season, but the Huskies are an entirely different team at home. They are 1-10 on the road this season (1-8 Pac-10). After defeating USC on Thursday, Washington ran its home record to 16-2 and is now 6-2 in conference play at home.
“This is a tough road trip,” Howland said. “(Washington State and Washington) are two very talented teams.”
UCLA faces the Huskies at 11 a.m. Saturday.