PULLMAN, Wash. “”mdash; Thursday’s game was billed to be No. 13 Washington State’s biggest home game in over a decade.
Too bad the Bruins weren’t great guests.
In front of 11,000 loud screaming fans, half of them students, and one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, the No. 2 Bruins pulled out a 53-45 victory over the Cougars at sold-out Friel Court on Thursday.
“This was a great victory for our team, a gut check,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “Tonight was a great college basketball environment and our team played mentally tough.”
The victory clinches the Pac-10 title for the Bruins (26-3, 15-2 Pac-10) and gives them a decided advantage in securing a possible No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
All week, the Bruins had made it clear they did not want just half a share of the Pac-10 title.
“It was important for our team to take that step forward,” junior Arron Afflalo said of a second consecutive Pac-10 title. “We want to take that step towards establishing UCLA as one of the top teams in the nation.”
Thursday’s game was crucial in that it established the Bruins not only as the leader of the Pac-10, but as a team capable of winning tough games on the road.
Coming into Thursday’s game, the Bruins were only 5-3 in true road games and needed to prove themselves against one of the best in the Pac-10.
“Our chemistry is improving as a team,” point guard Darren Collison said. “Last year, we had the maturity to win on the road, and our team is only starting to develop that now.
“A road victory against a team like Washington State is a big boost for us.”
With the way the Bruins came out in the second half on Thursday, things bode very well for the future.
The Bruins started off on a blazing 9-0 run during the first four minutes that turned a 23-22 halftime deficit into a 31-23 lead, and gained valuable contribution from inside players Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Alfred Aboya.
Both players combined for 16 second-half points as the Bruins made a concerted effort to get the ball inside.
“They were really over-playing our guards, and Darren did a great job of getting the ball inside to them,” Howland said. “I am really proud of the way our inside guys played.”
During the second half, the Bruins were also able to contain the Cougars’ two leading scorers, Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low.
The Cougars only shot 28.6 percent from the field in the second half, and Low finished with a season-low two points.
“Our defense was the key,” Howland said. “We shoot 56 percent in the second half, they shoot 28 percent, and that is the game.”
Despite the Cougars’ subpar shooting in the second half, it was still a close game with about three minutes left.
After building a 47-37 lead, the Bruins went cold for about six minutes in the second half and the lead was 49-45 with 2:40 left.
“We had some lapses, but Washington State’s defense definitely had a lot to do with it,” Afflalo said. “It’s something that we definitely (have) to improve on going forward.”
In the end, however, it was the play of Afflalo, Shipp and Collison that sealed the game for the Bruins.
Afflalo led the Bruins with 14 points on 5-11 shooting while Collison had seven points and eight assists.
Shipp, who had 12 points, knocked down the last four free throws of the game to provide the final margin of victory.
“They are our leaders,” Howland said. “They were the nucleus of our team last year, and they know how to play in the big games.”
DRIBBLERS: With No. 23 USC losing to Washington on Thursday, Washington State can still clinch the No. 2 seed in the Pac-10 Tournament by defeating the Trojans on Saturday.
The Bruins are now 6-2 in games in which they have trailed at the half.
UCLA has now won 14 straight road games at Washington State, including 12 in a row at Pullman, Wash.
Thursday’s attendance of 11,618 was tied for the Cougar’s largest attendance at home this season.
Afflalo said the crowd was “completely different than my first two years. It’s great to see the stands filled here, and it’s great for the Pac-10. Washington State is clearly moving in the right direction.”