TEMPE, Ariz. “”mdash; Coach Ben Howland was more than happy to have his starting point guard back.
Sophomore Darren Collison provided the Bruins with the energy they needed in a sluggish second half yet again with pivotal 3-point baskets which helped bring his team back into the game after falling behind by a 10-point deficit.
“If Darren doesn’t play today, it’s a long day for us,” Howland said. “He hit some really big 3s for us.”
Collison returned to the Bruins’ lineup against Arizona State after sitting out against West Virginia due to an injured left shoulder, but at the onset of the back-and-forth first-half battle, the sophomore struggled offensively.
He went scoreless in the first 15 minutes before scoring seven points in the last five minutes of the half.
It was his second-half scoring, however, that made the biggest difference for a UCLA squad that was struggling to hit field goals.
Collison scored 11 straight Bruin points in the second half, starting when UCLA was down 49-43 and ending once his team regained the lead 54-51.
“Other guys became a part of this game very fast and that’s the reason we won ““ in particular Darren,” junior Arron Afflalo said.
As the game progressed, Collison was able to attack the basket more often and more effectively while ignoring any and all pain in his shoulder.
While penetrating the lane, Collison drew much of the Sun Devil defense and was able to find his teammates for open outside jumpers by doing so.
Collison pointed to Josh Shipp’s dunk after an offensive rebound on a free-throw miss as the play that provided the Bruins with a spark.
But there is still a bitter taste in his mouth ““ one he doesn’t want to have to swallow again anytime soon.
“I don’t want to lose at all,” he said. “I’m tired of losing.”
INJURY UPDATE: During the second half of Thursday night’s game, sophomore Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was poked in the eye unintentionally and his eye was noticeably swollen throughout the remainder of the game.
Though Mbah a Moute struggled to score, he once again provided his team with rebounds and what his teammates deem as essential ““ the little things that don’t appear in the box score.
“He took a shot in the eye today, so he competed through blurred vision,” Afflalo said. “He continued to play well and defend and do all the little things that we need of him.”
After the game, it was found that there were no scratches or abrasions to his eye, just swelling from the cut underneath.
Mbah a Moute will ice his eye and take medication in an attempt to have him ready for the Bruins’ next game of the road trip.
UP NEXT: UCLA will now head to Tucson, Ariz., where they will take on No. 19 Arizona at the McKale Center. After the conclusion of Thursday night’s game, the Bruins had very little time to rest: They will be having a walk-through practice at 11 a.m. today.
“It’s a different atmosphere over there, but we’re going to get the same effort from Arizona that we did from Arizona State,” Collison said. “We’re ready for a battle on Saturday.”
In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Bruins won 73-69 by successfully penetrating the Wildcats’ zone defense.
Afflalo was also able to successfully hold down Wildcat Marcus Williams, who was then the Pac-10’s leading scorer, allowing just 11 points.