Welcome to the dramatic world of UCLA basketball, where Cedric
Bozeman fouling out can prove disastrous, where free throws are
costly, and where, on Saturday night, even an 11-point lead with
two minutes left isn’t safe.
As UCLA coach Ben Howland put it so eloquently, “All these
close games are getting a little monotonous.”
UCLA did play well for certain stretches of the ball game,
building a 17-point lead at one point during the second half. The
Bruins properly exploited their distinct height advantage, crashed
the boards and center Michael Fey and forward T.J. Cummings made
high-percentage shots, giving UCLA a field goal percentage of 57 in
the first half.
But point guard Cedric Bozeman fouled out, picking up two fouls
in less than five seconds with six minutes left. That, combined
with Washington’s decision to use its quickness in fullcourt
pressure and traps, allowed the Huskies to quickly make up that
deficit.
For the Bruins, it was an instructional video on how not to run
a two-minute offense. Washington coach Lorenzo Romar originally
struggled somewhat with leaving 5-foot-8-inch point guard Nate
Robinson in the game with the 6-foot-6-inch Bozeman, but with the
6-foot-1-inch Ryan Walcott in for Bozeman, it was a much easier
decision. The added speed negated UCLA’s height
advantage.
Not that the Bruins helped their own cause. UCLA had a series of
pivotal mental mistakes that proved to be a recipe for
disaster:
1. Layups and fouls on layups. Over that final two-minute
stretch, the Huskies picked up layup after layup simply by driving
down the middle. There was no help defensively on the inside, and
as Romar told the Seattle Times, “We spread the floor
thinking we could go by them, which we did.”
The layups might not have been so bad, but UCLA’s position
degraded when layups that were made were turned into three-point
plays. It allowed the Huskies to rest and prepare for their next
fullcourt pressure, and even more importantly, stopped the
clock.
2. Lack of execution. Note to Ryan Walcott: going for a layup
surrounded by three Washington Huskies is not a high-percentage
shot. Going into the post with either Fey or Cummings is. For
whatever reason, once UCLA got past the trapping and the fullcourt
pressure, the Bruins forgot that the Huskies’ tallest player
was 6-foot-8-inches, playing right into Washington’s hands.
Meanwhile, the 6-foot-9-inch Cummings and the 7-foot Fey never even
touched the ball.
3. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. This was what really killed
UCLA. Lazy passes and too much dribbling prevented the Bruins from
running out the clock and allowed the Huskies to get easy fast
break baskets.
Ryan Walcott was trying to dribble in between two defenders.
Dijon Thompson dribbled around the floor with no purpose and ended
up throwing the ball away. Trevor Ariza, whose contribution was
crucial in this game, still made things difficult by telegraphing
his passes. UCLA had a season-high 24 turnovers, nine by Ariza, and
Washington came up with 13 steals overall.
There are potentially many reasons why UCLA lost its focus down
the stretch. Maybe it was the fatigue factor ““ UCLA had to
take a bus ride from Spokane to Seattle after weather problems
canceled their flight. Or maybe it was the referees, as Dijon
Thompson believed. Or maybe it was the lack of ball handlers, once
Bozeman fouled out and fellow guard Brian Morrison was sidelined by
injury.
But when it happens game after game, it’s something else.
UCLA similarly allowed Oregon to eat up a 22-point lead and had to
hold on against an overmatched Washington State.
It’s what sports analysts like to call, “lacking the
killer instinct.” Maybe somewhere down the line, Howland will
get his point across, that playing with fire means, eventually,
you’ll get burned. UCLA got away with one on Saturday, but
next time, the Bruins might not be so lucky.
E-mail Bruce at btran@media.ucla.edu.