PULLMAN, Wash.-“”mdash;Had UCLA’s Jordan Farmar done what he intended as the final seconds of regulation ticked off the clock Thursday night, senior Dijon Thompson would never have had the chance to bury the game-tying shot. The precocious young freshman had every intention of rubbing his defender off a Ryan Hollins’ screen and freeing himself for […]
Author Archives: Jeff Eisenberg
M. basketball: Bruins see season at crucial crossroad
To fully appreciate the significance of UCLA’s come-from-behind victory this past Saturday against crosstown rival USC, it’s important to understand what it means to the Bruins themselves. “A season-saving win,” junior Michael Fey called it on Tuesday. And then he caught himself. “As long as we build on it both games this weekend,” he added. […]
Basketball: First-half problems must be solved
It’s a disturbing trend, one that UCLA knows cannot continue if it hopes to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth this month. Yet, though the Bruins realize they cannot afford to spot their opponent a big first-half lead each week, they are at a loss explaining as to why they have trailed by […]
M. track: Senior pole vaulter takes first place at Husky Invite
A notoriously slow starter in the past, UCLA’s Yoo Kim is out of the blocks quickly this season. The senior pole vaulter cleared the bar at 18 feet, 1 inch in his second meet of the indoor season to take first place at the Husky Invitational in Seattle on Saturday. The performance was an indoor […]
W. track: Injury grounds top pole vaulter for several weeks
Chelsea Johnson, the defending outdoor national champion in the pole vault, strained a hamstring in practice this past week and will not compete for the next several weeks. The junior hopes to return on Feb. 25 for the MPSF Indoor Championships in Seattle. It is UCLA’s final indoor meet before the NCAA Indoor Championships, so […]
M. basketball: Howland motivates team to fight back at halftime
The scene inside the UCLA locker room was bleak when coach Ben Howland strode through the door at halftime Saturday. The Bruins trailed crosstown rival USC by 18 points. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. “It was like somebody died,” senior Dijon Thompson said. Howland broke the silence. Instead of diagramming plays on a chalkboard or launching […]
M. hoops: Thompson key to rivalry game
Instead of fanning the flames of the crosstown rivalry like he did a year ago, UCLA’s Dijon Thompson did his best to snuff out the hype. A pack of reporters peppered the senior forward Tuesday with questions about Saturday’s match-up with USC, but Thompson wouldn’t divulge much. “It’s just another game to me,” he said. […]