Bruins ride the storm
As part of their evolution as a young basketball team, the UCLA players are starting to learn some incontrovertable truths.
The latest lesson to be learned? There is no perfect.
The Bruins defeated USC on Wednesday night, 64-50, but once again it was not without its peaks and valleys.
UCLA got off to a quick start, bolstered by frenetic energy and downright dogged hustle. The Bruins led by six points less than four minutes into the game and maintained around an eight point lead until the Trojans made their charge with 3 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first half.
USC center Alex Stephenson threw down a dunk to cut the Bruins' lead to four, and UCLA would score just one more basket, while letting the Trojans cut the lead to one, ultimately taking an early second-half lead.
But this is where it gets interesting, the Bruins slow and steady growth perhaps taking a leap.
UCLA recapped its energy, gradually taking the lead up to eight, nine, 10 and eventually 14 points.
"I don't think any team can play the perfect 40 minutes," said UCLA freshman center Joshua Smith. "A lot of the good teams, they ride the storms. They'll get an early lead, they'll hold their composure, and when the other team makes a small run, they kind of group together and say, 'Hey, they're on a 6-0 run, we're alright.' That's the teams like Duke and Ohio State - when their confident they just ride together.
No play typified the Bruins' charge like sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt's dunk and foul with 1:50 left in the game. UCLA had all but put the game away - though the Bruins have made even the surest of bets change in an instant - but Honeycutt got a pass from junior guard Malcolm Lee, went up strong and was fouled by Marcus Simmons.
He lay on the ground for about half a second before teammates Smith and sophomore forward Reeves Nelson sprinted to lend him a hand.
The Bruins felt the electricity in a shaking Pauley Pavilion, and kept pouncing.
"When we're on the road, we say we're all we got," Smith said. "At home, we have the crowd. You feed off that. He made a great play, and me and Reeves made the effort to help him up. He got fouled, and Reeves and I were like, 'If you make a play like that, you don't need to get up your own. We'll help you up.'"
UCLA hopes the win over USC can be the turning point from erratic yet successful - the Bruins moved to 15-7, 7-3 in conference play with the win - to mature and controlled.
"No game is going to be perfect; if it was perfect, there would be no turnovers and nobody would score," Honeycutt said. "It's about adjusting to it, running plays that are working, adjusting to the feeling."
Jon, I know this random, but this sounds like the headline for today's game. They are called the Red Storm afterall. I hope the wrap article tonight after beat Levin's team is something like, Bruins Continue To Ride The Storm. Just a thought.
Good article. Thanks!