WSU lead goes up in smoke, Bruin win 58-54
With Pac-10 leading scorer Klay Thompson suspended and reliable point guard Reggie Moore sidelined with an ankle injury, Washington State had no one to turn to at the end.
UCLA had Malcolm Lee.
Lee hit four free throws and Tyler Honeycutt and Jerime Anderson came up with crucial steals in the last minute of overtime as the Bruins came all the way back from a 15-point deficit to beat the Cougars, 58-54, at Beasley Coliseum.
A sluggish start seemingly doomed the Bruins, who couldn't hit anywhere on the barn, much less the broadside, for the entire first half. UCLA shot 7-of-25 in the first frame, 0-from-8 from 3-point range, and looked simply lethargic.
The Bruins mounted a slow and steady comeback, however, relying on the inside game of Joshua Smith and Reeves Nelson. Nelson had 23 points, Lee had 11 and Nelson and Honeycutt added 10 each.
More to follow shortly...
What an amazing comeback! This team has moxie! The victory should give the team a great positive attitude going into tournament action. Well done, guys!
jon, have you been practicing your kissing? you and ben have a big night coming up
i tip my hat to wazzu. they wanted this game more than we did and it was obvious from the get go. thanks to anderson and lee, we pulled this out. it seems these two are the only ones that show any heart. i guess nelson played a good game as well.
either way, i feel bad for those wazzu kids who played way over their heads, in an effort they should be proud of.
i just want to see more fight out of guys like honeycutt and smith. Just show us that same fight those wazzu guys did and do it every time you put on that uniform.
Any win especially on the road is a good win. I am concerned at the lethargic starts we have come out with against teams that we should dominate against including ASU and now WSU, because this will haunt us in the NCAA tournament. It all comes down to the mental game. Honestly I think CBH should end the Stover-starting-halves experiment because it has made us tentative to start the game especially inside.
UCLA showed great poise after going down 4 late in the game, and again at the end of OT, so this was a great learning experience. Kudos to Malcolm Lee for calmly sinking 6 straight free throws that were the difference between winning and losing. Also kudos to the entire team for the much improved second half defense. CBH is usually very good at making halftime adjustments and this game was no different.
Best headline yet. Zing.
Another reason for Hunnicut to stay for another season to work on his game.He will develop as soon as he learns to play under control.If everyone comes back this will be a really good team next year.
Up in smoke... I see what you did there.