The feel-good moments UCLA experienced in the first six weeks of the season and the optimism bred from an unexpectedly strong start in the Pacific-10 Conference are long gone.
They have been yanked away along with the multitude of offensive rebounds the Bruins' opponents are getting, lost like the UCLA defense at critical junctures when a stop is needed.
In what Bruins coach Ben Howland called the "biggest game of the year," UCLA stood by helplessly Saturday as California dominated the boards late in the second half -- Cal grabbed seven offensive rebounds in the final 6 minutes, 39 seconds. And the Bruins were sent crashing to their third consecutive loss, 76-62 at Haas Pavilion.
Atop the Pac-10 standings and joining Stanford as one of two undefeated teams in the conference a week ago, UCLA (9-6, 5-3) now finds itself lumped with a handful of other teams, lost in the middle of the standings rather than creating separation as one of the top three or four teams.
"It's very frustrating," Bruins freshman Trevor Ariza said. "I just can't wait until we get to the practice and do a whole lot to work on it. If it's one of those things where I have to stay back and not go in transition, that's what I'll do."
Cal forward Leon Powe had 19 points and 14 rebounds and the Bears (8-8, 4-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season.
"He took over the game just by going to the glass," Howland said of the freshman. "He just was strong, aggressive and tough. He wanted it more. We missed some key blockouts."
UCLA and Cal each had 38 rebounds, with 11 at the offensive end, but it was the timing and what the Bears did with theirs late in the second half that made the difference. Of course, this was different than the past two games, when the Bruins were shoved around by national powers Arizona and Stanford. This, after all, was sub-.500 Cal.
"I guess we just want the ball when it goes up and we're not thinking about boxing out," Ariza said. "If we want to win, that's what we're going to have to do. Guys are just going for the ball."
UCLA's meltdown began with 6:39 to play and Cal protecting a 55-52 lead. Instead of UCLA making a strong defensive stop and getting a chance to cut further into the deficit, Cal's Dominic McGuire got an offensive rebound, which suddenly became fashionable. Within a minute, Powe grabbed three offensive rebounds and scored twice to pad the lead to 59-52 and cut the soul out of a Bruins' team that had rallied from an early 12-point deficit to take a one-point lead at the half.
"Nobody was boxing out," UCLA forward Josiah Johnson said. "I think (rebounding) is 90 percent effort. It's hard work. I think it's also bounces."
More infuriating to Howland and frustrating for the Bruins was Cal's ability to get four offensive rebounds off missed free throws, three of which went to Powe.
"The easiest blockout you can have is when you're inside on a free-throw situation because you know they're trying to push you," Howland said. "You know where he is exactly, and that was disappointing."
Powe said his success came from knowing exactly how UCLA was trying to keep him away from the basket.
"They were leaning on us hard, and when they do that you can spin off and go to the glass," Powe said. "After the first half, we all made it a point to go for offensive rebounds, and we knew we could get them on the offensive glass."
Not only was Cal beating them to rebounds for easy chances, but the Bruins also couldn't find an offensive rhythm to remain within striking distance.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take