ARE BRUINS THE BEST IN MEAC? NO. 16 UCLA 69, COPPIN STATE 57.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer If injuries and lackluster play hamper UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX once the Pacific-10 Conference The Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I. Membership Full members season starts and the Bruins quickly find themselves in jeopardy of missing the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
Maybe UCLA can grab the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference which consists of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern United States. automatic bid, or at least be placed in the postseason tournament title game. Before a sleepy crowd at half-empty Pauley Pavilion Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, informally and commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. The men's and women's volleyball teams also play here. , the 16th-ranked Bruins sleep-walked to a 69-57 win against winless Coppin State on Sunday, proving little else than players' fears of not getting excited for a much-inferior opponent. A quaint gathering of 6,044 mostly silent fans, including a quiet student section not close to being filled, saw the Bruins need 20 points from Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the Detroit Pistons. He recently completed a three-year career at University of California, Los Angeles in the Pacific Ten Conference of the NCAA as the starting shooting , 35 minutes from hurting guard Jordan Farmar Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American professional basketball player at starting point guard for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. He was previously the starting point guard for the UCLA men's basketball team. and an 11-2 run late in the second half to win. ``It's always tough when you know a team is 0-5, but again, that's no excuse,'' Afflalo said. ``You've got to come out and play hard, and I'm glad we came out and picked it up a little bit in the second half. It's college basketball College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. History
Earlier this season UCLA defeated fellow MEAC MEAC Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference MEAC Midwifery Education Accreditation Council MeAC Measuring Progress of eAccessibility in Europe MEAC Municipal Energy Authority Computer (from BOFH) member Delaware State by a misleading 19 points, pulling away late, but the lack of energy and synergy by the Bruins (6-1) suggested they are a long way from being ready to play No. 20 Nevada this weekend in the Wooden Classic. ``We can beat or lose to anybody on a given night,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said. ``It's all a matter of how you show up and your intensity level.'' But UCLA's slow start shouldn't be a surprise. Afflalo, who had 12 points in the second half, said before the game it was difficult to get excited to play the Coppin States and Delaware States of the world. And Bruins freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (born 9 September 1986 in Yaounde, Cameroon) is a 6' 8" Cameroonian basketball player who plays for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins in the Pacific Ten Conference of the NCAA. , who used his size, athleticism and effort to score 11 points and grab 10 rebounds, said last week he noticed a difference in his teammates' energy when playing lower-level Division I teams. ``(Changes) start at practice Tuesday,'' UCLA senior Cedric Bozeman said. ``From our very first drill we have to come with intensity, and we have to try and maintain that intensity throughout the whole practice. And that will simulate game situations.'' Even with an extreme talent disadvantage, Baltimore-based Coppin State (0-6) built a nine-point lead late in the first half, and was ahead 35-30 at the break as Tywain McKee (21 points) made jumpers and runners down the lane to lead the Eagles. Farmar, who was all but ruled out of the game by Howland on Thursday because of a sprained ankle, scored 16 points and had a career-high 10 assists. But the Eagles, who were picked to finish sixth in their league, showed why they are 1-27 against ranked teams, unable to contain Farmar's dribble penetration and outclassed out·class tr.v. out·classed, out·class·ing, out·class·es To surpass decisively, so as to appear of a higher class. Adj. 1. on the boards. UCLA held a 28-12 rebounding advantage and made 13 of 19 shots (68.4 percent) from the field in the second half. The Bruins have been saddled with injuries the first month of the season, which Farmar said has a little to do with the ragged play. ``I think it gets us out of sync a little bit, but that's no excuse for not playing with passion and intensity,'' Farmar said. ``It's hard to be on the same page and firing on all cylinders when you're not playing every day, but at the same time hustle takes no athletic ability, no talent or anything. It's all willpower.'' UCLA, which led 49-46 with nine minutes to play, used the decisive 11-2 run to put the game away. Bozeman (15 points) ignited the spurt with a basket and free throw, and Afflalo followed with a layup. Mbah a Moute's 3-pointer put the Bruins ahead 58-48 with 5:47 to play, and backup point guard Darren Collison scored on a layup to finish the run. ``There's definite concern because we play much better teams now and we're going to start going on the road soon,'' Afflalo said. ``If we come out like that, there won't be any coming back.'' Brian Dohn, (818) 713-3607 brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: UCLA's Cedric Bozeman, left, is pressured by Coppin State's West Otis in the second half Sunday. Edna T. Simpson/Daily News |
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