BRUINS CUT IT CLOSE UCLA STRUGGLES EARLY IN VICTORY UCLA 82, BYU 69.Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer Before 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 went on its memorable - not to mention unexpected - run to the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association title game last season, there were the early-season close calls against powerhouses Wagner and Drexel. BYU BYU Brigham Young University BYU Bayou BYU Bob's Your Uncle BYU Bayreuth, Germany - Bindlacher Berg (Airport Code) BYU Beyond Your Understanding certainly appears to be a higher-quality opponent, but the Cougars offered a glimpse of how much work the Bruins need before serious consideration should be given to another magical March run. If not for the ultimate opportunist op·por·tun·ist n. One who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end, often with no regard for principles or consequences. op in 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. , it could have been very different. But the heady and talented sophomore power forward scored a career-high 24 points and had 11 rebounds as No. 6 UCLA overcome early sluggishness and beat the Cougars 82-69 in the season opener for both schools Wednesday at 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. . Mbah a Moute gave the Bruins an inside scoring presence, getting points in transition, off ball movement in the half court, by digging up loose balls and also getting to the foul line foul line n. 1. Baseball Either of two straight lines extending from the rear of home plate to the outer edge of the playing field and indicating the area in which a fair ball can be hit. 2. , where he was 10 for 13 as the Bruins won their season opener for the fourth straight season. Point guard Darren Collison Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American basketball player. The right-hander is a native of Rancho Cucamonga, California, and is currently playing his sophomore season for the University of California, Los Angeles. , who is running UCLA's offense now that Jordan Farmar is in the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= , had career-highs of 16 points and 10 assists. Junior Arron Afflalo had a tough shooting night, finishing 3 of 9 from the floor and scoring nine points. UCLA's defense was tough at times, but the Cougars did not help themselves with sloppy ballhandling. BYU committed 23 turnovers, but far too many were silly traveling calls without defenders nearby. BYU's Trent Plaisted, the reigning Mountain West Conference freshman of the year, found out how difficult it is to attack UCLA's collapsing double-team in the low post and scored seven points while dealing with foul trouble. Keena Young led BYU with 16 points. The Bruins trailed 41-36 early in the second half, but responded with 10 straight points (five by Mbah a Moute), highlighted by Mbah a Moute's dunk off a pass from Afflalo. UCLA seemed to be in control when Mike Roll's 3-pointer increased the Bruins' lead to 57-50 with 11:09 remaining, but the Cougars used a couple of quick baskets to pull within 59-58 less than three minutes later. Mbah a Moute helped seal the game when he scored to give UCLA a 71-62 lead in the closing minutes and then blocked Rashaun Broadus' jump shot before slapping the ball ahead to Collison for a game-clinching dunk. Defense is supposed to be a staple of coach Ben Howland's teams, but it wasn't the case in the first half. BYU committed 11 turnovers, but still took a 39-36 lead into intermission because of tremendous shooting, particularly from the perimeter. The Cougars, who trailed 10-2 early, used a barrage of 3-pointers to get back into the game, then led much of the half. brian.dohn@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: UCLA guard Darren Collison drives to the basket while being defended by BTU's Rashaun Broadus in the first half. Jeff Lewis/Associated Press |
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