PERFECT NIGHTMARE OREGON ENDS UCLA'S DREAM OF UNDEFEATED '06-'07 SEASON NO. 16 OREGON 68, NO. 1 UCLA 66.Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer EUGENE, Ore. -- 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 junior guard 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 used the words angry, hurt and pained in discussing Saturday's 68-66 last-minute loss at No. 16 Oregon, but the tear running down his right cheek told how deeply he felt the defeat. The top-ranked Bruins kept saying the right things about the difficulty level of going undefeated, but for the first time, they admitted it was on their minds. But it will be an unfulfilled goal after Aaron Brooks' baseline jumper with 13.4 seconds left gave the Ducks the lead, and Josh Shipp's off-balance desperation 3-pointer missed at the buzzer to send the Oregon students piling onto McArthur Court McArthur Court is a basketball arena located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. Also known as "The Pit," it is known as one of the toughest arenas in the country for opposing players to play in. The arena is named for Clifton N. . ``I'm young, but I understand history,'' Afflalo said. ``You always want to do something special. I feel that's been stolen.'' UCLA's loss leaves Clemson as the nation's lone unbeaten team. ``Like I told the team, I don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. about the No. 1 ranking,'' Bruins coach Ben Howland Ben Howland (born May 28, 1957 in Lebanon, Oregon) is an American college head coach of men's basketball. He has been the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles since 2003, and recently signed a contract extension through 2013. said. ``What I'm disappointed in is that we lost a conference game. We're 3-1 in the Pac-10 now, and it's about winning the Pac-10. No. 1 is decided at the end of the season, in April.'' UCLA (14-1) was led in scoring by Shipp and Afflalo, who each had 14 points, with all of Afflalo's points coming in the second half. ``I never want to feel like this again in my entire career here,'' Afflalo said. ``I truly thought this team couldn't be beat. Not from a negative standpoint, but the way we play, the type of heart we usually play with, the leadership we have on this team. I didn't think we could be beat. ``This is probably my worst loss ever.'' Afflalo, who stuck by his words even after being reminded the Bruins lost in the national title game last season, said his careening The careening of a sailing vessel is laying her up on a calm beach at high tide in order to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance below the water line when the tide goes out. emotions were based largely on the final seconds. UCLA rallied from a 64-55 deficit with four minutes remaining to tie the score at 66-66 on Darren Collison's 3-pointer with 46.8 seconds left. Brooks, who scored a game-high 25 points, then beat Collison on the right wing and made a wide open 12-foot jumper. ``I wanted to wait so we could get the last possession,'' Brooks said. ``They left me open, so I had to shoot it. You can't draw up a better play than that.'' Oregon called a quick timeout to set up its defense, which also gave Howland, who was out of timeouts, a chance to diagram a last play. Howland said he made the decision to go for a 3-pointer, mostly because starters 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. and Collison each had four fouls, so overtime was unappealing. ``The last play of the game was really my fault because I wanted to go for a win,'' Howland said. ``I thought we would be able to penetrate and kick it back out for a three, and it wasn't there. We really were tentative. We did not get a good shot the last play of the game.'' Collison drove into the lane and looked to pass to Afflalo. With Afflalo covered, Collison shifted the ball to Shipp on the left side. Shipp's pump-fake got Oregon defender Maarty Leunen Maarty Leunen (born September 3, 1985 in Vancouver, Washington) is an American college basketball player. A 6'9", 215 pound forward at the University of Oregon, he is a key reason why the Oregon Ducks reached the Elite 8 in the 2007 NCAA Division I tournament. slightly out of position, but not enough time remained for Shipp to make a move to the basket. Instead, Shipp hoisted an off-balance shot that never had a chance of going in. ``That's a mistake I'll never make again,'' Afflalo said. ``I don't care how bad or good I've been playing. I'm going to find a way to get that ball at the end. -- It's my duty to get that ball in the last second. Despite that, I trust my teammates.'' It was the first time since Feb. 22, 1979, UCLA lost a road game as the nation's top-ranked team, and it likely will end the Bruins' current run atop the polls at six weeks. It also marked Oregon's first defeat of a No. 1 team since Feb. 16, 1974, when it also defeated the Bruins. The Ducks (14-1, 2-1 Pac-10) are 3-22 against top-ranked teams, and each those wins has come against UCLA. ``UCLA beat us four times since I've been here,'' Leunen, a junior, said. ``This is a big game for us.'' The Bruins needed to rally from a big deficit late because of uncharacteristic un·char·ac·ter·is·tic adj. Unusual or atypical: an uncharacteristic display of anger. un play for the first 36 minutes. Oregon's guard-oriented lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. obliterated o·blit·er·ate tr.v. o·blit·er·at·ed, o·blit·er·at·ing, o·blit·er·ates 1. To do away with completely so as to leave no trace. See Synonyms at abolish. 2. the Bruins defense in the first half, using dribble penetration to get easy baskets en route to shooting 70 percent to take a 40-30 halftime lead. If Brooks wasn't scoring, Leunen (18 points) was benefiting from kick-out passes as he made open shots, and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. When the Bruins made several runs in the second half, carelessness Carelessness See also Forgetfulness, Irresponsibility, Laziness. Grasshopper sings through summer, overlooking winter preparations. [Gk. Lit. with the basketball cost them crucial possessions. Collison finished with four turnovers, including a few ill-advised passes, and Shipp tried an ill-fated ally-oop to center Lorenzo Mata in transition when the Bruins trailed 64-61 with 2:06 to play. ``I kind of got caught in the emotion of the game,'' Shipp said. ``I shouldn't have done that. I definitely think we forced a lot of stuff this game, but hats off to them. They played a great game and forced us into making bad decisions.'' brian.dohn@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) 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. and the rest of the UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I-A as part of the Pacific Ten Conference. Athletic alumni Jackie Robinson, Rafer Johnson, Yang Chuan-kwang (C.K. saw their hopes for an undefeated season end Saturday in Oregon. (2) Oregon's Maarty Leunen, left, and UCLA's Arron Afflalo dive for a loose ball during the second half Saturday. Don Ryan/Associated Press |
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