Men’s basketball beats Oregon, 67-59, in Ducks’ second game at new Matthew Knight Arena
Sophomore forward Reeves Nelson loses the ball against Oregon’s sophomore forward E.J. Singler and junior forward Tyrone Nared.
By Matt Stevens
Jan. 15, 2011 7:02 p.m.
EUGENE, Ore. ““ UCLA proved to be a rude houseguest, handing Oregon its first loss ever at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday.
Of course, this was only the second game played at “Deep in the Woods,” but freshman center Josh Smith isn’t one to quibble about the finer details.
“We made history, I guess you could say,” Smith said.
Indeed, the Bruins found their way off Oregon’s (8-10, 1-5 Pac-10) eclectically colored court with a 67-59 win, and the team left the state with a critical road sweep.
“It’s huge,” coach Ben Howland said. “We were 1-2 (in conference) coming into this trip. … No one is going to have an easy time coming in here with the way Oregon plays ““ just the way they hustle, how scrappy they are.”
It took just about everything the Bruins had to beat the conference’s bottom feeder.
They shot the ball well from the perimeter and fought off a 10-0 run with an 11-2 run of their own to close the first half.
UCLA (11-6, 3-2 Pac-10) even got a career-high 15 points from junior guard Jerime Anderson off the bench and an 18-point offensive outburst from junior guard Malcolm Lee. Smith added another double-digit scoring night with 15 points, and junior guard Lazeric Jones chipped in 12 points while battling a finger injury.
Howland called Anderson the player of the game.
“He came in and really did a great job for us offensively settling us down and making passes and making plays,” Howland said. “He worked his butt off in the off season. … I’m so happy for him.”
UCLA needed Anderson to step up partially because sophomore forward Reeves Nelson was held scoreless for the first time in his career.
And according to Nelson, the Bruins needed big performances because “everything that could go against us pretty much went again us.”
Neither Nelson nor Smith was pleased with the tactics employed by Oregon sophomore forward E.J. Singler ““ brother of Duke forward Kyle Singler.
“They were just doing a lot of cheap shots, and if that’s what they have to resort to try to get me out of my game…” Nelson said, trailing off. “I really only retaliated one time, and they caught me on it, when Singler, who is probably the dirtiest of them all, did it. That’s on me. I have to learn to control (myself) all of the time, not just some of the time.”
Even without Nelson, who fouled out on a charge with 4:59 to go, the Bruins still held a considerable size advantage over the Ducks who played with four guards much of the game.
As a result, Smith gobbled up nine rebounds and several second-chance points to help the Bruins pull away down the stretch.
“Right now I have the mindset that nobody can stop me,” Smith said.
Anderson said that the Bruins need Smith to continue his productive ways and even do a little more.
“He hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he can do,” Anderson said.
Anderson was quick to credit his team for his strong performance. And while he said he was pleased with the road sweep, he also wasn’t surprised.
“It was what we came out here to do,” Anderson said.
Thoughts on “Matt Court”
Three days after “Matt Court’s” grand opening, players and coaches were still buzzing about the state-of-the-art facility.
No one was more impressed than Lee, who said that court felt intimate, a lot like a high school gym.
“It’s like, man, we weren’t expecting all this,” Lee said. “The underground tunnel ““ it’s just like a mini version of the Staples Center. I like this arena a lot.”
Angry Ducks
Three years after UCLA alum Kevin Love was treated maliciously by Oregon fans, the 11,089 that attended Saturday’s game were more subdued and respectful.
But there was still a sizable contingent of students in yellow who chanted “Josh Smith, the walking fat.”
Smith drew a technical foul for shouting “Let’s go!” at an Oregon player after drawing an “and-1″ to essentially seal the UCLA victory.
Nelson was not impressed by Oregon fan antics.
“They’re nothing special,” Nelson said. “Fans always make me laugh with the stuff they try and make up. It doesn’t occur to them that they have nothing better to do than insult people, and that just makes them look stupid to the players.”
Jones continues to progress
Jones again played with his right middle finger taped but poured in 12 points, hitting two critical runners late in the game.
The finger appeared to be swollen again after the game, but Jones wasn’t worried.
“Another win,” he said. “(So) it feels great.”
