Strong defense by UCLA men’s basketball smothers Cal in 73-54 victory
Sophomore guard Bryce Alford continued to struggle offensively, missing his first seven shots, but he contributed to UCLA’s victory over Cal with nine assists and six rebounds. (Daniel Alcazar/Daily Bruin)
By Jordan Lee
Jan. 12, 2015 12:59 a.m.
In Thursday’s victory over Stanford, UCLA utilized a suffocating defensive effort over the final 10 minutes of regulation to send the game into the first of two overtimes.
The Bruins didn’t wait quite as long on Sunday.
UCLA put together a stifling defensive performance, and all five starters reached double digits in scoring to claim the Bruins’ second Pac-12 win with a 73-54 victory over Cal.
UCLA (10-7, 2-2) was sharp and effective defensively, as Cal (11-6, 1-3) did not attempt a single free throw over the first 20 minutes and committed 16 turnovers.
Limping against Stanford and battling a bruised hip against Cal, Norman Powell put up a strong performance on Sunday. His 10 first-half points helped UCLA to a five-point halftime lead while the senior guard totaled four steals and contributed to a number of others.
Cal, like Stanford, consistently struggled with UCLA’s three-quarter press. The Bruins’ length and athleticism gave the Golden Bears a handful of problems as they struggled to initiate their offense.
“It’s been really great and working for us,” Powell said of the defensive set. “We are long, especially with (freshman forward) Kevon (Looney), who has a 7-plus wingspan. It helps when pressing, because after the team passes half-court, they only have 20 seconds to get into their offense.”
The Bruins wasted no time getting into their offense in the second half, feeding the post early and often. Junior forward/center Tony Parker netted six of the team’s eight points to start the half as the Bruins attacked inside and kept the Golden Bears off the board for the first 4:45 in extending their lead to 39-26.
After struggling to work the ball inside during the team’s five-game losing streak, Parker said the coaching staff made it a point of emphasis to get the ball inside during the home stand.
The strategy paid off against Cal, as UCLA dominated on the offensive boards, hauling in 15 offensive rebounds while netting 22 second-chance points. Working inside also paid dividends to the Bruins’ guard play, as UCLA’s shooters saw more open looks in the second half.
“It’s probably our biggest strength when we can go inside and get inside-out game going,” said sophomore guard Bryce Alford, who hit three of his five shots from beyond the arc. “That’s when we are playing our best, and that’s when we are scoring the most. We have to continue to pound it inside and get those guys early touches (going forward).”
Though Alford struggled from the field – he missed his first seven shots – the sophomore compensated by adding six rebounds and nine assists. His counterpart, Cal guard Tyrone Wallace, struggled, and so did the Golden Bear offense as a result.
Wallace entered the contest averaging 19.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists but left Pauley Pavilion with a line of just four points, five rebounds and just as many assists – three – as turnovers.
Powell, who guarded Wallace for much of the contest, said that he noticed that the Golden Bears’ leading scorer favored his right hand on drives and did his best to stay in front of the potent scorer.
It worked, as those four points marked the first time this season Wallace was held below double digits in scoring.
“I thought a big key was Norman and the job he did on Wallace,” said coach Steve Alford. “That’s probably the low game for Wallace the entire year so I thought that was a tremendous key for our defense.”
In frustrating Cal’s point man, the Bruins shut down the rest of the Golden Bears, with guard Jordan Mathews’ game-high 23 points proving the lone exception. Cal never found a rhythm on Sunday, while UCLA may have found a formula.
Parker and Looney again made a difference, as the pair combined for 28 points and 15 rebounds on 13-23 shooting, while the team’s overall length and size consistently troubled the Golden Bears.
Now, following a five-game losing streak in which UCLA appeared to be falling apart, some of the pieces are finally falling into place.
And while the ship may not be completely righted just yet, it certainly isn’t sinking.
Whether or not that can hold as UCLA enters into a three-game road swing remains to be seen.
“It’s not going to be easy – we have to go on the road for three straight,” Steve Alford said. “If we do it, we’ll get this thing tilted back the right way.”
