Parker, Bruins seek home win in final game before Pac-12 tournament
Senior forward/center Tony Parker, who scored UCLA’s first nine points Wednesday against Oregon, will play his final collegiate home game on Saturday. (Hannah Ye/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Men’s basketball
Oregon State
Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Pauley Pavilion
Pac-12 Networks
By Claire Fahy
March 4, 2016 12:24 a.m.
Tony Parker isn’t done yet.
That’s what the senior forward/center appeared to be saying when he scored nine straight points to open UCLA men’s basketball’s 76-68 loss to No. 9 Oregon Wednesday.
Saturday’s Oregon State matchup is Senior Night, with 40 final minutes in Pauley Pavilion for Parker to leave his mark.
“We’ve got to pull together somehow. We’ve got to get wins,” Parker said. “I mean, it’s like a broken record, us saying we’re trying to get wins … It’s now or never.”
The team’s sole senior transitioned to coming off the bench for the Bruins after their first loss to the Ducks this season on Jan. 23. After two months of sticking with a big-big lineup, coach Steve Alford chose to make Parker a sixth man in favor of starting sophomore guard/forward Jonah Bolden.
Just under one month after that decision – Alford’s first major lineup change not dictated by injury or ineligibility – sophomore center Thomas Welsh was replaced by Parker in the starting lineup as UCLA found itself in need of a spark. A spark is exactly what Parker provided Wednesday, although it wasn’t quite enough to start a fire.
The season finale against Oregon State (17-11, 8-9 Pac-12) will have little bearing on UCLA’s (15-15, 6-11) postseason picture, but could set up momentum to carry the Bruins into the Pac-12 tournament where a powerful performance is the only thing left that could earn UCLA a ticket to the NCAA tournament.
“(We’ve got to) continue to come out and stay in the gym,” Parker said. “That’s one of the biggest things in getting over humps – you’ve just got to get back to the basics.”
For Parker, his last home game is also a matter of pride. The senior described Wednesday as the bitter taste in his mouth following every loss – a taste he’s known far too often this season.
With contributing reports from Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff. Email Fahy at [email protected] and Joye at [email protected], tweet them @clairemfahy and @mattjoye.
