Bruins face the Thunder in their final preview
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 18, 1997 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 19, 1997
Bruins face the Thunder in their final preview
M. BASKETBALL:
Team’s lineup will once again rely on freshman playersBy
Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The No. 7 UCLA men’s basketball team plays its final exhibition
game of the season tonight at Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins will tip off against NBC Thunder, a Spokane,
Wash.-based team comprised of former collegiate standouts. Westwood
is the Thunder’s last stop for its 13-game U.S. tour.
"We’re at a point now where everything is being evaluated," head
coach Steve Lavin said. "Across the board, we just hope we make
progress as a team."
At press time, the Thunder was on a four-game win streak. Among
those that have fallen to the touring team include former UCLA
coach Jim Harrick’s new team. The Thunder defeated No. 20 Rhode
Island, 83-59, on Friday.
The Bruins will not be the Thunder’s first Pac-10 opponent. On
Nov. 5, Washington State beat the Thunder, 77-71.
Despite the fact that senior swingman Kris Johnson was partially
reinstated on Monday after a six-week suspension, Johnson will not
see action in tonight’s game. Thus, UCLA’s lineup will again rely
heavily on the freshmen.
The freshmen had a good outing in the Bruins’ last exhibition
game. Though the team-leading scorer for the Bruins was senior J.R.
Henderson with 22 points, the freshmen lend a big hand in UCLA’s
92-80 victory over Silute of Lithuania.
In their first-ever college game and despite a slight case of
nerves, freshmen Baron Davis and Billy Knight put up impressive
numbers.
Davis had a team-high six assists and five steals to go along
with his 12 points. He was, however, limited to only 18 minutes of
playing time due to foul trouble.
"He was slapping and reaching, which is something young players
tend to do when they get aggressive," Lavin said.
Meanwhile, Knight displayed his shooting touch as he went 5 of 8
from beyond the three-point line on his way to scoring 17 points
for the Bruins.
NBC Thunder is UCLA’s last scrimmage before the start of its
regular season.
The Bruins will open up the 1997-1998 season against No. 4 North
Carolina at the Great Alaska Shootout over Thanksgiving weekend in
Anchorage.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Toby Bailey goes up for a basket over players of the Silute team
from Lithuania at last week’s game.
