Bruins Hope to Pick Up Pieces

How does a team pick itself up after collapsing?

That was the question facing UCLA in the wake of an embarrassing 74-62 overtime loss to Arizona State on Thursday. After leading by seven with 1:05 left in regulation, the Bruins were outscored, 22-3, and missed all 11 of their shots in overtime against the last-place team in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Not surprisingly, Coach Ben Howland said he didn’t get much sleep after watching video of the game on UCLA’s bus ride from Tempe to Tucson, where the Bruins will try to regroup for today’s game against 16th-ranked Arizona.

“To let one slip away like that, [it] really eats at you,” Howland said Friday.

“We’ve got to put it behind us. There’s nothing we can do to change [it]. Hopefully we’ll bounce back strong.”

If UCLA isn’t focused, today’s game could get ugly. Arizona handed the Bruins their worst loss of the season, 97-72, on Jan. 17 at Pauley Pavilion and is coming off a 97-70 pounding of USC on Thursday that ended a two-game losing streak.

The Wildcats lead the Pac-10 in scoring at 86.7 points a game -- UCLA is ninth at 65.9 -- and their athletic lineup is a big concern for Howland.

All of Arizona’s starters scored in double figures against USC, led by junior guard Salim Stoudamire with 22 points.

“They’re so good in transition,” Howland said. “They create a lot of havoc with their defense. And they’re very good at passing the ball. So what doesn’t concern me?”

Howland said fatigue probably was a factor in UCLA’s poor finish against Arizona State. The Bruins wilted on defense down the stretch, giving up two open three-point field goals in the last 36 seconds of regulation that helped tie the score, and they committed 23 turnovers, their second-highest total of the season.

“We had a number of turnovers that were self-inflicted,” Howland said, “but where we failed to play smart was defensively in the last minute and two seconds [of regulation].”

One of the blunders came after Dijon Thompson had made one of two free throws to give UCLA a 60-54 lead with 52 seconds left in regulation. The Bruins then left reserve guard Kevin Kruger alone in the corner and the son of former college and NBA coach Lon Kruger made a three-point basket to pull the Sun Devils within three.

“There was a breakdown on the play,” Howland said. “Instead of staying home [on defense], Dijon jumps up in the air to try and make a play on the ball. And they find his man wide open in the corner.”

Howland took the blame for center Ryan Hollins’ being in the game when he missed two free throws with UCLA leading, 60-57, with 35 seconds left. Hollins is a 56.7% free-throw shooter.

“That’s probably a coaching mistake,” Howland said. “When we went up six, we should have made that change. We were keeping him in for defense.”

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If there was a bright side to UCLA’s loss Thursday, it was the return of Brian Morrison.

The junior guard had sat out the previous two games because of a sprained ankle. He has played in only two conference games because of injuries. He’s still not 100%, but Morrison scored seven points in 17 minutes, including a three-point shot that gave UCLA its biggest lead, 43-29, with 12:34 left in the second half.

“We need him healthy,” Howland said. “You could see that he was rusty. He missed a big shot badly when we were down by two in overtime. But we need him to get back [to full strength].”

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TODAY

at No. 16 Arizona, noon PST, Fox Sports Net

Site -- McKale Center.

Radio -- XTRA (690/1150).

Records -- UCLA 10-10, 6-6 in Pacific 10; Arizona 15-6, 7-5.

Update -- The Bruins have lost seven of their last eight games overall and six in a row at McKale Center, last winning at Tucson in 1997.