Bruins Looking to Rebound in Cal Rematch

The last time the UCLA Bruins saw California freshman Leon Powe, their season wasn’t yet a shambles.

He certainly sent them on their way.

Powe’s dogged rebounding and scoring down the stretch helped turn a four-point game into a 76-62 victory on Jan. 24 in Berkeley.

In retrospect, it was the real beginning of UCLA’s downfall.

Once 5-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, the Bruins had lost to Arizona and Stanford, which was no big surprise.

Then came Cal, and a game they might have won got away.

“It was a crucial game,” UCLA forward T.J. Cummings said, looking back.

The theme of UCLA’s most recent loss Saturday was turnovers, after the Bruins committed 28 against Arizona and lost by 24 points despite shooting a season-high 66%.

But one of the persistent problems has been rebounding -- the Bruins have won the battle of the boards only once in the last nine games. Not coincidentally, it was the only victory, over Washington.

Powe, the conference’s top rebounder at 9.6 a game, will test their ability to block out again.

“He’s tough,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. “He moves pretty well laterally. He really pursues the ball and he’s relentless like all great rebounders. He has a great nose for the ball and a great attitude about rebounding.

“One of the things I told Ryan Hollins in the game the other day was I asked him, ‘Ryan, how many rebounds do you have?’ He said, ‘I don’t know.’

“I told him, ‘I want you to always know, for the rest of your career, how many rebounds you have in every game.’

“I want our guys to actually keep track of it, be selfish, because there’s no such thing as selfish rebounding.”

Powe has established himself as the best freshman in the Pac-10 by leading the league in double-doubles with 11, and his 15.3-point scoring average is eighth in the league.

“He’s so strong,” Howland said. “He took us off the dribble, he knocked us under the basket on rebounds and got second shots, and he stepped back and hit a jump shot, too.”

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With a realistic shot at finishing third or conceivably even second in the Pac-10, Cal might seem like a candidate for an at-large NCAA tournament berth.

But with an 11-10 record overall and an RPI ranking of No. 70, the Bears have a lot of work to do. They probably would need to finish very strong and have an impressive Pac-10 tournament as well.

“I don’t know what it will take,” Coach Ben Braun said. “I don’t know if there is a formula for that. Finishing strong is something our team has to focus on.”

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UCLA guard Brian Morrison has failed to give the Bruins the offensive lift they hoped for after his recovery from hamstring and ankle injuries. After scoring 28 points against UC Riverside on Dec. 3, he has averaged less than four points a game since returning.

Although Morrison still appears to be hampered slightly, Howland believes the problem is more than simply physical, saying the missed time led Morrison to resume bad habits such as jumping into the air to pass and not taking good shots.

“He’s lost a lot of that important learning and relearning and repetition in terms of fundamentals,” Howland said.

“He’s had a tough go.”

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TONIGHT

vs. California, 7:30, Fox Sports Net 2

Site -- Pauley Pavilion.

Radio -- XTRA 690/1150.

Records -- UCLA 10-11, 6-7 in Pacific 10; Cal 11-10, 7-5.

Update -- The Bruins have lost eight of their last nine games. Cal is going in the opposite direction, with five victories in seven games despite a loss to Stanford in the Bears’ most recent game on Saturday.