Bruins Go Down, but They Don’t Go Quietly

The latest UCLA meltdown wasn’t only for public viewing, going internal this time in a three-minute postgame locker room tirade from a senior tri-captain who spoke of time running out. He might not have meant only on his career.

The Oregon Ducks torched the Bruins in the second half en route to an easy 73-58 victory Saturday night before 9,087 at McArthur Court, then Sean Farnham took on what remained of his charred teammates with a screaming monologue, proving that at least some passion still existed after the latest UCLA collapse.

Maybe even some fight, though you wouldn’t have known it from the final 24 minutes of the game. The locker room door opened just in time for reporters standing outside to see what appeared to be Farnham and sophomore Matt Barnes having to be separated, followed by the obligatory denials, or non-denial denials.

“We’re fine,” Farnham said.

Said Barnes, not even stopping to speak to a reporter: “I don’t really feel like talking today.”

The same could not be said of Farnham to his teammates. Though having become a seldom-used power forward after starting two of the first three games--he played one minute Saturday and has played 21 minutes since Dec. 18--Coach Steve Lavin continues to refer to him as an emotional leader. So his words carry weight.

Maybe his actions do too--loud noises could be heard in the hallway, as if objects were being thrown or lockers were being slammed, as Farnham screamed. He screamed so loud that observers came out of another room 20 feet away to see what could be happening.

“I’m not going out like this!” was one of the few completely audible phrases.

Later, speaking in a calm tone but with his eyes red, Farnham said:

“What was said in the locker room stays in the locker room. That’s all I have to say about that. If the walls were thicker, you wouldn’t have known anything was said at all.”

But since half of Eugene did hear . . .

“I’m sure we’re on a team at a period of time where a lot of people [outsiders] want to focus on the negative and things to bring us down. It’s to the point where we need to be able to sustain,” Farnham said. “It’s a sense of urgency.

“The hourglass is tipped over and the sand is running out on my time at UCLA. It’s easy to get caught up in the emotion, especially when you have a game like this. You’re up on the team battling for first place in the conference and you let it slip away. That adds a sting to it.”

Like from a slap in the face. It was that kind of feeling, nearly the exact reversal of fortunes from Thursday night about a 45-minute drive away in Corvallis, when the Bruins went from lethargy to victory, using a 24-3 run in the second half to turn an 11-point deficit into an easy win. Not only that, the same good feelings carried over to the start Saturday in the form of a quick 12-2 lead.

The double-figure cushion held up through 29-19, with 4:38 to go in the half. The raucous crowd at venerable Mac Court had been taken out of the game, a goal for any visiting team here. The Ducks hadn’t even managed field goals on consecutive possessions.

Then, that sting.

Oregon--needing a win to move into a first-place conference tie at 6-1 with Arizona, Stanford and, by the end of the night, USC--cut the deficit to 31-29 at halftime. When the Bruins opened the second half with five consecutive turnovers, the Ducks (15-3) moved ahead. Then they kept moving.

UCLA (12-6, 3-4) briefly caught up, then even took a 37-35 lead. But that’s where things turned for good. Oregon went on a 22-3 run--almost identical to the 24-3 rally the Bruins had two nights earlier in the second half to put away Oregon State--a stretch that included the visitors being shut out for 6:38.

“They played with a sense of energy,” Bruin Coach Steve Lavin said, “and we did not match that.”

The Ducks eventually led by as many as 19 points, 62-43, with 4:13 left. It was all over but the shouting. Literally.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

*--*

Team W-L Stanford 6-1 Oregon 6-1 Arizona 6-1 USC 6-1 UCLA 3-4 Arizona St. 3-4 Oregon St. 2-5 California 2-5 Washington 2-6 Washington St. 0-8

*--*

ARIZONA GETS MAULED

LSU’s Swift has 29 points in 86-60 victory over No. 5 Wildcats. D7

UCLA WOMEN LOSE

Oregon ends Bruins’ seven-game streak, closes Pac-10 gap. D6