Pauley Fans Make a Loud Statement

All of a sudden, Pauley Pavilion isn’t such a quiet place.

According to a sound meter placed courtside, the decibel count reached 110 during Saturday’s game with Stanford. That’s equivalent to a loud rock concert or thunderclap. Even some of the normally staid donors sitting in the lower level stood for part of the game, a highly unusual sight.

For most of the game, the student section was standing. Then again, that couldn’t have been as uncomfortable as camping out in front of Pauley, which about 100 students did in the days before the game.

“UCLA is a tough place,” Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said. “People here are into basketball.”

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One of the ways Stanford was able to break UCLA’s press was by using forward Jarron Collins. He often brought the ball across half-court, then found teammates who had sprinted to shooting areas. At 6 feet 11, Collins is big enough to see over double teams.

“They broke our press down tonight, that was obvious,” Bruin forward Matt Barnes said. “There’s not much more you can say about it.”