Defense Is Sustaining Force

When the Bruins held Oregon to a .383 field-goal percentage Saturday, it was hardly an aberration.

UCLA finished second to Stanford in the Pacific 10 Conference in field-goal percentage defense at .430.

Credit Coach Ben Howland with emphasizing defense above all else. Credit him also with integrating a zone defense into his preferred man-to-man alignments when he recognized that his players weren’t quick enough to chase smaller guards around the court.

But also credit Bruin players, who for the most part continue to exert themselves on defense even through a dreadful losing stretch.

“We took defense to heart early on and nothing has changed,” center Ryan Hollins said. “The way to please these coaches is to show intensity on the defensive end. Winning starts with defense.”

So why is UCLA only 11-16, with 13 losses in its last 15 games? The obvious answers are poor shooting, turnovers and a lack of execution late in close games.

The Bruins are next to last in the Pac-10 at 65.9 points a game, ahead of only the numbingly deliberate Washington State Cougars.

And UCLA is last in turnover margin, averaging 3.3 more turnovers per game than its opponents.

UCLA is a poor three-point shooting team (32.4%) and post players Hollins and Michael Fey have difficulty creating space in the low post and catching entry passes, a combination that results in the scoring burden’s falling to wings Dijon Thompson, T.J. Cummings and Trevor Ariza.

However, point guard Cedric Bozeman usually controls the ball late in the shot clock and on crucial last possessions, penetrating the key and attempting a layup or a runner. Bozeman is shooting 41.4% on field goals and 54.5% on free throws.

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Howland canceled practice today because the Bruins have not had two days off consecutively since early January. The players will watch film of Washington, their first-round opponent in the Pac-10 tournament and a team UCLA defeated in both regular-season games.