UCLA Coasts to an Easy Win, and It’s a Big Night for Aboya

For most of the UCLA Bruins, Friday night’s 86-56 romp over Sacramento State at Pauley Pavilion was little more than a final dress rehearsal before the start of Pacific 10 Conference play next week.

It was a chance for the 12th-ranked Bruins to improve to 10-1, their best start since the 1994-95 season, one that ended with an NCAA championship.

It was a chance for Jordan Farmar to practice his behind-the-back move, for Lorenzo Mata to make his case to be the starting center, for Kelvin Kim to add to his one previous minute of playing time.

But for Alfred Aboya, it was a lot more. It was the highlight of his season.

It hasn’t been much of a season for Aboya so far. The 6-foot-8, 233-pound freshman forward from Cameroon had been projected as a possible starter in the Bruin front court.

But that was before he was forced to undergo surgery on both knees. Aboya had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in July and on the left knee in October.

It has been a slow road back, hampered by lingering swelling in the right knee. Heading into Friday night’s game, Aboya had played 30 minutes this season, appearing in four of UCLA’s 10 games.

To be more accurate, he was on the court for 30 minutes. His damaged knee, the rust accrued from the weeks away from the court, and his lack of familiarity with the Bruins’ system conspired to make it difficult for him to play effectively.

But Friday night, he finally cut loose. He ran the court without hesitation, even finishing a fast break on a pass from Farmar. Aboya was active around the basket, fighting for loose balls and playing vigorous defense.

By the time he was done, he had played 14 minutes, scored 12 points, grabbed two rebounds and blocked a shot.

“It feels good,” Aboya said afterward, a big smile on his face. “I have been waiting all season for this. I came to L.A. ready to play, but those two surgeries backed me down. It was a hard process. I am so grateful to be able to run on court and help my teammates.”

Aboya was also grateful for what he felt after the game.

“I didn’t have any pain,” he said. “I think I’m back.”

Arron Afflalo led the Bruins in scoring with 22 points. He had a chance to surpass his career high of 23 when he was fouled with just over four minutes to go. The foul resulted in Afflalo hitting the floor hard.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland, concerned that Afflalo might have banged the back of his head on the hardwood, immediately took him out.

As it turned out, Afflalo’s head was fine. He had bruised his left elbow, but after the game said that it was just a glancing blow.

Forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute led UCLA in rebounding with 11. He has had the highest rebounding total (tied with Mata in one game) in all 11 games.

Mata had four blocks on a night when the Bruins held Sacramento State (8-5) to 31.3% shooting from the field, the lowest mark for a Bruin opponent this season. UCLA shot 67.3%.

The Bruins, who have won seven consecutive games overall and 10 in a row at home, had 28 assists, but there was one negative number -- 21 turnovers.

For Howland, however, the biggest positive was a sight he had waited a long time to see, Aboya running the floor with abandon.

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UCLA senior center Ryan Hollins made it only as far the layup line in the pregame warmup Friday night. He suffered a groin injury and sat out the game.