UCLA Is Fresh Out

Boom, boom, boom.

Texas Tech ran layup drills for the first four minutes.

Clank, clank, clank.

UCLA shot cockeyed off the rim or threw passes to the tubas in the student band.

Before they got their feet moving on defense and their heads in the game on offense, the Bruins were down 8-0 and the rest of the night was an uphill climb. They managed to get tied with the Red Raiders a couple of times in the first half but never could go ahead

So it was sixth-seeded Texas Tech (21-10) that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Albuquerque Regional with its 78-66 win over the Bruins (18-11) Thursday night at the McKale Center.

Ronald Ross, Texas Tech’s well-grounded senior guard, scored 28 points and toughness was his key.

UCLA’s senior, Dijon Thompson, ended his Bruin career with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists but with his head down. He limped alone down the hall to the locker room, his legs cramping and his bruised right thigh aching.

“I wish I could come back,” Thompson said, “for one last try.”

As UCLA Coach Ben Howland said, his skinny, tired, young team was being bounced around “like pinballs,” as they tried to fight through the Texas Tech motion offense, one orchestrated by Coach Bob Knight and based on constant screens and picks.

“Their physical play wore us down,” Howland said. “And our margin for error in a game like this is very slim.”

Texas Tech shot 61.5% from the field -- an opponent season high -- and 48 of the points came from within five feet of the basket.

Texas Tech forward Darryl Dora scored back-to-back layups and made one of two foul shots twice when he curled free for layups and Ross played off a Dora screen for another two-foot shot before UCLA freshman Josh Shipp made a three-pointer for the Bruins’ first points.

Shipp’s swishing jump shot was pretty, but it underscored a problem. The Bruins couldn’t get the ball inside. They pulled to a 17-17 tie with a Shipp 12-footer and consecutive three-pointers by their seniors -- Brian Morrison and Thompson -- but the Red Raiders inched ahead again when Ross squiggled through two Bruins for a reverse.

After UCLA had tied the game at 29-29, the Raiders converted layups from freshman guard Martin Zeno, Ross and freshman forward Damir Suljagic twice in a row to forge a 37-31 halftime lead.

“I thought the real key for us in the game was the last part of the first half,” Knight said. “We started out real well, we got a lead, and then they came back strong. Then we stepped it up. When you play from the lead, it’s always easier.”

Thompson twice pulled UCLA within three early in the second half, with a three-pointer and a baseline jump shot. After Texas Tech opened up a 49-40 lead, Shipp, center Michael Fey and Arron Afflalo scored inside to make the score 51-48.

Jordan Farmar scored his first and only points and yelled “yes,” after his 23-foot three-pointer with 8:11 left in the game pulled the Bruins within four, 57-53. And 12 seconds later Farmar stole the ball from Tech guard Jarrius Jackson.

He drove stubbornly to the basket even with three Texas Tech players on him. With all those hands and arms jabbing at him, Farmar lost his balance a bit, Ross stole the ball and Giles converted the turnover for a layup.

It was a sequence that epitomized Farmar’s night. He finished with a season-low three points and four turnovers. He made one of nine shots and missed both free throws.

“They beat us, basically, with toughness,” Farmar said. “They were more physical and more disciplined and they gave us a good beating.”

Thompson finished his UCLA career by passing Earl Watson and finishing 19th on the all-time scoring list with 1,458 points. And he took some solace in returning to the NCAA tournament one last time. He had come as a freshman and thought it would be a regular thing. But it wasn’t.

“It was a great experience again,” Thompson said. “Stepping out on that practice floor with all the lights and media. I’m not satisfied but I’m definitely proud of how this program has come back. No one expected us to make it this far.”