Afflalo Strong at the Finish

So that was the problem.

Too much time in the gym. Too much time thinking and adjusting. Too much time dribbling around empty chairs in front of empty seats practicing his moves, his shot, his body position and his release point .

Mired in a shooting slump, sophomore guard Arron Afflalo reluctantly agreed with the demand of his coach, Ben Howland, to take two days off from basketball and rest his body and mind after UCLA’s game against Oregon State last Saturday.

On Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion, refreshed and invigorated, facing a real opponent in front of an actual crowd, Afflalo found his lost shot just in time, scoring 10 of UCLA’s last 14 points as his 14th-ranked Bruins defeated Arizona State, 69-60.

Afflalo finished with 17 points, the most he has had in six games, making five of 11 shots.

“I’m not surprised by it,” Howland said. “He’s back on the upswing.”

Even during his shooting slump, Afflalo never took a step backward from his role as the club’s defensive stopper, and he was at it again Thursday night, holding Kevin Kruger, Arizona State’s leading scorer coming in (14.9 points a game), to eight.

Jordan Farmar was UCLA’s leading scorer with 18 points.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, UCLA’s leading rebounder all season, maintained that role Thursday night with nine, but UCLA was outrebounded overall, 31-29.

The Bruins improved to 18-4 overall, their Pacific 10 Conference-leading mark now 8-2. The Sun Devils, last in the conference at 1-9, are 7-12 overall.

When a first-place team plays a last-place team. overconfidence and lack of focus are almost always a matter of concern for the coach whose team is on top.

No problem, Howland insisted before the game. The Bruin coach kept stressing that UCLA had escaped the first meeting between the teams with only a one-point victory at Tempe, Ariz.

“They will have our full attention,” Howland promised.

Apparently the Bruins have a short attention span. Either that, or the Sun Devils are a lot better than their record. Whatever the reason, UCLA can’t seem to shake free of Arizona State. The Bruins needed two baskets from Farmar in the final 35 seconds at Tempe to squeeze out that 61-60 victory.

And in the first half Thursday, it was again a struggle for UCLA. The Bruins didn’t score until the game was more than four minutes old. Six-and-a-half minutes had elapsed before anyone other than Farmar scored

UCLA moved in front by eight points in the half, but Antwi Atuahene’s driving layup at the buzzer made it a two-point game at the half, the Bruins clinging to a 32-30 edge.

But ultimately the Sun Devils faded once again.

How tough has it been? It’s bad enough when nearly everything a team attempts is foiled by the opposition. Thursday, the Sun Devils hit a new low. Even their own coach denied them the ball.

During the tightly contested first half, when every possession was crucial, Arizona State seemed about to gain possession when Mbah a Moute chased after a ball, last touched by a Bruin, that appeared to be headed out of bounds.

Instead, the ball was caught by Arizona State Coach Rob Evans. He insisted he had caught it out of bounds. The officials didn’t agree.

Ball back to UCLA.

It has been that kind of a year for Arizona State.

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Farmar is one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award. Named for the Hall of Fame Boston Celtic guard, it is awarded to the player deemed to be the nation’s best point guard.

Fans can vote for their favorite candidate, which includes a dozen nominees from Division I and four from Division II and III combined, at www.cousyaward.com. The winner will be announced in Indianapolis, site of the Final Four, on April 3.

Farmar is the only nominee from the Pac-10.