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 A hot soccer match on a cold night at Drake Stadium sent UCLA to the College Cup — the NCAA’s Final Four — with its No. 1 ranking intact with a 3-2 double-overtime win Friday night over Portland. A few hours earlier, the No. 8-seeded Bruin volleyball team finished a rout of Alabama A&M in its opening match at the NCAA Tournament in Clemson, S.C.
>> For the UCLA women’s soccer team, victory came only after 104 minutes of play as senior midfielder Danesha Adams (pictured) scored her second goal of the night with an assist from Lauren Barnes. The Bruins trailed, 1-0, at halftime as Portland, ranked second in the region, was the aggressor with six shots to UCLA’s four. But the Bruin attack came alive in the second half, with eight shots and goals in the 51st minute from Adams for a tie and then in the 72nd minute when striker Kara Lang headed in a cross from midfielder Christina DiMartino.
UCLA’s 2-1 lead looked like it might hold up, but Portland’s Angie Woznuk scored in the 89th minute to force overtime. Neither team scored in the first overtime period, even though UCLA piled up six shots to Portland’s one. But 3:58 into the second overtime, Barnes sent a corner kick toward the Portland goal and Adams headed it into the net for the winner.
The Bruins are now 20-1-2 while Portland ends its season at 18-4-0. Incredibly, UCLA will travel all the way to College Station, Texas, for the national semifinals next Friday . . . to face cross-town rival USC (18-3-2) for the right to play for the national title. In their only meeting of the year at Drake Stadium, the Bruins defeated USC, 2-0, on Oct. 26. Notre Dame and Florida State will play in the other semifinal.
>> The Bruin women’s volleyball team simply overwhelmed Alabama A&M, 30-9, 30-13 and 30-14 to move into the NCAA second round Saturday against host Clemson.
The match was so one-sided that Coach Andy Banachowski rested most of his regulars in the third game and UCLA set a school record for the fewest points given up in a match with 36. That was seven points fewer than the old mark of 43, achieved only twice since the switch to rally scoring (point per serve) in 2001. Alabama A&M ended the season with a record of 15-10.
The Bruins hit an almost unheard of .420 for the match. Kaitlin Sather had a team-high 11 kills and junior All-American setter Nellie Spicer had 25 assists in two games.
Sather said afterward, "It's so fun when everyone gets to play. We all train the same amount of hours. It's not as if everybody gets time off whether you're playing or not. Everyone played hard." She didn’t seem too concerned about playing against host Clemson on the road, either, noting, "I've been to Nebraska a few times, so I think we're ready. I'm not necessarily worried about the crowd because of our past experience dealing with large crowds. It's a small gym, which is different from Pauley Pavilion. But the Pac-10 is the best preparation you can have. Going into the tournament, we are really prepared for strong teams."
Danesha Adams photo courtesy of UCLA
UCLA Sports Information provided an injury update after today’s practice:
>> Alfred Aboya and Darren Collison went through full practices today without pain and will definitely play. Who will be in the starting lineup will be a game-time decision.
>> Michael Roll practiced for an hour and 15 minutes today with contact and said he felt fine afterward. His status for the Texas game is still questionable.
Worth noting: there will be 39 scouts (37 from the NBA, one from the NBDL and one international scout) at the UCLA-Texas match-up Sunday. Scouts from 29 of 30 NBA teams will be present; only Denver has not requested credentials for a scout.
UCLA Coach Ben Howland addressed all the expected topics in a teleconference with reporters today:
>> Howland expects a whale of a game with Texas on Sunday:
"I want to know who has a better backcourt [than Texas]? They not only have [A.J.] Abrams and [D.J.] Augustin, but also [Justin] Mason. They are very hard to match up with because they shoot it so well from three. They make plays for one another. They are very, very good. Abrams was their second-leading scorer on last year’s team. Mason is a very good player. He shot 40% from three last year, and Augustin was 44 and Abrams — who shoots a ton of them — he took 284 threes last year and made 42% of them. He is a great shooter with a really quick release. It’s really going to be a matchup nightmare for us trying to deal with those three guards.
"They do press quite a bit. They do a lot of 2-2-1 pressing. They do play a 2-3 zone. So they’ll go back and forth and play both."
>> On the Big 12-Pac-10 series which starts this year, Howland said, "It’s good for our conference because there are a number of teams in our conference that have a hard time getting good games against BCS conference opponents. It really forces you to play in this situation. For the University of Texas or the University of Kansas or UCLA or Arizona or USC, it’s not as hard because of the media markets and their ability to attract good television share to be able to put games together for our respective programs. But there are a number of other programs that have a more difficult time in scheduling. Therefore, it helps both conferences. For Oregon to win at Kansas State and for USC to beat Oklahoma, that’s great for the Pac-10."
>> Howland noted that Darren Collison is doing well: "We didn’t practice yesterday, but he did do a little bit of conditioning on the bike and some rehab. He said that he felt fine. We’ll have a fairly rigorous practice today, so that will be a better judge. He felt fine afterward [the game on Wednesday], so that was great. Provided that we have no issues here in the next couple of days, yes [Collison will start].
"I was really amazed, No. 1, at how we played after being out of action for 24 days and having had two practices — one of which he was a little hesitant. Monday he was a little hesitant, thinking about it. Tuesday he was much better. Wednesday, in reviewing the film, he wasn’t even thinking about his leg. Normally, when you’re out for 10 days, two weeks or three weeks, it takes quite a bit of time to get back into a normal rhythm. He’s not where he would be if he had never missed this time. It just speaks to his great athletic ability and what a great player he is to step in and do what he did on Wednesday. We’re playing against arguably one of the top two or three point guards in Augustine. He’s really good, and I’m amazed watching this kid on film. We’ve got our hands full just trying to defend him. They’re both really good point guards."
>> The Bruin coach would like to see his team do a better job of getting the ball to center Kevin Love. "I think that we’ve got to do a better job of getting the ball to him in the post, especially against zones. When you’re a team that zones quite a bit, what you’re saying is that we’re going to give you outside shots. If you do a good job attacking the zone, you’re going to have some wide-open shots, but you’re going to take away the point. We have to do a better job moving him around and do a better job of sealing inside and getting it to him when he is inside. We need to take advantage of his skill level."
>> Howland also was hopeful about getting more help from injured guard Michael Roll: "Michael definitely helps us because he stretches defenses with his ability to shoot. [Michael] practiced for 45 minutes with the team, some contact, on Tuesday. And then he did an individual workout Wednesday and did a bunch of shooting yesterday and we expect him to practice today, hopefully for about an hour or so. He had some soreness in his foot after Tuesday’s practice, which is to be expected."
Thanks to all who sent good wishes and inquiries after I was flattened by Noel Wilmore, George Washington’s 6-4, 193-pound reserve guard Wednesday night as he leaped over the scorer’s table chasing after a loose ball in the second half.
We had quite a scene there as Wilmore flew over the signboards and right on top of me, displacing my computer, a nearly full cup of Diet Coke, all of my notes and those of my spotter Paul Roberts and some very fresh popcorn. The laptop seems to be OK (it continued to work without incident), but I lost my glasses in the melee and ended up holding on to Wilmore’s right thigh to keep him from (1) head-butting the fans in the first row and (2) slamming his knee into my face! Wilmore finally got back on the court, I recovered my glasses (still intact) and we cleaned up the mess as best we could.
It’s not the first time this has happened, and it wasn’t quite as violent as when Adam Keefe of Stanford clotheslined spotter Bruce Tenen in 1992. But I did check my insurance coverage again once I got home.
On to basketball:
>> Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos High School sophomore guard Kendall Williams announced today that he’s committed to attending UCLA. His statement read, in part:
"After careful consideration and taking unofficial visits to all the schools on my list, I’ve decided to play basketball for UCLA. This was not an easy decision for me since I had some outstanding choices, but I can assure you that my decision is solid. UCLA is the whole package — superb coaching staff, outstanding academic reputation, tradition of basketball excellence, and localed right here in so cal [sic]."
Williams is pretty savvy for a 10th-grader. His statement also included this: "I can hardly wait to be part of the first team that wins a national championship in the ‘new’ Pauley Pavilion."
>> Former Bruin center Jelani McCoy was picked up Thursday by the injury-plagued Denver Nuggets from the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. McCoy is 29 years old and has played for five teams (including the Lakers) in his seven years in the NBA. He has career averages of 4.7 points and 3.6 assists per game.
>> A look at some Bruins who have finished playing at UCLA, but are still playing outside the NBA:
- T.J. Cummings, with the L.A. D-Fenders of the NBA D-League
- Tyus Edney, with Lottomattica Roma in Italy
- Dijon Thompson, with Alba Berlin of the Bundesliga in Germany
And, of course, former Bruin Coach Jim Harrick, head coach of the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.
The Times’ Chris Foster has reported that UCLA junior Patrick Cowan, who quarterbacked the Bruins' 13-9 win over USC last year, will start Saturday. Bruin Coach Karl Dorrell said Cowan’s mobility "was the determining factor."
Ben Olson, who played in the second half of last Saturday’s win over Oregon, is still "not 100%" but could see some action during the game, Dorrell said.
Running back Craig Sheppard, who has a thigh injury, will be a game-time decision as the backup to Chris Markey.
And in what is a Bruin tradition, the seniors were carried off the practice field by the underclassmen.
 The Bruins and Trojans will get it on Saturday at the Coliseum to decide bragging rights, possibly the Rose Bowl representative, the Pac-10 Conference champion and maybe the future of both head coaches. And that’s just for starters:
Football:
>> Bruin senior center Chris Joseph repeated as a first-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Joseph has a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average with a major in geography.
>> The highlight of Blue and Gold Week is the annual rally and bonfire that will take place tonight at UCLA’s Wilson Plaza from 8 to 10. The parade will start from the UCLA residential zone about 7 p.m. and land at the end of Westwood Boulevard about an hour later.
>> The annual "Blood Bowl" between the UCLA Daily Bruin and the USC Daily Trojan will be held Friday afternoon at McAlister Field on the USC campus, beginning about 4:30 p.m. The Daily Trojan has dominated the football series against the Daily Bruin, winning eight in a row. On the other hand, the Daily Bruin has been recognized as the best college newspaper in the western states for the last four years and was national collegiate newspaper of the year in 2006. Take your pick.
>> The final meeting of the Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club will be held at 7 a.m. Friday at the Olympic Collection at Olympic and Sawtelle boulevards in West Los Angeles. Featured speakers will include defensive line coach Todd Howard, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Eric Scott and six players: place-kicker Kai Forbath, defensive end Kenneth Lombard, cornerback Rodney Van, guard P.J. Irvin, receiver Terrence Austin and safety Brett Lockett. Naturally, "every man, woman and child" (Geoff Strand) will be the master of ceremonies, accompanied by the UCLA Spirit Squad. Tickets, which include breakfast, are $24 each; for more information, call Claudia Hart at (310) 348-UCLA or send an e-mail to Claudia4UCLA@yahoo.com.
Men’s basketball:
>> The Bruins (7-0) are ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation, depending on which poll you prefer, and got star guard Darren Collison back Wednesday night in an 83-60 win over George Washington. UCLA will take on fifth-ranked Texas at 5 p.m. Sunday in a nationally televised game that is part of the Big 12-Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
Men’s soccer:
>> A disappointing season came to an end Wednesday night as the Bruins lost, 3-1, at Santa Clara in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA finished 9-9-3 after being ranked No. 1 in the nation in preseason polls.
Women’s basketball:
>> After a difficult loss Sunday at Pauley Pavilion to third-ranked Maryland, 79-75, UCLA suffered a bad loss to unranked Pepperdine on the road Wednesday night, 91-79. Junior guard Tierra Henderson and senior forward Lindsey Pluimer each had 15 points to lead UCLA (3-2) and freshman center Regina Rogers had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
>> UCLA now heads to Reno, where it will play in the Nugget Classic, first against Idaho State on Saturday and then against the winner of Nevada and Southern on Sunday.
Women’s soccer:
>> No. 1-ranked UCLA (19-1-2) will face the No. 2 seed in the West, Portland (18-3-0), for a spot in the College Cup (soccer’s Final Four) at 7 p.m. Friday at Drake Stadium. There’s no Southern California telecast of the game, but live audio of the match can be heard on uclabruins.com.
>> Three Bruins — sophomore forward Lauren Cheney, senior midfielder Danesha Adams and junior midfielder Christina DiMartino (pictured) — have been named as semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Award, given annually to the top collegiate soccer player. They are on a list of 15 players that will be paired with four finalists Dec. 14. The winner will be announced Jan. 11.
Women’s volleyball:
>> UCLA (20-10) is the national No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and begins play in Clemson, S.C., against Alabama A&M (15-9) on Friday. If the Bruins win, they will play the winner of the Alabama (15-14)-Clemson (28-3) match on Saturday. Live audio of each game will be available with Darren Preston on the microphone at uclabruins.com.
>> Junior setter Nellie Spicer was named Monday to the Pac-10 Conference first team for the third year in a row. Senior Rachell Johnson and juniors Ali Daley and Kaitlin Sather earned honorable mention and Dicey McGraw and Katie Mills received honorable mention on the All-Freshman squad. Johnson also was invited to the U.S. National Team tryouts in January at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Christina DiMartino photo courtesy of UCLA
Bruin guard Darren Collison was in good spirits after his 26-minute, 14-point performance tonight. He told KLAC-AM 570's Chris Roberts, "It's all fine. It's all about me playing with my confidence." He said he was surprised that he played so many minutes, but he was pleased with the results. He still wants to work on his shot, though (he was 4-9 from the field).
Collison added that being on the floor with Russell Westbrook is "actually easier for me, we get a lot of good things together."
Also of note:
>> Bruin soph guard Russell Westbrook had a career-high 19 points (previous was 15 against Yale in his last game).
>> Bruin junior guard Darren Collison opened his season with 26 minutes, 14 points and five assists and no turnovers.
>> Bruin freshman center Kevin Love had his fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
>> UCLA had a season-low 11 turnovers and out-rebounded GWU, 34-30. UCLA has out-rebounded each of its opponents this season.
>> The Bruins shot 21-26 from the foul line (80.8%), its best foul-shooting night on the season (previous, 15-20 vs. Portland State, 75%).
>> The Bruins scored on 58% of their possessions tonight (39-67) with 20-33 in the first half (60%) and 19-34 (56%) in the second half. The Colonials scored on just 42% of their possessions (27-65) with 16-32 in the first half (50%) and 11-33 in the second half (33%).
>> Quotes from George Washington Coach Karl Hobbs:
"It was really simple. We have a lot of work to do to compete. We’re not disciplined. We did not get back on defense. UCLA is a physical team; anytime you play against a physical team like this, you’re going to have a lot of fouls.
"This team (UCLA) is very good. There is a reason why they are projected to be a Final Four team, plus they have six McDonald’ s All-Americans. We did not really focus on anybody; Westbrook had a great game for them. By playing a terrific team, that will help us out for the conference."
>> Quotes from UCLA Coach Ben Howland:
"I was very pleased with this win. They are a good team that has been in the Tournament the past three years and is very well coached.
"I felt we got off to a really good start, but let up a bit toward the end of the half. We did a good job attacking the press to begin the second half. We also handled the ball well and kept the amount of turnovers down against their pressure.
"I was especially impressed with Russell Westbrook tonight; penetrating, jump stops and kick-outs. He did a great job offensively. I also felt we did a good job on the boards and Russell used his athletic ability to grab seven rebounds.
"It was really good to have Darren Collison out there. He made a lot of progress since the beginning of the week. It was amazing to see how great he did, having not played in a game in 26 days. We’re excited to have him back because he is such a great athlete."
In the first half, UCLA's Darren Collison played pretty well, with 12 minutes of playing time. He shot only one out of four from the field (a three-pointer), but hit five of six foul shots for eight points. He had two assists and no turnovers.
>> Bruin opponents cannot be happy with the play of Collison and Russell Westbrook, together in the backcourt. In the second half, the two are 4-5 in the second half and stealing and scoring almost at will.
>> With 7:28 to play, the Bruin lead is up to 70-45, and Collison and Westbrook are making complete pests of themselves. The Bruins have 18 assists on 24 baskets and only nine turnovers. Collison and Westbrook have 13 assists and two turnovers between them. The Bruins are shooting 57.1% for the game and the Colonials are at 35.7%.
>> A very successful night for Collison comes to an end with 3:54 to go and the Bruins up, 70-50. In 26 minutes, he had 14 points on 4-9 shooting and 5-7 foul shots. He had five assists and no turnovers.
>> Final numbers: UCLA shot 50.9% for the game, and held GWU to 38% for the game and just 32% in he second half. Westbrook led the Bruins with 19 points and eight assists. Kevin Love had a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Final score: UCLA 83, George Washington 60
Spotted at courtside during warmups: Stan Love, ex-NBA veteran and proud father of Kevin Love, chatting with ex-NBA and UCLA great Walt Hazzard (sitting with his son) at courtside.
>> Forward Alfred Aboya is wearing a bright orange pair of goggles that look like refugees from a swim school auction. But protecting the eyes is the important thing.
>> Guard Darren Collison has entered the game with 15:56 to play in the first half and UCLA leading 10-2. It's his first action since the first exhibition game against Azusa Pacific on Nov. 2.
>> It's a fairly rough and tumble game; George Washington was called for its seventh team foul (bonus for UCLA) after just 4:38 of the game. Do referees get paid by the call? Just kidding . . .
>> For those watching on television, yes that was yours truly who was belly-flopped upon by Noel Wilmore with 4:29 to play in the first half. You know it's a rough game when the stat crew gets tackled.
>> Back to the game: Russell Westbrook had 13 points to lead the Bruins, plus five assists. UCLA shot 51.9% from the field and 82.4% on 14 of 17 foul shots. George Washington shot 44.0% from the floor and just 53.8% (7 of 13) from the foul line.
Halftime score: UCLA 44, George Washington 35
He's baaack . . . guard Darren Collison is suited up and will see at least some action tonight. Michael Roll is in street clothes and will not play.
>> Collison is wearing a long brace on his left leg from the thigh to the ankle to support his knee. It's ugly, but hopefully it will be effective.
>> George Washington is 2-1 and is led by 6-8 forward Rob Diggs, who averages 20 points per game and 8.3 rebounds. Forward Wynton Witherspoon (6-7) averages 15.0 points and 6-8 forward Damian Hollis leads the team at 8.7 rebounds a game.
>> Tonight's game is being televised by Fox Sports with Bill Macdonald and Don MacLean. Chris Roberts will be calling solo on KLAC-AM 570 tonight.
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