UCLA basketball: Game notes from a close victory
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UCLA’s dramatic 76-75 overtime win at California tonight featured a number of top performances for the Bruins.
-- Down by 12 points early in the second half, they mounted their biggest comeback this season.
-- Freshman Tyler Honeycutt, making his first start, had a career-high 10 rebounds.
-- Sophomore Malcolm Lee, starting at point guard, finished with a career-high seven assists.
Lee ended up receiving intravenous fluids after suffering cramps for much of the game. Coach Ben Howland said that trainers attempted to get him to drink more Gatorade during halftime but he complained: ‘I’m bloated, I’m bloated. I can’t.’
Speaking of Howland, his record in overtime games improved to 8-5. This was also UCLA’s sixth consecutive win at Cal.
The coach was particularly happy with the way his team kept fighting after shooting only 42% -- and a miserable 25% from the free-throw line -- during the first half. The Bruins improved to finish at 49% in field goals and 58% in foul shots.
‘You know what? We showed some resiliency,’ Howland said. ‘We showed some toughness not to give in.’
-- David Wharton