Bruins Looking to Finish Faster
Fitting their recent pattern, the Bruins started fast and ended Saturday’s game against Oregon at a wheezing crawl.
UCLA scored 23 points in the first 5:55. Then, sticking to Coach Steve Lavin’s six-man rotation, the Bruins scored only 24 points in the second half--as the far less-talented Ducks got 38.
“UCLA is a team that plays in spurts,” Oregon Coach Ernie Kent said after losing, 68-66.
The Bruins, substituting far less than opponents, have been outscored in the second half in five of their last six games by an average of more than six points dating to the Dec. 27 victory over Nevada Las Vegas.
Lavin says the second-half problems are more a result of the Bruins letting up mentally, and suggests that the two players suspended to start the season--Kris Johnson (who has been practicing with the team since Nov. 17) and Jelani McCoy (since Dec. 1)--have yet to regain total game shape.
“We should be playing our best basketball in mid-February,” Lavin said.
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