Nimble, no thimble — Up by 1 in the final 30 seconds of Overtime, with 2 seconds left on the shot clock, the Bruins Pass Go, when the pass goes to Jaylen Hands, who fingertips a three-pointer into the net, and like placing hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place, it was essentially the game-winner in UCLA’s 93-88 OT Revenge over u$c
To beat a school of thugs who often don’t pass go but DO collect $200 before going directly to jail, UCLA had to roll the dice and put that Bruin Race Car into overdrive. u$c played an AMAZING game, overcoming two crucial injuries, dishing out 28 Assists to only THREE Turnovers, and MAKING NINETEEN THREE POINTERS, yet it wasn’t enough to stop the hungry Bruins from avenging a 13-point loss to troy earlier in the season.
It was a see-saw battle all the way, with double-digit lead changes and several one-sided spurts. Sc led by 10 early, but UCLA led by 9 later. Troy’s Bennie Boatwright was unstoppable, sinking 7 three-pointers and grabbing a career-high 15 Rebounds, falling only 4 Assists short of notching what would have been only the second triple-double in sc history. Jonah Mathews added 5 treys of his own, as UCLA’s zone was pathetic against outside shooting.
The Bruin zone was so soft, that they forced only 3 Turnovers all night. However, they out-rebounded SC 55-44, and the Offense picked up the slack. The Bruins got 22 Assists of their own, including 10 from Point Guard Jaylen Hands. Jaylen also led the Bruins in scoring with 21, including the miracle three with 23 seconds left in Overtime. The Bruins were up by 1, and inbounded with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Kris Wilkes had the ball for 3 of those seconds, but was blanketed, so he dished to Hands, who basically pulled off a “touch-pass” that swished right through the basket.
It’s a good thing that hands did not have any time to contemplate the shot, because near the end of regulation, he FORCED up a bad three-point try which missed, and led to Coach Murry Bartow PULLING Hands and keeping him on the bench for a while. But sc failed to score in the final possession of regulation, so Hands got another chance in OT, and he came through in dramatic fashion.
His stupendous shot put the Bruins up by 4 with 23 seconds left, so sc still had time to come back. But they missed their subsequent shot attempt, sealing the 93-88 win for the Blue and Gold.
UCLA was again playing without injured Prince Ali. That’s three straight games, and three straight wins, as the “next men up” really stepped up. Freshmen Guards David Singleton and Jules Bernard were co-stars of the game. Singleton hit 3 3’s, and Bernard scored 16 in a variety of ways. Kris Wilkes was cold from outside but still tallied 16; Chris Smith and Jalen Hill were crucial in the center of the Offense, effectively dissecting and breaking down sc’s Defense. Smith scored 13, and Hill 6, and contributed with 7 Boards a piece. Moses Brown also played a huge role, with the team’s second double-double of the night: 10 Points and FOURTEEN Caroms.
In a season that will not go down as one of the most successful in the annals of Westwood Hoops, it sure felt nice to even the slate with the cardinal & gold, who really put up one hell of a fight. Hopefully the injury that knocked Kevin Porter Jr. out of the game (an ankle sprain when he landed on someone’s foot) is not serious — but if he comes back healthy, the Bruins might hope to avoid sc in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament. If they do get a Porter-less path, they could go deep, as the youngest Bruins are just starting to blossom, and a Conference Championship — and a punched ticket to The Dance — is not out of the question. That being said, let’s just be happy that a Figueroa Tech SWEEP has been avoided, and with any luck, the FBI will shut down that program — and Arizona — for next season.