Recap: Texas vs. U-C-L-A

Sports Network | December 4, 2008

Austin, TX (Sports Network) - A.J. Abrams scored a career-high 31 points, as eighth-ranked Texas held on for a 68-64 win over 12th-ranked UCLA in a Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series matchup at the Frank Erwin Center.

Damion James finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Longhorns (6-1), who beat the Bruins for the second straight time -- Texas won a dramatic 63-61 contest on December 2, 2007, at Pauley Pavilion.

The Longhorns have won three in a row since dropping an 81-80 decision to Notre Dame on November 25.

Darren Collison scored 22 points to pace UCLA (4-2), which had won two in a row. Josh Shipp contributed 15 points, while Alfred Aboya finished with seven points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

In a tight game down the stretch, James hit a jumper to tie and Abrams followed with a three-pointer from the left corner to give Texas a 65-62 lead with 2:51 left.

Aboya got UCLA within one with a putback layup on the other end, but Abrams found his way to the free throw line with 1:49 on the clock after driving through the lane. He made both, boosting the Longhorns' lead to 67-64.

UCLA retained possession for almost all of the remaining time but couldn't find a way to get the ball in the basket. Texas still had two fouls to give, and used one with about 1 1/2 minutes left before Collison missed a three.

The Bruins' Jrue Holiday grabbed the rebound as the clock rolled under a minute, and UCLA didn't have a clear shot as the shot clock wound down under 10 seconds. Shipp drove to the hoop and was fouled with 51.7 ticks left, resetting the shot clock in the process for the UCLA inbound.

Aboya leaned back for a layup attempt under the hoop, but the ball rolled along the back of the rim and off the left side, leading to a jump ball with 35.2 ticks left. The possession arrow went UCLA's way, and the Bruins had another possession.

Collison squared up another three but missed as the ball bounced off the rim to the left corner of the court. Two Texas players went for the ball, but the second stepped on the boundary line as he grabbed it, giving UCLA one more possession with 20.8 seconds left.

Shipp was fouled and went to the line with 15.7 left, but missed the first shot, and James grabbed the rebound, then passed to Abrams. The Texas guard made only the second foul shot, but set his new career high and gave the Longhorns a two-possession lead in the process.

UCLA had possession with 10.9 on the clock but couldn't get a quick basket, as Texas held on for the win.

An Abrams three and two layups from Justin Mason gave Texas a 32-24 lead late in the first half, and the Longhorns took a 38-29 lead at halftime.

A Dexter Pittman layup and another Abrams three put Texas' advantage in double digits, at 46-36, a little more than three minutes into the second half. But UCLA rattled off 11 straight points, ending the run with a Collison jumper, to take a 47-46 edge, and the teams traded baskets down the stretch.

UCLA shot just 39.4 percent from the floor, and made only 5-of-10 free throws...Abrams went 5-for-9 from three-point range and 9-of-18 overall from the floor...Texas shot 43.6 percent as a team but made only 11-of-19 free throws.