U-C-L-A (2-3) vs. Long Beach State (3-3)
Sports Network | November 29, 2009
GAME NOTES: Two teams trying to avoid going winless in the 76 Classic collide at the Anaheim Convention Center, as the UCLA Bruins meet up with the Long Beach State 49ers on the tournament's final day.
The Bruins have had a rough start to the season and it got worse on Friday, when they dropped a last-second 69-67 decision to 12th-ranked Butler. It marked UCLA's third loss in five games, but at least it was a better showing following a 74-47 whipping by the University of Portland in first-round action on Thursday.
As for the 49ers, they figured to be picked on in a field that consisted of four Top 25 programs. LBSU was thoroughly outplayed in an 85-62 first-round loss to No.8 West Virginia on Thursday prior to dropping an 87-79 decision to 19th-ranked Clemson on Friday. The team has now suffered losses in three of its last four games to fall to an even 3-3 overall.
In regard to the all-time series, UCLA is a perfect 11-0 against LBSU and that includes an 88-58 thrashing in the most recent encounter in 2006.
The Bruins rallied from a nine-point deficit to tie the game on Jerime Anderson's three-pointer with 8.6 seconds left. However, the rallied was all for not, as Gordon Hayward's two free throws with 0.6 seconds left gave Butler the 69-67 win on Friday. It was certainly a disappointing finish for UCLA, which was outscored at the foul line, 24-10, on the night. Nikola Dragovic paced the team in the setback with 14 points and six boards off the bench, while Malcolm Lee chipped in with 11 points. Lee is currently tied with Drew Gordon, who had eight points on Friday, for the team-lead in scoring at 13.0 ppg and the duo is combining for 11.0 rpg as well.
The 49ers simply could not slow down Clemson on Friday, allowing the Tigers to shoot a scorching 57.6 percent from the field in an 87-79 setback. LBSU also hurt itself with poor shooting at the foul line, where it went just 20-of-34 in the game. T.J. Robinson turned in a big effort in the loss, as he recorded a double-double with 25 points and 15 rebounds. Casper Ware had a double-dip of his own, tallying 20 points and 10 assists. For the season, Robinson ranks first in both scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg), and Larry Anderson is second with 13.5 ppg despite being limited to just one point against Clemson.
UCLA is off to a rocky start, but it should be able to salvage its final game of the tourney against a LBSU club it has never lost to before.
GAME NOTES: Two teams trying to avoid going winless in the 76 Classic collide at the Anaheim Convention Center, as the UCLA Bruins meet up with the Long Beach State 49ers on the tournament's final day.
FACTS & STATS: Site: Anaheim Convention Center (7,734) -- Anaheim, California. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: UCLA 2-1, LBSU 1-0. Away Record: UCLA 0-0, LBSU 2-1. Neutral Record: UCLA 0-2, LBSU 0-2. Conference Record: UCLA 0-0, LBSU 0-0. Series Record: UCLA leads, 11-0.
Sunday, November 29th, 2:30 p.m. (et)
UCLA 73, Long Beach State 67
