Oakland, Calif. – Adam Morrison crumpled to the Oakland Arena court, first sitting with his head in his jersey, then laying prone. He was crying.
Thursday wasn’t a good day to be a player of the year candidate.
Duke’s J.J. Redick went down shooting. Gonzaga’s Morrison just went down.
UCLA scratched and scrambled its way back to the Elite Eight. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s layup with 8.6 seconds left proved to be the game-winner in the Bruins’ thrilling, come-from-behind, defense-fueled 73-71 win in which UCLA scored the game’s final 11 points.
Defense becomes these Bruins. Coach Ben Howland brought a defense-first mind-set to the Bruins, who previously emphasized finesse, but that wasn’t necessarily present as they struggled through the first half, flirting with being blown out of the pro-Bruins gym.
But UCLA’s resilience served it well. In the closing seconds, as Gonzaga clung to the ball and a 72-71 lead, “refuse to lose” paid off. Forward Cedric Bozeman stripped Gonzaga’s J.P. Batista in a double-team, full-court-press situation, teammate Jordan Farmar scooped it up and fed the loose ball to Mbah a Moute, who laid it in. UCLA had its first lead.
Out of timeouts, Gonzaga scrambled back up the court but Derek Raivio mishandled the ball and was tied up. The possession arrow gave UCLA the ball back, and guard Arron Afflalo was fouled with 1.9 seconds left. He made the second of two free throws. A desperation heave and shot by Gonzaga failed.
In the last 5:59 of the game, UCLA outscored Gonzaga 16-4, and scored the final 11 points. The Bulldogs didn’t score a field goal in the final 5:12. They didn’t have a point in the last 3:27. If he turns pro, Morrison’s college career ended with Gonzaga’s last two points of the game and the season – on free throws.
Meanwhile, UCLA, winner of 10 straight games, moves on to face Memphis on Saturday at 5:05 p.m. That winner will be the second entrant into this year’s Final Four.
“That was a great finish for us,” Howland said. “It’s really a testament to the character, the toughness, the heart of our players to have the never-quit attitude. I’m really, really proud of them.”
The Bruins trailed 42-29 at halftime. They had allowed Gonzaga to shoot 57 percent in the first half, while putting up a stale 26 shooting percentage.
But that all changed in the second half.
Gonzaga was held to 9-of-25 shooting. Morrison scored just six of his game-high 24 points in the last 10 minutes of the game.
“We just played with a lot of energy,” Afflalo said. “It’s desperation time, being down by nine with three minutes to go.”
In the end, with Morrison on the floor, Afflalo stopped his celebration to go over and lend whatever comforting words he could.
“He has no reason to cry,” Afflalo said. “He’s a great player. He should definitely keep his head up.”
Afflalo and Farmar led UCLA with 15 points apiece. It is the Bruins’ first trip to the Elite Eight since 1997.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
