UCLA Hits Another Bump On The Road, Lose At Stanford 83-74

Feb 22, 2014; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Josh Huestis (24) turns the ball over against UCLA Bruins guard Zach LaVine (14) in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Not that it was hard to predict, but the UCLA Bruins lost to the Stanford Cardinal, 83-74. This is the third straight two-game conference road trip in which the Bruins win the first game and lose the second. And just like the previous two back-end losses, the Bruins were stopped short.

This ends UCLA’s four game winning streak.

The first half started out as a tough battle from both teams. The Cardinal and the Bruins were sparring with each other and kept it close until about midway through the first half. At that point, Stanford went on a 10-0 run that kept them in the lead for the rest of the game.

The game plan turned into “catch up” for UCLA who clawed their way back over and over, and at one point, getting to within four points. For everything UCLA dished out, the Cardinal shot back, especially Chasson Randall who had 26 points off of 7-of-10 three-pointers today. Josh Huestis added in 22 of his own points to help the Cardinal beat the Bruins.

As for UCLA, the defense, which was decent in the first half, eventually vanished into thin air. The Bruins potent offense was also MIA for a majority of the game. UCLA attempted 57 shots, but was only able to make 26 of them for a 45.6 shooting percentage. Late in the season, that will not win you games.

Zach LaVine, who has been struggling lately, came alive in the second half. He finished with 14 points, 13 of which were in the second half. Unfortunately, his effort, just like the Bruin’s, was too little, too late.

No fire in the players and bad coaching will do that to you. Every one associated with UCLA is responsible for this loss.

With this win, Stanford gets a top four spot in conference, which would give them a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. UCLA, despite this loss, still has control of the number two spot in the Pac-12 standings. UCLA is back at Pauley Pavilion this week as the Oregon schools come to town. It is time to turn it around… again.

Mike W.R.

Twitter: @TheBigDisco