The Banged Up Bruins Bounce Back, Beat Stanford In Double Overtime

The UCLA Bruins snap their five-game losing streak with an unexpected 86-81 double overtime win against the Stanford Cardinal who was riding a four-game win streak into Pauley Pavilion. It what was the first team effort since before the Battle 4 Atlantis, UCLA had made a late comeback behind double-doubles from Tony Parker and Kevon Looney to force overtime and eventually get the win.

Teamwork. That is what this game was about for the Bruins. Though they may have lost a bit of that strategy starting the second half, they managed to once again find their mojo and overcome a Stanford team that has been quite impressive this year.

UCLA Bruins

UCLA had quickly jumped out to a 10-4 lead which they maintained, but if you have seen Stanford basketball this year, you know they are no slouch. They managed to not only get back in the game, but used a 21-12 run to end the first half, mostly on their three point shooting as they made 6-of-12 in the first half alone. Most of that came from Anthony Brown as he made 3-for-4 in the first half.

For the game, Stanford made 15-of-31 three pointers. Needless to say, the Bruins need to shore up their 3-point defense going forward, but back to this game.

The Cardinal had all the momentum coming out of the half. UCLA had gotten back to within two points, but midway through the second half, Stanford had pushed the lead to 14.

It did not help that Norman Powell had landed hard on his back, twice, and played very limited minutes in the second half. In his place, Kevon Looney (27 pts, 19 rebs) and Tony Parker (22 pts, 12 rebs) had came alive in a big way (pun intended).

Jan 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Kevon Looney (5) dunks over Stanford Cardinal center Stefan Nastic (4) in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won 86-81 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

After the half, Looney scored 17 while Parker added 14. When it was apparent the Bruins could not do much from the outside, they went inside to battle against Stanford’s bigs who had no chance and no answer for them. With their late effort, UCLA was able to claw their way back to force overtime.

Things got a bit scrappy at the end of the first OT as the game was going back and forth between the two teams until Chasson Randle hit one of his seven three pointers to put Stanford up 75-72. Randle finished with a game-high 32 points.

A minute later, Bryce Alford hit a huge three for the Bruins to put them ahead 76-75 with eight seconds left in the first overtime. Unfortunately, on the ensuing Stanford drive, Randle was “fouled” by Alford, causing him to foul out while Randle went to the line for two. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, he only made one, but that was enough to force a second OT.

With no Alford and a battered Powell, who managed to finish with 12 points and 5 rebounds, UCLA was not in the best shape… so it seemed.

The Bruins had complete control in the second overtime and outscored the Cardinal 10-5 to take the game and break their five-game losing streak.

With that, Bruin fans let out a collective sigh full well knowing that this was in fact a huge win. More importantly, it was a complete team win. Now if they can keep that game plan going through the rest of the season, the Bruins can maybe, just maybe, do some damage in the conference.

Jan 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford and guard Bryce Alford (20) react to a blocked shot in the second overtime of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won 86-81 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports