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Dijon Thompson goes for the rebound with Stanford’s Josh Childress in the Bruins’ 93-84 loss to

Photo

Photo

Dijon Thompson goes for the rebound with Stanford’s Josh Childress in the Bruins’ 93-84 loss to

UCLA and No. 21 Stanford turned Pauley Pavilion into a shooting gallery on Saturday – but the better defense won the game, and the Cardinal came out victorious, 93-84.

“It was one of those days that it was like they were shooting rocks into the ocean,” UCLA forward sophomore Andre Patterson said.

Stanford (21-6, 12-3 Pac-10) shot 60 percent for the entire game, 59 percent from behind the three-point line and 90 percent from the free throw line.

The Cardinal’s marksmanship was the difference in the game, as it was able to convert key opportunities down the stretch.

After sophomore Dijon Thompson hit a three-pointer to cut the Bruins’ (6-17, 3-11 Pac-10) deficit to 77-76 with four minutes to play, Stanford caught fire. The Cardinal scored the game’s next seven points, and essentially took control of the game.

“We definitely couldn’t come up with the big stop or a series of stops,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. “Going into the game we wanted to tag their shooters, but we did a very poor job of that.”

While the Bruins struggled defensively, they showed signs of offensive cohesiveness throughout the game. Four players recorded double figures, including senior Ray Young’s career-high 22 points and Jason Kapono’s game-high 27.

But at the end of regulation it wasn’t good enough to win.

“We get up so much on the offensive end,” Young said. “We have to let some of that bleed over into the defensive end.”

The Bruins shot 48 percent overall and 55 percent from the three-point line. Although it took them about eight minutes to score their first six points of the game, they eventually regained their touch.

After falling behind by 16 in the first half, UCLA gained ground quickly, narrowing the deficit to 44-39 at the intermission.

The Bruins continued their 10-0 run to start the second-half and took their only lead of the game, 45-44, on a pair of Kapono three-pointers with 18 minutes left.

Stanford answered the Bruins’ flurry with a 10-0 run of its own, and UCLA played catch-up for the remainder of the game.

Even Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery felt that the Bruins performed well, at least on the offensive end.

“They were playing with confidence,” he said. “They’ve put the turmoil behind them.”

Regardless of the Bruins’ confidence, they still had no answers in this game.

“Sometimes we get a little too lackadaisical defensively,” Young said. “They hit some really tough shots too.”

Only Justin Davis, who took just three shots, shot less than 50 percent for Stanford, who won its sixth straight at Pauley Pavilion.

After the game, one of the two Bruins to foul out felt the referees may have hindered the squad’s defensive efforts.

“I felt the refs took me out of the game,” junior T.J. Cummings said. Cummings played 21 minutes before fouling out.

“I really pride myself on my defense, and it’s how our season’s been,” he added. “It’s been really hard to see how the refs take us.”

Cummings may or may not have made a difference; but regardless, there was plenty of frustration in the air.

The Bruins know that they need to improve their defensive game to complement their offensive potential. Otherwise, they will soon bypass the 62-year-old school record of 20 losses in a single season.

“We haven’t seemed to be getting crucial stops, but we know that we are capable of getting them,” Young said.