• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Freshman Josh Shipp may not have been supposed to play on Sunday, but the forward battled through

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Unable to elevate for a jumper or even cut to the basket on his sprained right ankle before the game on Sunday, UCLA’s Josh Shipp didn’t expect to make much of an impact against Notre Dame. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he could play. Yet, Shipp, who didn’t practice Friday or Saturday and arrived at Joyce Center wearing a protective boot on his right foot, surprised himself, playing 32 minutes and helping the Bruins to an important victory. “I just fought through the pain,” Shipp said. “We were playing so well and I was having so much fun out there that sometimes I didn’t notice it as much.” Shipp, a freshman, has been unable to walk without a limp since injuring the ankle going up for a rebound Thursday night against USC. He’s kept ice on it as much as possible to reduce the swelling, and trainers gave him pain-killers prior to Sunday’s game. “He really gutted it up for his team,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “I’m proud of him.” Though Shipp scored only six points, his two 3-pointers helped the Bruins maintain a double-digit lead. The Los Angeles native also pulled down six rebounds, made two assists and helped limit Notre Dame’s starting guards to a 12-for-41 shooting for the game. “He played like a warrior today,” senior Dijon Thompson said. Said freshman Jordan Farmar, “I’ve known him for a while, and I know what he’s capable of, so it’s not a surprise.”

MIND GAMES: Given the task of checking Chris Thomas, one of the nation’s better point guards, UCLA’s Arron Afflalo refused to let the Notre Dame senior get the best of him. In fact, it was Afflalo who was the aggressor in the match-up, forcing Thomas into tough shots and jabbering at him after almost every one of his misses. At one point early in the first half, referees had to separate the two guards after Thomas gave Afflalo a little shove underneath the basket. “I was trying to get into him mentally a little bit,” Afflalo said. “You want the opposing team’s best player to start worrying about the individual in front of him instead of worrying about running the team.” “I heard him talking to the refs a couple times tonight, and that really lets me know that I’m getting to him.” The plan worked. Thomas, who came into the game averaging 14.3 points, scored only 10 points on Sunday, missing 13 of his 17 shots and committing three turnovers.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Upon reading in the local newspapers that Notre Dame planned to emphasize getting the ball to Torin Francis on the low block, Howland decided to make sure the junior center wasn’t a factor. The Bruins took the Fighting Irish by surprise, double-teaming Francis on almost every possession even though he came into Sunday’s game as only Notre Dame’s fourth-leading scorer. Francis still equaled his average, scoring 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting, but Howland was pleased that UCLA kept him in check. “It was something they didn’t expect,” Howland said. “It helped us be the aggressors, which is how we want to be on the road.”

DRIBBLERS: The Bruins won two games in a row for the first time since they beat USC and Washington State on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3 respectively. ... Howland said that he was unsure whether the UCLA-Notre Dame rivalry, a fixture in the 1970s, ’80s and early ’90s, would continue next season. ... Lorenzo Mata, who suffered a fractured sternum earlier this month, was available to play, but Howland decided not to use him for the second consecutive game. ... Thompson’s double-double was his seventh of the season. ... UCLA is now 4-6 in non-conference road games during Pac-10 play since winning the national championship in 1995. ... UCLA shot just 13 of 22 from the charity stripe.