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Freshman guard Arron Afflalo pumps his fist as Notre Dame’s Chris Quinn (No. 2) walks dejec

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UCLA’s Brian Morrison snakes through two Notre Dame defenders to shovel a pass to an awaiti

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After saying all week that they didn’t want to go to South Bend, the Bruins are now glad they went.

“It’s great that we got a win,” said senior Dijon Thompson after UCLA’s 75-65 win over Notre Dame at the Joyce Center on Sunday. “Now, we need to go home. We can’t get stuck here.”

Already weary of traveling, UCLA players and coaches acknowledged that they had preferred not to fly across the country, to a cold-weather state, to play a non-conference road game this late in the season.

And though the air outside was frightfully chilly for Southern California natives, the Bruins could warm themselves with the knowledge that they took a big step toward their goal of making it to the big dance.

With the game televised nationally, UCLA felt that it made a strong statement to the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Behind torrid shooting from beyond the arc and suffocating perimeter defense, the Bruins played dominant stretches of basketball, taking their largest lead at 59-39 midway through the second half. Only shaky free-throw shooting kept the final margin as close as it was.

“Ninety percent of America had a chance to see us play,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “This was a huge win for us, on the road against a team with a high RPI late in the year. Big time.”

Still, that didn’t mean UCLA wanted to stick around to savor its victory.

“It’s really cold, in the middle of nowhere. South Bend isn’t the kind of place you want to go to,” Thompson said. “I don’t think I ever want to come back here again.”

Recalling last season’s embarrassingly disastrous road loss to St. John’s around the same part of the season last year, Thompson contrasted this performance with what he called one of the most embarrassing defeats of his career.

“We took care of business tonight,” he said. “We were hungry. We didn’t want to come out here for nothing.”

Ranked only seventh in the Pac-10 in 3-point shooting percentage, UCLA was locked in from 3-point land all game, meaning the Bruins didn’t have to worry about another wasted road trip.

In a shooting exhibition hot enough to melt the snowfall outside, UCLA nailed a season high 14 of its 23 attempts behind the 3-point line, including four from senior Brian Morrison and three from freshman Arron Afflalo. Five players made at least two 3-pointers, and not coincidentally five Bruins were in double figures, led by Afflalo’s 17.

The Bruins led throughout the game, taking a 3-0 lead by virtue of a long-distance jumper from Thompson. Even when the Fighting Irish looked as though they were going to cut into the lead, UCLA was able to respond with a clutch momentum-breaking shot to stifle the Notre Dame run.

“Every time they went on a run, somebody came down and hit a three for us,” freshman Josh Shipp said.

UCLA was also tough defensively, especially on the Fighting Irish’s two leading scorers, guards Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn. The two combined to shoot only 11-for-36, and as a team Notre Dame shot under 40 percent.

“This win is a positive (one),” Thompson said. “It was a big step forward for what we’re trying to accomplish, making the NCAA Tournament.”