UCLA Losses Are Adding Up

Look at the numbers and UCLA’s 75-60 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday was meaningless.

The nonconference game had no bearing on Pacific 10 Conference tournament seedings. And the Bruins had long ago given up hope of gaining an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament or NIT.

Look at the faces, though, and a different measure of significance was evident.

It was easy to see the anguish of players who fell hopelessly behind in the first half. Again.

It was impossible to miss the dismay of many of the 8,486 fans as they filed out of Pauley Pavilion with several minutes left, fans who expected a feisty effort and got a feeble one instead.

There was the barely concealed anger of UCLA Coach Ben Howland, who lashed out at his team at halftime and struggled through a few uncomfortable minutes with the media afterward.

And, most telling, there were the tears Bruin senior forward T.J. Cummings fought back as he sat on the bench during the final minutes of his last home game.

Cummings played only 21 minutes -- equaling his low this season -- and did not start the second half because Howland was incensed by his poor defensive play. And Cummings never got the traditional senior day ovation because Howland, not feeling particularly sentimental, took him out of the game during a timeout rather than a shorter break in the action.

The player Cummings was assigned to cover -- Notre Dame center Tom Timmermans -- scored a career-high 20 points on nine-for-15 shooting. Timmermans came in averaging 5.5 points.

“We made him look like an all-league player,� Howland said. “We gave him a lot of open looks.�

Cummings, who had 10 points and five rebounds, declined to join three teammates in the interview room. He hung around the floor, talking to his mother and to friends. He refused to discuss his disappointment or Howland’s handling of him.

“I want to stay positive and keep it on the up and up,� he said.

Most of the Bruins endured senior moments of a different type, appearing lost and clumsy, slow and confused. Notre Dame guards Chris Thomas (21 points, six assists) and Chris Quinn (20 points, four assists) penetrated the defense at will when they weren’t burying open three-point shots.

The worst came shortly after the opening tip. UCLA (11-14) fell behind, 11-2, and the deficit grew to 29-9. The Bruins made a modest run to make it 33-25, but the Irish hit three three-point baskets and Timmermans made a layup to make the halftime score a one-sided 44-25.

No wonder Clipper General Manager Elgin Baylor, in attendance presumably to watch Thomas and Cummings, had trouble keeping his eyes open in the second half and left with 10 minutes to go.

Bruin fans are getting familiar with early surrenders. In recent home games, UCLA faced halftime deficits of 42-23 against Stanford, 44-24 against USC and 48-37 against Arizona.

The second half was only mildly better. UCLA got as close as 11 once, when center Ryan Hollins converted a three-point play with 4:19 left. But Thomas answered with his fifth and last three-point basket.

Hollins played well after a scoreless first half, scoring 13 points. Bruin freshman Trevor Ariza had 10 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double.

But mostly, UCLA, which has lost 11 of 13, was as bad as its recent numbers suggested. Notre Dame (14-11) knew it.

“A road win, no matter what the record of the other team is, is a road win,� Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey said.

The Bruins, much like during last season’s 10-19 slide, can’t find answers. They did not believe their poor effort was a hangover from the one-point overtime loss at USC on Wednesday. They do not believe their season is over.

“We aren’t going to quit,� Howland said.

They simply don’t know what to believe or where to turn.

“We think we are doing a good job preparing for teams, then the same thing happens again,� Hollins said. “We get tough breaks.

“I hate losing. Nobody is a loser on this team. But I’m sick of it.�