Published on Thursday, December 31, 2009
By MICHAEL BECKER
LOS ANGELES - Of all glaring issues facing the UCLA basketball team this season it turns out the one thing it needed most was a fresh start.
The Bruins opened their Pac-10 season by beating Arizona State, 72-70, Thursday while bearing little resemblance to the reputation that preceded them.
What had been a poor shooting team missed only three shots in the first half. One of the most porous defenses became overwhelmingly aggressive thanks to an unexpected switch from man-to-man to zone. The Bruins replaced lethargy with energy and cursed luck with good fortune, almost as if the previous eight weeks never occurred.
Even though UCLA played its best overall game against Arizona State, more than 8,000 fans inside Pauley Pavilion held their breath for the game's final second when Jerren Shipp lined up an open three-pointer from the wing.
But UCLA guard Jerime Anderson closed the gap to block the shot, clinching the victory.
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