UCLA can't quite mix and match yet

AUSTIN, TEXAS — A few more points. Two or three fewer breakdowns on defense.

UCLA almost pulled off a big win Thursday night, going into a hostile arena and taking eighth-ranked Texas down to the wire.

But when the Bruins' players talked about coming so close, they weren't talking about a few critical possessions or even the final score in a 68-64 loss at the Frank Erwin Center.

They were describing a team that is still searching for its identity, trying to blend veterans with a handful of talented freshmen.

"We know we have a tough team, a good team," forward Josh Shipp said. "If we can learn from this loss, it will help us later on."

In the simplest terms, Texas won this game in the last three minutes with the score tied at 62-62. The Longhorns won because senior guard A.J. Abrams, who led all scorers with 31 points, took control.

First, he made a three-point basket. Then he drove the lane and was fouled, making both shots to give his team a 67-64 lead.

That put the No. 12 Bruins, inconsistent on offense and playing in the din of a raucous crowd of 16,755, under too much pressure. They reverted to a familiar scenario, dribbling the ball on the perimeter, unable to create a good shot.

When these teams met at Pauley Pavilion last season, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Texas a chance to prevail in the last seconds.

This time it was Shipp who came up short from the foul line. His first shot bounced off the rim and Abrams ended up with the ball. Fouled immediately, he made one of his free throws to put the game out of reach.

"That's a very tough loss," UCLA Coach Ben Howland said.

Howland wasn't happy with the fact that his team had let the Longhorns shoot almost 44% from the field. Nor did he like the defensive miscues that had left Texas players open for key baskets throughout the game.

"We made a lot of mistakes tonight," he said. "A lot of things we'll go back and watch on film."

He also said his team should have played differently against Abrams, trying to deny him the ball. Darren Collison mused: "You give him a little space and he's going to make the shot."

But it wasn't only Texas' offense -- forward Damion James had 13 points -- that hurt the Bruins.

All week long, they had talked about how much the Longhorns had changed from last season. Deep and quick, with more experience, they had shifted to a pressure, man-to-man defense that sometimes extended beyond half-court.