In the wake of UCLA's close call against Concordia -- a 62-61 exhibition victory at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday -- Coach Ben Howland and his team had some thoughts about backcourt play, perhaps the most troubling aspect of a bumpy night.
The Bruins looked disorganized on offense for much of the game, unable to establish a rhythm against smaller, quicker defenders. Even after timeouts, they failed to execute several sets in the final minutes.
Fans might have been reminded of the loss at Washington last season.
"Just our lack of ability to handle the pressure of their defense," Howland said. "We need to screen in the backcourt for our guard. That's my fault."
Concordia's Justin Johnson, listed at 6 feet 2 but looking shorter, led all scorers with 21 points and had a pair of steals. Terrence Worthy, at 5-9, also created problems.
"There's something about those little guys," UCLA guard Malcolm Lee said. "They just get in you, get around your knees."
Lee and former walk-on Mustafa Abdul-Hamid were forced to handle the point because Jerime Anderson was still nursing a groin injury. It was an especially tough outing for Abdul-Hamid, who made the winning three-point shot but also had seven turnovers and sounded like he had been put through the grinder.
"I don't think I've ever played 36 minutes," he said. "I think high school games are 32, so I was a little bit fatigued."
Lee, a shooting guard expected to spell Anderson at the point this season, did not fare much better, finishing with 11 points, two assists and three turnovers.
"Last time I really handled the ball was in high school, and I usually did better than that," he said.
The backcourt issue won't fade away, not with Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday gone to the NBA and UCLA left with only three bona fide scholarship guards.
Howland spoke of getting Lee more time at the point in practice. He also looked forward to the return of Anderson and shooting guard Michael Roll, a senior who might have helped the Bruins avoid some of their 20 turnovers.
"Just having Roll in there would have been a calming influence," Howland said. "Knowing what he's supposed to do, it would have been easier."
Little big men
Though UCLA fans might not have known about Concordia before Wednesday night, the Irvine school is a powerhouse in the NAIA, whose best teams equate to about the NCAA Division II level.
