LOS ANGELES — UCLA didn’t exactly go down fighting Thursday afternoon.
But maybe that’s the way it was supposed to end. A dreary season ends in dreary fashion.
From the looks on their faces, the Bruins simply wanted to put this season behind them. They didn’t win 20 games, didn’t win the Pac-12 regular-season title and won’t be going to the NCAA tournament, not after losing to Arizona 66-58 in the conference tournament quarterfinals at Staples Center.
After everything that’s happened — the dismissal of star forward Reeves Nelson, the failure to win the Pac-12 after being picked to finish first at the start of the season, the Sports Illustrated article that suggested the program is out of control — there isn’t much left to look forward to.
Or is there? Asked if he would accept an invitation to a lesser postseason tournament such as the NIT, coach Ben Howland left no doubt how he would respond.
"If we have the opportunity to play in postseason in the NIT, we would accept," he said. "It’s something that I want for our players.
"So yeah, no question. We would not snub our nose at the opportunity to play in the NIT."
Maybe it’s an indication how much work is ahead before UCLA can return to its past prominence, even under Howland, who took the Bruins to three consecutive Final Fouls this decade. It was always "NCAA or Bust," but not anymore.
The Bruins, who finished with a 19-14 record, withered early in the first half against Arizona, then surged twice. But they continually sent the Wildcats to the free-throw line in the second half and let the game slip away after tying the score 51-51.
Both teams were dreadful in the opening half — UCLA shot 34.5 percent from the field, Arizona 39.1 percent — but the Bruins fell behind by 10 points, 21-11, and never got into a rhythm.
They went on a 12-3 run to pull to within one point but still trailed 29-23 at the half. In the second half, after leading by 46-45 and then tying the score later, UCLA gave up seven consecutive points, capped by a three-point play by Angelo Chol.
"I just think we didn’t get good shots and didn’t handle their pressure very well," Bruins guard Jerime Anderson said. "We didn’t execute very well in the first half, and that’s what led to us not making shots early and not getting a good start."
A victory would have given the Bruins a clear path to the tournament final after No. 9 seed Oregon State upset top-seeded Washington, the regular-season champion, 86-84 in an earlier game. Now Arizona will play OSU in the semifinals on Friday.
Howland praised the work of Wildcats forwards Jesse Perry and Solomon Hill, who combined for 41 points and 24 rebounds. They also made 24 of 27 free throws.
The Bruins’ big men couldn’t compare. Reserve Joshua Smith fouled out in nine minutes, and forward Travis Wear got his fifth personal with 2:52 left and the Bruins down by eight.
"All night long, we had problems matching up with Hill and Perry," Howland said. "They continued to hurt us with penetration, second shots."
So, given all their troubles and their plodding finish, how does UCLA view its season? Senior guard Lazeric Jones handled that one.
"It was up and down," he said. "A lot of teams go through ups and downs during the season. But the fact our players came out every game, regardless of what was going on off the court, I feel like they gave their all. We had our tough times, but this team as a family, we really stuck together."
