Shipp Leads No. 5 UCLA to 76-67 Victory

[January 04, 2008]  STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Josh Shipp scored 21 points and sparked a second-half surge that lead to No. 5 UCLA to a 76-67 victory over No. 24 Stanford on Thursday night in the Pac-10 opener for both teams.

The animated Shipp, the middle of three brothers who have played in the Pac-10, hit five 3-pointers, including one with four minutes left that gave the Bruins (13-1) an 11-point lead.

Shipp's older brother Joe played at California and his younger brother Jerren plays at Arizona State.

Russell Westbrook added 15 points for the defending Pac-10 champions, who won their sixth straight game and beat Stanford for the fourth time in five meetings. Kevin Love added 15 points for the Bruins.

Anthony Goods scored 17 points to lead the Cardinal (11-2), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped. Brook Lopez had 13 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the final three minutes. Robin Lopez also fouled out with eight points and 12 rebounds. Mitch Johnson scored 10 points.

UCLA sophomore forward James Keefe was pressed into service for the first time this year. He was scheduled to use his redshirt season following August surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder but injuries to Mustafa Adbul-Hamid and Michael Roll forced UCLA coach Ben Howland's hand.

Lorenzo Mata-Real, who missed the last game with a strained left groin, returned to the Bruins lineup.

Abdul-Hamid missed his sixth game with a stress reaction in his right foot and Roll reinjured the plantar fascia in his left foot on Dec. 31, and will miss at least three weeks.

Both teams outrebounded their opponents by 11 through the preseason, and rebounding was a point of emphasis for each squad. The Cardinal won the battle with 35 rebounds, four more than the Bruins.

Stanford was the first team which could match the Bruins' size and physicality, and vice versa. Second chances were rare. UCLA outmuscled the Cardinal, especially during a rough second half.

The Bruins had a chance to add to a slim lead when Stanford went three minutes without scoring midway through the second half, missing six shots during the span.

UCLA also went into a slight drought and the game remained close until Shipp hit a 3-pointer and another inside jumper to extend the Bruins lead to 61-51 with six minutes to play.

There were nine lead changes -- and the game was tied four times -- in the first half alone. The Bruins hit their first four 3-point tries and were 6-of-12 from long range in taking a 35-34 halftime lead.

[Associated Press]

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