Thrust into the starting lineup out of necessity against Pepperdine, freshman Josh Shipp made a strong case to stay there. Shipp, who started at wing in place of injured senior Dijon Thompson, scored 15 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and helped spark a late UCLA surge as the Bruins nipped the Waves 85-83 Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. That performance was enough to persuade UCLA coach Ben Howland to consider giving Shipp the starting nod Saturday against Michigan regardless of whether the cut on Thompson’s shooting hand has healed enough for him to play. “I can’t argue with 15 and 12, playing good defense and being smart,” Howland said. “Whether or not Josh starts, he’s going to play more and more minutes if he keeps playing like this.” The least heralded of UCLA’s three freshman guards coming out of high school, Shipp had displayed flashes of his potential earlier this season, but seemed to put it all together against Pepperdine. Making his first career start, Shipp played a team-high 36 minutes, posting a double-double and shooting 7-for-12 from the field. All seven of his second-half points came in the final eight minutes including a crucial three-pointer that cut the Pepperdine lead 74-72 with 5:40 left to play. “I didn’t realize I was that wide open,” Shipp said. “But once I let it go, it felt real good.” Perhaps Shipp’s biggest play came on the defensive end of the floor. With 1:17 remaining and the Waves clinging to a two-point lead, he secured a crucial steal, stepping in front of Pepperdine forward Glen McGowan, who had camped out on the right block. “Josh made some huge plays tonight,” Howland said. “I can’t emphasize enough how good he was tonight.” Good enough to earn a spot in the starting lineup? Shipp laughed. “That’s coach’s decision,” he said.
IN THE ZONE: Strictly a man-to-man team in the early part of the season, UCLA surprised Pepperdine by utilizing a two-three zone during the majority of the game. The ploy seemed to confuse the Waves early in the first half as the Bruins raced out to a 21-8 lead. Though Pepperdine got more comfortable attacking the zone in the second half, shooting over 60 percent from the field, Howland said it served its purpose. “It really helped us,” Howland said. “We’re down in numbers here now, so when you look at the minutes played, it’s easier on us to play zone than man-to-man. I thought we had our legs at the end to make our foul shots.” Though Howland maintained that he prefers man-to-man defense, he said he wouldn’t hesitate to play zone if it made sense strategically. “We’ll do whatever we can to scheme and work toward our personnel,” he said.
FEY AILING: A sore knee didn’t seem to give junior center Michael Fey too many problems against Pepperdine. Fey, who bumped the knee against Boston College last Sunday, scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds. Howland said MRI results on Fey’s knee were negative, but that the 7-footer would sit out practice early this week.