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Behind senior Dijon Thompson's career-high 29 points, UCLA defeated Michigan 81-79 Saturday after

Instead of chatting with friends, watching some television or catching up on lost sleep, Dijon Thompson spent his study breaks during finals week at UCLA, well, studying.

Once UCLA coach Ben Howland informed him early last week that he would be making a switch from wing to power forward, the senior took it upon himself to learn the nuances of the position.

To say the least, Thompson aced his final test of the week. Playing his first game since tearing the webbing between the index and middle fingers on his shooting hand earlier this month, Thompson scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Bruins past Michigan 81-79 Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

“I knew I had to learn the position and find the spots on the floor where I could thrive," Thompson said. “I’ve never played the post before, and it’s a big responsibility in our system. But I’ve been watching film, learning how to play the role, and it paid off.”

Even with the two fingers taped together and 13 stitches still in place, Thompson made a seamless transition from wing to power forward on the offensive end of the floor.

Taking advantage of his superior quickness, he repeatedly beat the brawnier Michigan big men off the dribble in the first half. Once the Wolverines (6-5) made the adjustment at halftime, Thompson too changed his strategy, scorching the defense from the perimeter.

The senior hit 12 of his 14 shots, including the go-ahead 3-pointer from the top of the key with 44 seconds left that gave UCLA (6-1) a 78-77 lead.

“Dijon had his best game as a Bruin,” said Howland, who plans to start Thompson at power forward in place of junior Ryan Hollins for Tuesday’s game at Michigan State and keep freshman Josh Shipp in the lineup at wing.

“He didn’t press today. He let the game come to him. Teams are going to be hard-pressed to match up with us defensively with him at the four.”

Indeed, Michigan did have trouble stopping the four-guard alignment as UCLA shot a season-high 58.7 percent from the field. But the Bruins also struggled to match up with the bigger, bulkier Wolverines in the paint, surrendering 21 points to 6-foot-11, 225-pound forward Chris Hunter and 17 points to 6-11, 245-pound center Courtney Sims.

But with the game on the line, the UCLA defense stiffened.

Trailing 75-69 with 3:46 remaining, the Bruin defense, buoyed by a vocal crowd of 10,782, forced three Michigan turnovers and sparked a decisive 9-2 run. Thompson collected five points, two rebounds and a steal during the spurt, capping it with his bandaged hand raised in triumph as his 3-pointer – a high arcing 22-footer shot over a Jordan Farmar screen – rattled through the rim to regain the lead for UCLA.

“Coach said in the huddle that I was going to be wide open because they’re not going to be able to guard me coming off picks,” Thompson said. “There was a lot of space between me and the defender, so I shot it and it went in.”

The Wolverines, who were playing without three injured starters, including standout guard Daniel Horton, still had a chance to tie the game on their final possession. After Farmar went 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 7.8 seconds remaining, Michigan guard Dion Harris took the inbound pass and drove at UCLA freshman Arron Afflalo. But his last-second runner never had a chance, caroming harmlessly off the glass as time expired and giving the Bruins perhaps their most impressive victory of the season.

“They needed a layup, so I knew he would be trying to go to the basket and draw a foul,” Afflalo said. “I just wanted to keep my space, force him to jump stop and make a tough shot.”

Securing the victory was especially meaningful for Howland because the Bruins retired former UCLA great Gail Goodrich’s No. 25 jersey at halftime. Dozens of Bruin legends, including Ed O’Bannon, Bill Walton and Walt Hazzard, attended the game to honor Goodrich, 61, a member of UCLA’s first two national championship teams in 1964 and ’65.

Fittingly, the Bruins defeated Michigan in the 1965 NCAA championship game, with Goodrich scoring 42 points.

Though Thompson did not match Goodrich’s scoring output that night, Howland was pleased with the performance of his senior leader. He also marveled at the resolve of his young team, which also came back from a late deficit against Pepperdine last Saturday.

“We’ve had two games in a row where battled back and found a way to win,” Howland said. “It shows a lot of character and a lot of toughness. I really like that about this team.”