Clancy Turns Around His Slow Start

The 31-point effort against UCLA, equaling his career high, was a reminder of the tear Sam Clancy has been on the last month.

Since scoring a season-low five points against Pepperdine on Dec. 14, Clancy has averaged 20.4 points the last eight games. That’s a jump of six points from the 13.9 he averaged the first seven games of the season.

In the eight-game span he also has increased his rebound average from 6.0 to 7.9.

Also, Clancy has blocked 34 shots this season, five shy of the career high he set two years ago.

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Brandon Granville trudged through another subpar game against UCLA, scoring 10 points but taking only six shots, making two, and collecting eight turnovers.

Brian Scalabrine, who spent most of the game in foul trouble, never has been a factor on offense against the Bruins.

It was just the way UCLA Coach Steve Lavin and his staff devised their defense in the Bruins’ victory.

“Brandon sets the tempo for them, so we had to disrupt him as much as possible,” Lavin said. “And if Brian gets on a roll you can’t stop him. So we wanted to attack him as much as possible and try to get him in foul trouble.”