LOS ANGELES_Bryce Alford spent the final five seconds of the performances that would make him Pac-12 Conference player of the week on the bench.
He wasn't hurt. He wasn't in foul trouble. He wasn't celebrating a blowout victory.
He just wasn't the best defensive option.
With UCLA leading Utah by one point and needing a final stop Saturday at the Huntsman Center, Bruins Coach Steve Alford inserted guard Aaron Holiday in place of his son.
"We wanted to be long, we wanted to be even more athletic, we were only guarding for five seconds," Steve Alford said Tuesday, "so we went with that lineup."
Smart move. UCLA prevailed after forward TJ Leaf contested Kyle Kuzma's three-point attempt that was off the mark and Bruins center Thomas Welsh grabbed the rebound in an eventual 83-82 triumph.
Bryce Alford's feelings weren't hurt by being out of the game. Not even close.
"We had one possession left in the game, basically, and it was a defensive possession, so we put one of our best defenders in," he said. "I don't blame him."
Steve Alford praised his son for his improvement on defense this season and said he would be on the court at the end of many games depending on need.
"There are some times he'll be on the floor, there's other times where we need an offensive play, a free throw or a jump shot or whatever it may be," Steve Alford said. "Lineups can change."
Bryce Alford's Pac-12 player-of-the-week award was the second of his career. He finished UCLA's first road sweep of the mountain schools in four years averaging 26 points while shooting 57 percent and making 12 three-pointers in the two games.
