Courtside fans across from the UCLA bench had a perfect view of one of the worst imaginable sights midway through the first half Thursday night.
Bruins center Thomas Welsh rolled over on his side only a few feet away, clutching his left knee in anguish. Pauley Pavilion got so quiet you could have heard a championship banner drop.
UCLA had lost three consecutive games and could hardly afford to lose its best post player while trailing California by 11 points in the early going of a must-win situation on its home court. Welsh had to be helped off the court and into the locker room, his return uncertain because of a sprained left knee.