<p>Russell Westbrook?s assignment on Saturday was daunting.
<br/>The trailing Bruins desperately needed a defensive and offensive spark from Westbrook, who was playing his first game in the raucous surroundings of McArthur Court.
<br/>The freshman guard didn?t disappoint.
<br/>Westbrook fended off the crowd and was great on both ends of the court for the Bruins. He scored 10 points in 13 minutes of action and played spirited defense against Oregon?s backcourt. UCLA coach Ben Howland said the freshman?s performance against Oregon was Westbrook?s best game as a Bruin.
<br/>?It was my first time being in a real hostile environment,? Westbrook said after the game. ?Coach asks me to come in and penetrate the gaps. I?m just trying to come in and do exactly what he says.?
<br/><a target=_blank href=/graphics/2007/01/09/sp.mbballntbk.gfx.1-9.BIG.jpg><img align=left src=/graphics/2007/01/09/sp.mbballntbk.gfx.1-9.small.jpg></a>Westbrook?s game has been noticeably more aggressive lately, and he had been giving the Bruins a reliable lift as a substitute. While his defense has been consistently solid all year long, Westbrook has recently been attacking the basket more and hasn?t been afraid to pull up and shoot.
<br/>?I think he?s been playing real well,? sophomore point guard Darren Collison said. ?Coming off the bench is hard to do. But Russell has managed to do that and he?s giving us a great spark off the bench.?</p>