Bruins Play Fast, and Loose

For seven glorious minutes in each half, UCLA played sound basketball, displaying patience, making crisp passes and shooting well.

Few Bruin fans observed this rare occurrence because the Pacific 10 Conference opener at Washington was not televised.

The initial spell of solid play led to an early 17-point lead, and the second enabled the Bruins to withstand a surge by the Huskies and win, 77-67, Thursday night at Bank of America Arena.

In between, the Bruins reverted to their well-chronicled sloppy ways, committing a mind-boggling 29 turnovers and nearly letting the cold-shooting Huskies steal a victory in front of 7,591.

UCLA fans did not need a telecast to get an idea of how the stretches of poor play looked. Popping in a tape of losses to San Diego, Duke, Kansas, et al., would suffice.

“I won’t be watching this film,” said point guard Ryan Walcott, who had six turnovers. “A win is a win, and we needed it. But it wasn’t pretty at times.”

The high points, though, were worth taping for posterity.

Jason Kapono found the jump shot that had gone AWOL during a three-game losing streak, scoring 15 points and making three of five from three-point range.

Andre Patterson was savage in the paint, posting his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, plus five blocked shots.

T.J. Cummings tied a career high with nine rebounds, made all six of his free throws and scored 16 points

Dijon Thompson shook off a sore knee to log 25 minutes, make five of seven shots for 14 points and supply calm down the stretch after earlier committing eight turnovers.

“I didn’t think I’d play so many minutes, but my knee feels good; it’s not even swollen,” he said.

The Bruins (3-5) shared the ball in transition, converting numerous layups. They dominated the paint, outrebounding Washington, 44-30. They made 17 of 18 free throws, easily a season best.

And they played with dogged determination on defense, holding the Huskies (5-5) to 33.3% shooting and not letting their own fumble fingers dampen their spirit.

As UCLA ran down the final seconds, an exuberant Coach Steve Lavin went down the bench and slapped the hand of each reserve and assistant coach.

“The kids kept their heads up when things didn’t go our way,” Lavin said. “They played through the turnovers, which isn’t easy to do when you are 2-5.”

UCLA had difficulty breaking Washington’s full-court press, especially early in the second half when a 37-29 Bruin halftime lead disappeared under a mountain of miscues. The Huskies tied the score, 41-41, but strong inside moves by Kapono, Walcott and Cedric Bozeman resulted in consecutive baskets and a six-point cushion.

The Bruins never did find the handle on the ball, turning it over on four of five possessions while protecting the lead. But they hustled back on defense and Washington remained frigid.

“We kept plugging,” Kapono said. “That’s our new theory. We are all going to screw up, so just keep fighting.”

Seven minutes after Washington made it 41-all, UCLA led, 65-48, despite turning the ball over four times. Kapono and Thompson made three-pointers in a span of six seconds, and Cummings, Walcott and Thompson scored on fastbreaks.

“We got the ball inside and got a lot of high-percentage looks,” Lavin said.

Early on, UCLA accomplished its offensive objectives, scoring from the key and in transition. Kapono, who had made only 11 of 34 shots the previous three games, missed his first three, then made four of his next five, including two from three-point range.

Washington made only eight of 33 shots in the half.

“It was a disappointing loss,” said Husky Coach Lorenzo Romar, a former UCLA assistant. “We came in with momentum and confidence that we wanted to continue.”