Bruins get a rolling start in this victory

So far this season, hot-shooting Michael Roll has resisted the temptation to ask for more minutes.

“I just don’t want to cause any stir amongst the team,” he says.

But on Saturday, the junior swingman -- getting his first start of the year -- made a fairly loud and convincing argument on the court.

With an almost perfect shooting night and a string of baskets at the start of the second half, Roll helped power 14th-ranked UCLA past Mercer, 76-59, at Pauley Pavilion.

“I didn’t want to press it tonight, just kind of let the flow of the game come to me,” he said, later adding: “Obviously, yeah, I would like to start.”

Now begins the speculation about how many more minutes he should get on a team that has recently struggled from outside.

The Bruins came into the game making 34% of their three-point attempts. Roll, meanwhile, had shot 52% from long range and hit four of five against Mercer, scoring a total of 16 points.

Coach Ben Howland also praised his passing and his work on defense.

“He’s a much better defender,” Howland said. “He’s playing the best basketball of his career.”

But his opportunity against Mercer came about only because of an injury to starter Josh Shipp, who sprained a ligament in his left thumb and remains doubtful for Tuesday night’s game against Wyoming.

Shipp has been shooting 42% from the field, 20% from three-point range. Howland likes his defense, his leadership and the fact that he has led the team in defensive rebounds, the coach pointing out that “the swelling has already gone down dramatically” in his injured hand.

Which might still leave Roll looking for space in a backcourt that includes point guard Darren Collison, who scored a game-high 20 points against Mercer.

“He had the ability to pick it up just at the right time,” Mercer Coach Bob Hoffman said of Collison. “He kept making those big shots which really stopped our runs.”

The visiting Bears have road victories over Alabama and Auburn on their resume this season, but looked out of sync at the start. Bothered by UCLA’s man-to-man defense, they settled for low-percentage shots, making only one of their first nine.

At the other end of the court, the Bruins shot a torrid 66% in the first 10 minutes, hitting their jump shots and getting penetration.

Howland had been particularly concerned about Mercer point guard James Florence and forward Daniel Emerson, but as the Bears finally settled down -- and UCLA finally cooled down -- it was forward Calvin Henry who did most of the damage.

Scoring on a baseline jumper and a pair of drives, Henry kept his team within nine points through the first half.

Shipp watched all this from the end of the bench, dressed in a black coat, black shirt and a not-so-matching beige bandage on his injured hand. He had a good vantage point for Roll’s hot streak in the second half.

First came a baseline jumper. Then a pair of three-pointers. Then a driving floater that trickled in off the front of the rim.

The Bruins had a comfortable lead they would never come close to relinquishing.

As usual, center Alfred Aboya led the team with seven rebounds and freshman guard Malcolm Lee contributed good minutes off the bench. UCLA forced 20 turnovers.

“This is a tough environment,” Hoffman said of Pauley Pavilion. “They are a championship team.”

After the game, much of the talk focused on Roll, who is coming back from two foot injuries that kept him sidelined last season.

About the only thing Howland could find to criticize about him was his choice in girlfriends: Apparently, he is dating a USC student.

“We’re a little concerned about that,” the coach said.

Roll, in typical low-key fashion, did not want to raise a fuss. Asked about the young woman, he replied: “No comment.”

--

david.wharton@latimes.com

--

Up next

VS. WYOMING

Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Pauley Pavilion, Prime Ticket: The Bruins face a 9-1 Wyoming team that has played a favorable early schedule. The Cowboys defeated Loyola Marymount by seven points last week.

-- David Wharton