Miller-Led Bruins Get 84-64 Win : Forward Draws Some Rave Reviews From Hazzard

Walt Hazzard ticked off the names of the great marksmen of his time, the men who had awed him during his 10-year pro career: “Jerry West . . . Lou Hudson . . . Jeff Mullins . . . Fred Brown.”

“But none of them can shoot the ball the way he does,” the UCLA coach said, shaking his head and referring to Reggie Miller.

Miller, the 6-7 junior forward, had just scored 28 points to lead the Bruins to an 84-64 victory over Cal State Long Beach before 7,735 fans at Pauley Pavilion Saturday night.

Miller was appreciative of such a compliment but really didn’t think he had been anything special.

“It was a very quiet 28 points,” said Miller, who scored 18 in the first half. “There were a few four- to five-minute spans when I didn’t do much.”

But he did enough to convince Long Beach Coach Ron Palmer.

“I was hoping we could hold him below 20, but when you’re shooting 25-footers . . . “

He wanted to say, “How do you defend against that?” but his voice trailed off.

Miller, who came into the game with a 26-point average, made his 25-footers as if they were layups.

His shots arch toward the basket with the softness of a summer breeze before gently flicking through the net.

“He shoots deeper than anyone,” Hazzard said.

Despite such unlikely range, Miller entered the game shooting 66% from the field, and improved on that with a 10-for-13 performance.

“I work hard on my shooting,” Miller said. “I take 250 shots before practice and 250 shots after practice.”

Miller’s finesse was nicely complemented by some force on the part of his teammates.

Kelvin Butler and Craig Jackson showed enough muscle to impress any beach.

“Kelvin gave us some firepower inside,” Hazzard said.

Butler had 8 rebounds and 12 points, 10 in the second half.

Jackson, who had 7 rebounds, came in for starting center Jack Haley early in the first half to stir things up underneath.

His follow shot put the Bruins (3-1) in front, and from that point they never trailed.

Then, following a Miller jumper, Jackson made a flying one-handed rebound of a Pooh Richardson shot, and while still in the air, slammed the ball through the hoop.

Long Beach reserve guard Morlon Wiley put a halt to the momentum that Jackson had generated when he entered the game and made two quick baskets to cut the lead to 22-18.

But in the next 2:41, UCLA outscored the 49ers, 10-4, behind the outside shooting of Miller and Richardson and an inside muscle shot by Butler.

The Bruins had their biggest lead of the first half when Butler grabbed a rebound and threw an overhead length-of-the floor pass to Miller, who made a layup.

But the 49ers, behind Wiley, cut the lead to five at halftime.

That was as close as Long Beach could get as UCLA moved quickly to a double-figure lead and maintained it. Ineffective in close against Butler and Jackson, the 49ers (2-3) had to rely mostly on the outside shooting of Wiley, who led them with 16 points.

“I was disappointed with our play inside,” Palmer said. “It was very sporadic--very, very poor.”

The 49ers shot only 34% from the floor in the second half and 41% for the game. UCLA shot 56.9%.

Guard Montel Hatcher had 14 points for the Bruins. Freshman Andre Purry had 12 for Long Beach, and Billy Walker added 10.

“That Long Beach team will beat some teams, I guarantee you,” Hazzard said. “They didn’t quit the whole game.”

But they didn’t have a Reggie Miller.

Bruin Notes

The victory was UCLA’s 300th in Pauley Pavilion. Their record there in 20 years is 300-23. . . . Reggie Miller had a string of 22 straight free throws snapped when he missed one early in the second half. . . . The Bruins’ next game is Saturday at 12:45 against St. John’s in Pauley Pavilion.