Harrick, MacLean Remain Unbeaten at UCLA, 97-87

Brigham Young forward Michael Smith was not the first person, and far from the only one, to note the difference between this season and last.

Brigham Young won its first 17 games last season, but after a 97-87 loss to UCLA Saturday, the Cougars have opened this one with a 1-3 record.

For UCLA, the difference is less dramatic--but clear, just the same. The Bruins handled BYU despite Smith’s 33-point, 9-rebound performance, and led by as many as 25 points before a crowd of 20,303 at the Marriott Center. Only a BYU 3-pointer with 7 seconds left cut the final margin to 10.

UCLA is 3-0 under Jim Harrick and has opened the season 2-0 on the road for the first time since 1983-84.

Besides Harrick, of course, there is at least one other major difference: freshman forward Don MacLean, who scored 26 points, leading UCLA in scoring, as he did in the previous two games. He scored his 26 points--the most in his 3-game career--on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line, and he also had 8 rebounds.

“I’ve seen Don play (in all-star games) with a lot of great runners and great dunkers,” Harrick said. “But he’s great within the framework of the game. And our offense is real good to him.”

UCLA forward Trevor Wilson had 25 points, tying his career high, and 14 rebounds. Seven of those were offensive rebounds, contributing to the Bruins’ 43-30 rebounding advantage over BYU, a team that has been out-rebounded in every game.

Last season, BYU didn’t lose until Feb. 6, when Alabama Birmingham beat the Cougars, 102-83.

This season, BYU has been picked to finish fifth in the 9-team Western Athletic Conference and has lost 3 straight games for the first time since 1985-86. That season’s losing streak was started by Harrick’s Pepperdine team.

“It’s different, coming off last year,” said Smith, a 6-foot 10-inch senior from Hacienda Heights Los Altos High School. “At this point last year, we hadn’t lost, and we didn’t lose for another 2 months.”

Smith found fault with his performance Saturday, after making 14 of 26 shots, including 3 of 7 3-pointers.

“If I had hit just 2 more 3-pointers in the first half, we might have been leading,” he said.

UCLA held a 47-43 halftime lead after having led by as many as 10 points in the first half. BYU, playing against a UCLA zone late in the half, hit 3 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes to close the lead.

But in the second half--in what Harrick called a decisive 9 minutes--UCLA stopped Andy Toolson, who had 3 3-pointers and 13 points in the first half, by putting Kevin Williams on him. Toolson finished with 18 points.

At the same time, 6-10 center Kevin Walker went to work from the outside, making 3 3-pointers. Walker finished with 13 points.

“We did a great job defensively the first 9 minutes,” Harrick said.

A 25-8 run in a 7-minute stretch put the Bruins ahead, 82-57, with 9 minutes to play.

BYU still had some fight, but it never cut the lead to single digits. Smith was probably the only person to criticize his game, which included a stretch in the second half in which he scored 11 consecutive points for BYU, as the Cougars closed what had been a 23-point lead to 15 points.

As Harrick put it: “Michael Smith--Hoo, boy.”

BYU is facing the prospect of a long season.

“Our club has a long way to go,” BYU Coach Ladell Andersen said. “We have some time before we arrive. . . . We were beaten by a very good team. They’ll be heard from in the Pac-10. They are going to win a lot of games.”

How good is UCLA, after decisive victories over Texas Tech, Miami and Brigham Young, which was upset Thursday night by Weber State? It’s still tough to tell, but the confidence of both the Bruins and their coach is building.

“I don’t base our performance on the teams we’ve played so far,” Wilson said. “I base it on how we play in practice, how we get along, whether we’re executing well. I don’t think it matters who we’re playing when we execute right. The uniforms and the names may change, but when we execute, we can score on anybody.”

Pooh Richardson, the only senior in UCLA’s starting lineup, compared this team to UCLA’s 1986-87 Pacific 10 Conference championship team, cautiously at first.

“This team--for the young guys, I don’t want them to get too big-headed--but I think it’s better. We can get points from Walker and the young guy Don and of course, Trevor. This team is just coached better. I think we’re under a great coach. I’m just proud.”

Richardson, who held Marty Haws well below his 18-point average, added 16 points and 12 assists with only 1 turnover. Haws had only 2 points until the final 4 minutes, and finished with 8 points.

“The team that beats us is going to have to be a team that played its best,” Richardson said. “We’re not going to give any games away, as opposed to last year. I don’t think we were all together last year. This year, it’s one effort.”

Bruin Notes

Don MacLean had foul trouble for the first time this season, picking up his third foul in the first half and his fourth foul with more than 13 minutes to play. But after sitting down, MacLean returned with more than 7 minutes to play and finished the game without fouling. . . . Jim Harrick was making a return of sorts. He was an assistant coach at Utah State in Logan, Utah, for 4 seasons beginning in 1973. Brigham Young Coach Ladell Andersen, who coached at Utah State from 1961-71, was athletic director at Utah State during Harrick’s time there. ... BYU forward Michael Smith was congratulatory after the game. “Sure, I’m sad about the loss,” he said, “but I’m glad to see UCLA on the rise again. The players definitely respect their coach. I know that from what they told me before and after the game.” . . . BYU had not lost a home opener since 1985. The UCLA victory broke a 2-game losing streak in the series, which BYU leads, 11-10. . . . UCLA shot 52.9% from the field and has shot at least 50.9% from the field in all 3 games. UCLA has out-rebounded its opponents, 127-90.