Bruins Do a Number on Huskies, Score 101

UCLA Coach Jim Harrick was reading down the statistics sheet as best he could with a hoarse voice that was no more than a cracking, squeaky whisper from a cold, he said, not from the team meeting after the Arizona disaster--and he concluded that the Bruins’ 101-78 victory over Washington at Pauley Pavilion Thursday night was an all-around success.

He found five Bruins in double figures, including Kevin Walker and Pooh Richardson with 22 points each. He found his team shooting 59%. He found Richardson with 13 assists and Walker making six of 10 three-pointers.

“Now, that’s the way to play basketball,” he croaked.

Asked if maybe those figures said something about Washington’s defense, Harrick balked. Finally, he admitted, “Well, yeah. . . . But I can’t worry about somebody else. We’re both coming off devastating losses.”

Why should he put down the Huskies? Sure they were still reeling from their 40-point defeat by Oregon State when they lost this one by 23. But why be negative when it’s so much nicer to say that the Bruins bounced back big from their 38-point loss at Arizona to look awesome in a much-needed rout.

Besides boosting the Bruin confidence, the big win raised the Bruins’ record to 17-7 overall and 11-4 in the Pac-10. The Bruins are tied with Oregon State for third place, behind Arizona and Stanford.

Washington dropped to 10-15 overall, 6-10 in the Pac-10.

The Huskies had managed to stay within reach through the first half, and an incredible shot by guard Steve Hall, a 30-footer that just beat the buzzer at the end of the first half and banked in, put Washington within six points.

But when the Bruins hit 12 of their first 13 shots to start the second half, the runaway was on, and the small crowd of 5,276 was screaming for 100 points.

Washington Coach Andy Russo said: “In the second half, we got a little impatient and cranked a couple bad ones up there. We shot the ball a little too quick, and they picked up the rebound--which picked up their break.”

UCLA did almost all of its scoring off its transition game, which was humming, and its outside shooting, which was hot.

“Every time I looked up, they had a three-on-two situation,” Russo said. “They’re just very difficult to contain.”

When the Huskies did manage to get back in time to set up a defense, they were using a zone more often than anyone had expected.

“Whenever I see a zone, my eyes just open up,” said Walker, who was wide-eyed over his 18 points from three-point range. “I didn’t expect to see zone at all.”

Harrick said that when Walker is set and not off-balance, he can shoot about 75% from that territory. “He is a threat,” Harrick said. “He’s somebody you have to have. I’ve given him the green light, as you saw. When he hits that shot, it’s devastating.”

Meanwhile, Wilson was making 7 of 10 shots, mainly from inside. And Don MacLean was making 6 of 12, also mostly inside.

Which explains why the poor Huskies were resorting to a zone against those two big guys inside. Harrick said: “I think they zoned us because they don’t feel they can stop Trevor Wilson one-on-one. That’s why we have Walker.”

The Bruins’ meeting Monday stressed playing as a team. And their game plan against the Huskies called for patience and confidence, for not pressing.

“We probably did as good a job as we’ve ever done at letting the game come to us,” Harrick said. “I tell them to wait for the shot to come, and when it comes, we’ll make it. Trevor is the guy who keys our team. Tonight, he led the way in letting the game come to him.”

Bruin Notes

The 101 points scored by UCLA Thursday night was a season high, as was the 59.1% shooting. . . . Pooh Richardson’s 22 points were a season high for him. . . . Kevin Walker has 81 three-pointers, a school record. The old record was 77 by Dave Immel. Walker’s six three-pointers Thursday were the second-highest number in a game for the Bruins. Reggie Miller had seven in a game two years ago against Washington State. . . . Top reserve guard Kevin Williams underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Thursday and will be out 10 to 12 days. Doctors had feared that he had torn cartilage in the knee, but they found--and removed--a band of fibrous tissue that had become inflamed.