Picture Looks Familiar as Bruins Do the Waves

Blown out by UCLA last season at Pauley Pavilion, intrepid Pepperdine ventured into Westwood again Saturday night with a more experienced, more highly regarded team. The Waves suffered the same fate as a year ago and headed back to Malibu.

The Bruins embarrassed them, 98-58, in front of 10,413.

“We were awful and they were tremendous,” Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury said. “I don’t know what you say after a debacle like that.”

Asbury must have thought he was looking at videotape.

As they did last season in a 108-85 victory over Pepperdine, the Bruins shot 62.5% in the first half to take control.

Last season, their halftime lead over the Waves was 22 points.

This time, it was 23, but the Bruins weren’t about to coast--not after blowing much of a 25-point lead last week in a 68-57 victory over Cal State Long Beach that was less than satisfying.

“All I heard all week long was, ‘You guys better be ready to play. You guys better be ready to play,’ ” UCLA guard Gerald Madkins said. “So we just came out and we were ready to play.

“I don’t know if that’s a true indication of how good they really are, but I’m telling you, we’re for real this year. It ain’t no joke no more. People can say all they want about last year, losing in the (first round of) the NCAA tournament, but we’re a totally different team.

“Our capabilities are just. . . . It scares me when I think of our capabilities.”

Said UCLA Coach Jim Harrick, eyeing a sheet that showed UCLA had shot 59.7%: “We really executed our offense as well as we have the last two years.”

The Bruins weren’t bad defensively, either.

“They’re better than people give them credit for defensively,” Asbury said, aware that Pepperdine had made a season-worst 39.6% of its shots. “I think they’re a little more focused defensively.”

The Waves came in shooting 56.1% and feeling confident.

Dating to Jan. 11, they had won 20 of 21 games, their only loss coming against Seton Hall in the first round of the NCAA tournament in March, when they were without their best player, Doug Christie, who was sidelined by a knee injury.

Off to their best start since 1983, the defending West Coast Conference champions had won their first four games this season, blowing out Jacksonville, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Boise State and Nevada by an average of 23 points.

But Asbury knew this game would be different.

“They’re so versatile offensively, both in the set offense and in transition, that you just can’t have any lapses or they’ll run off a big streak,” he said of the Bruins. “And then (when you fall behind), it’s very difficult to climb that hill, especially on the road.”

Asbury also was afraid of the Bruins’ superior depth.

“If you don’t guard them and don’t get back, they’re a really, really good team,” Asbury said of the Bruins, who got 26 points from Tracy Murray, 19 from Mitchell Butler and 18 from Don MacLean.

UCLA opened the game with an 11-0 run, taking advantage as Pepperdine’s first five possessions resulted in a missed jump shot by Christie, two turnovers by Dana Jones and two missed layups by center Derek Noether.

Later, after Harrick went to his bench, reserve guard Darrick Martin, a former starter, came on and contributed two assists, a steal and a hanging jump shot from the lane in his first two minutes.

He ended the game with 11 assists in only 20 minutes.

Butler, another former starter, provided a spectacular dunk on a follow shot later in the half.

UCLA’s lead grew to 28 points as Murray bombed the Waves from the outside, hitting four of five three-point shots, eight of 10 shots overall and finishing the half with 20 points.

Bruin Notes

UCLA is 3-0. . . . UCLA’s Jiri Zidek had to leave the game in the second half, again complaining of heart palpitations. Zidek experienced the same trouble last month in an exhibition game, was held out of practice for a week, examined and put on medication. “This really, really concerns me,” Coach Jim Harrick said. “I don’t know what we’ll do. That’s out of my hands.” Zidek will be examined again Monday, and his level of medication will be checked. . . . Darrick Martin and Mitchell Butler started the second half for UCLA. . . . Butler made all eight of his shots. . . . Mike Lanier, UCLA’s 7-foot-6 transfer from Hardin-Simmons, made his Pauley Pavilion debut and brought the crowd to its feet--and his teammates off the bench--when he made a short hook shot with 1:43 remaining.