Arizona Streak Gets Martinized : UCLA: Senior guard hits the winning shot as Wildcats’ home string ends at 71 games. MacLean scores 38.

How many times in the last 3 1/2 seasons has UCLA Coach Jim Harrick flown into a rage after watching Darrick Martin attempt an off-balance running shot like the one Martin threw toward the rim Saturday with about three seconds left to play in the Bruins’ showdown with Arizona?

“A lot,” Harrick said.

But Harrick had no qualms with this one after it nestled into the net, giving the Bruins an 89-87 victory before 13,965 in the McKale Center and ending the nation’s longest home winning streak at 71 games.

Martin really had no other choice after penetrating from mid-court with Arizona freshman Damon Stoudamire sticking to him.

None of Stoudamire’s teammates helped out.

“I realized, ‘I’m either going to make this shot or miss it,’ ” Martin said. “If worse comes to worse, we go to overtime.”

Not even Harrick could argue.

“I wanted to get (any) shot,” said Harrick, who had pulled Martin earlier in the second half after the senior point guard had a similar shot blocked. “I’d rather have him shoot that shot than not get a shot at all.

“I wouldn’t have complained about that one because at that time of the game, you’ve got to take the best thing that’s available.”

In this case, the best thing available turned out to be good enough to keep UCLA unbeaten at 10-0, establish the second-ranked Bruins as the team to beat in the Pacific 10 Conference, send shock waves through the sea of red in the stands and sound a message across the land.

“We must be a pretty good team to come in here and beat them,” UCLA senior Don MacLean said after the sixth-ranked Wildcats fell to 10-2 by losing in the McKale Center for the first time since March 13, 1987.

Leading the way for UCLA were MacLean, Martin and Gerald Madkins, three seniors who had endured more aggravation in attempting to end the streak than any of their teammates:

--MacLean, exploiting a defense that Harrick said was designed to stop Tracy Murray, scored a season-high 38 points, made 15 of 23 shots and carried the Bruins down the stretch, scoring 16 of their last 19 points.

“I was feeling it today,” said MacLean, who also led the Bruins with nine rebounds. “I had a feeling that if I got the ball on the wing and any of their guys were sticking (to) me, I’d be able to score.”

At the end, he ran quickly off the floor to the locker room.

“I didn’t want to get anything thrown at me,” he said, smiling.

--Madkins, who had a cast removed from his broken left hand only 24 hours before the game, scored a season-high 11 points in 28 minutes, didn’t make a turnover and, most importantly, shut down Chris Mills, who led Arizona with 25 points but didn’t make another shot after drilling a three-pointer with 14:22 remaining to give the Wildcats a 58-52 lead, their biggest of the game.

--Martin, of course, made the game-winning shot, a runner from the left side of the lane, about 12 feet from the basket.

“At first, I thought it was going to be a little long,” he said. “But as it got closer to the rim, I knew it was going in.”

Less than 20 seconds earlier, Arizona’s Wayne Womack made an off-balance, turnaround jumper from the baseline that might have given the Wildcats the lead if Coach Lute Olson hadn’t been called for a technical foul with 5:55 remaining.

After official Tom Harrington whistled Olson for the technical, MacLean made four consecutive free throws and, after UCLA retained possession, Madkins added another, giving the Bruins an 81-74 lead with 5:49 to play.

Arizona battled back to tie but couldn’t pull it out.

The streak had run its course.

Bruin Notes

Lute Olson, on his technical: “I said nothing. I assume it was because I was trying to express something. If you ask me, I think it was retaliation for giving one earlier (to UCLA Coach Jim Harrick, who got one in the first half).” . . . Rodney Zimmerman and Mitchell Butler fouled out attempting to guard Arizona’s 6-foot-10 center, Sean Rooks, who scored 20 points but made only five of 13 shots.

Arizona’s 71-game home winning streak was not a school record. The Wildcats won 81 in a row from 1946 to 1952 in Bear Down Gym. . . . UCLA won 98 consecutive games at Pauley Pavilion between 1970 and 1976. . . . Kentucky won a national-record 129 consecutive home games between 1943 and 1955.