No. 13 Is Too Easy for Bruins

UCLA has played so well in winning its first 13 games, its best start since the 1973-74 season, that sometimes even 20-point victories are less than satisfying for the Bruins.

Such was the case Thursday night, when UCLA rolled out to a 23-point halftime lead over California with a strong defensive effort, then seemed to lose interest before settling for an 86-66 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 15,039 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

“Our offense just carried us in the second half,” UCLA forward Don MacLean said. “We were scoring and offensive rebounding well enough--just getting enough points to where it wasn’t that hard for us to keep our lead. But you never want to finish a game on that type of note.”

Coach Jim Harrick wants his team to be more cold-blooded.

“That’s exactly what we talked about at halftime--sticking the dagger in,” Harrick said. “I just think that sometimes you get caught up in the type of game it is. Veteran guys say, (Shoot,) we’re going to beat these guys.”

And ultimately, of course, that’s exactly what the second-ranked Bruins did, moving into sole possession of first place in the Pacific 10 Conference race with a 5-0 record while keeping Cal (6-8 overall, 0-4 in the Pac-10) in the conference cellar.

MacLean led the Bruins with 28 points and eight rebounds, improving his scoring average in conference play to 26.8 points.

Tracy Murray scored 14 points, reserve Mitchell Butler had 13 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes, Shon Tarver scored 11 points and Gerald Madkins, returning to the starting lineup in place of Darrick Martin, had five assists and no turnovers.

Junior center Brian Hendrick, seemingly slowed not one bit by an ankle injury that sidelined him last week in a 77-61 loss to Stanford, had 22 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for Cal.

Cal is a young team, with five freshmen among Coach Lou Campanelli’s regular rotation of nine players. Three freshmen--guard K.J. Roberts and forwards Lamond Murray and Alfred Grigsby--started against UCLA.

“We’re a year or so away from being able to knock off some of the top teams,” Campanelli said before the game. “We’re just too inexperienced.”

Cal might have had a better chance to beat UCLA at Harmon Arena, its cozy on-campus facility, where fans sit on top of the action.

“It’s a give and take, just like life,” Campanelli said. “It’s kind of tough to give up your home court, but if you have the interest, it’s good to test the waters and see what you can draw (in a larger facility). It’s a chance for more revenue, and 8,000 more people get to see you play.”

And lose--usually.

Cal has played five games in the Coliseum Arena since the 1973-74 season, losing four, including an 83-60 defeat to UCLA in 1974.

In the Bears’ latest loss in Oakland, Hendrick won the tip, but Cal’s first possession ended with an air ball by Roberts, who put up a running jumper from the foul line as the time clock was about to run out.

Their next time down, the Bears had a shot blocked.

UCLA jumped to an 8-2 lead as Tracy Murray made two three-point shots in the first 2 1/2 minutes, one from each side of the court.

The Bruins steadily pulled away after that, making 58.8% of their first-half shots and ending the half with a 12-0 run to open a 50-27 lead. By halftime, MacLean already had 17 points and six rebounds.

Cal never got closer than 14 points in the second half.

Bruin Notes

Said Cal Coach Lou Campanelli, whose team lost to third-ranked Oklahoma State, 76-62, last month at Stillwater, Okla., comparing the Cowboys and the second-ranked Bruins: “They’re both great teams. They both play great man-to-man defense. UCLA has got a little more firepower.”. . . Cal, which hopes to build a 15,000-seat on-campus arena in the next four years, will play Stanford at the Oakland Coliseum Arena next month, with that game also expected to sell out.