Center of Attention Haskin Handles UCLA

After practice Friday night, the UCLA basketball team braved freezing temperatures to give its bus a push start.

In the second half Saturday, it was the Bruins who needed a boost.

Oregon State made 58.3% of its shots after halftime and defeated UCLA, 79-73, before a crowd of 9,632 in Gill Coliseum.

Leading the way for the Beavers was center Scott Haskin, a senior from Beaumont High in Riverside County who scored 22 points, took 17 rebounds and forced the Bruins to abandon their aggressive defensive style.

Three of UCLA’s four centers--starter Richard Petruska and reserves George Zidek and Rodney Zimmerman--ended the game with four fouls.

UCLA Coach Jim Harrick switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone midway through the second half in an effort to slow Haskin--or at least keep UCLA’s centers in the game--but Beaver guard Charles McKinney took advantage of the openings created by the move, making four of seven three-point shots and scoring all 16 of his points after halftime.

“I thought he was unquestionably the deciding factor in the game,” UCLA forward Mitchell Butler said of Haskin. “McKinney stepped up toward the end, but (Haskin) dominated the middle and forced us to really move away from our pressure defense on the perimeter and pack it in on the inside.”

A three-point shot by McKinney from beyond the top of the key gave Oregon State the lead for good, 68-67, with 4:25 to play.

McKinney later stole the ball from UCLA’s Tyus Edney and made a baseline jump shot, giving the Beavers a 74-69 lead with 1:01 remaining, and added two free throws with 28 seconds left, making it 76-71.

UCLA still had a chance, but Kevin Dempsey’s inbounds pass after McKinney’s second free throw sailed through the hands of Butler and into the arms of Beaver forward Chad Scott, who made three free throws in the final 22 seconds and finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

“The end of the game typified our performance, when Butler let the ball go through his hands,” Harrick said.

UCLA fell to 11-4 overall and 2-2 in the Pacific 10.

“We were picked fourth in the conference by the media and the coaches,” Harrick said. “That’s probably where we belong. It’s no surprise to get beat up here. The coaches picked Oregon State to win the league (in an informal poll). We knew what they had.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game. We just expect to perform just a little bit better in tough situations.”

Oregon State has won its last six games after a 2-5 start.

The Beavers (8-5, 4-0) struggled against a formidable nonconference schedule last month, but they came into the game on a roll.

“Let’s say we’re playing better,” Coach Jim Anderson said before the game. “We’re starting to play better defense. But more than that, we’ve had a very difficult schedule and we’ve gained experience.

“By being where we were on the road, against all those quality teams, we’ve gotten some toughness to us. I think our schedule has made us into a very competitive team at this point.”

Poor shooting hampered the Beavers in the first half.

They missed 22 of their first 30 shots while falling behind, 24-16, but caught the Bruins late in the half with a 10-2 run.

UCLA, which outshot Oregon State in the half, 57.1% to 35.7%, regained the lead on a dunk by Butler and built it to 36-30.

The Bruins led at halftime, 38-33, but they went cold in the second half, making only 40.6% of their shots.

Bruin Notes

UCLA is 3-11 against Oregon State at Corvallis since the 1978-79 season, and is 1-4 in Gill Coliseum under Coach Jim Harrick. . . . Sophomore forward Ed O’Bannon had another big game for UCLA, scoring 26 points. . . . In four Pac-10 games, O’Bannon is averaging 25 points and has made 69% of his shots. . . . UCLA made 48.3% of its shots, failing to make at least 50% for the first time in eight games. . . . Oregon State has made more free throws this season than its opponents have attempted.

* USC DEFEATS OREGON

The Trojans make only three of 20 three-point attempts but manage to beat the Ducks, 69-58. C8