COLLEGE BASKETBALL 1995-96 : Bruins Get Big Aloha : UCLA: Maui Invitational is not good to Harrick’s team, which loses again, this time to Vanderbilt, 75-71.

Coming soon to an arena near you and far away from these sandy beaches: the new age UCLA Bruins, suddenly 1-2 and scrambling to keep the lid on.

Can anybody say . . . lowered expectations?

Outplayed and upset for the second time in three days by a far less talented team in the Maui Invitational, uneasy once again in a half-court game, UCLA ambled off the Lahaina Civic Center court Wednesday after its 75-71 loss to Vanderbilt groping for consolation.

“We always stand tall and are proud of what we do,” Coach Jim Harrick said. “It’s just November. They remember how you finish in March.”

Last season, UCLA finished well, as evidenced by the national title banner that will be permanently lifted into the Pauley Pavilion rafters Wednesday, before the Bruins’ game against Cal State Fullerton.

But this is the first UCLA team to begin a season 1-2 since the 1987-88 Walt Hazzard-coached squad, which started 1-3, and finished 15-14. And the only team to have a less successful Maui tournament was host Chaminade, which went 0-3.

“It’s not that hard to believe,” said sophomore guard Toby Bailey, who rebounded from a scoreless first half to lead the Bruins’ second-half rally with 12 points.

“We’re a young team. And these games really don’t matter. We’ve got to learn some stuff and get our chemistry right for the rest of the season. We learned a lot of things in this tournament, and now we know what we have to do.”

More precisely, in the first-round loss to Santa Clara on Monday, the less-than-dazzling victory over Wisconsin on Tuesday and Wednesday’s anxiety-filled 40 minutes, the Bruins showed themselves exactly what they cannot do if they hope to stay afloat through a tough nonconference schedule and what promises to be a tough conference race.

UCLA turned the ball over 11 times and shot only 36% in a shoddy first half Wednesday, at the same time allowing room for Vanderbilt’s smooth outside shooters to make six three-point baskets, which helped the Commodores to a 42-34 halftime lead.

Commodore point guard Frank Seckar and forward Drew Maddux made eight of 18 shots from three-point distance and totaled 35 points. Forward Malik Evans led Vanderbilt with 20 points on eight-of-11 shooting.

Although the Bruins took the lead with 9:58 left in the game, 55-54, on Bailey’s shooting and another strong performance by J.R. Henderson, who had 16 points and 15 rebounds, Vanderbilt (2-1) was able to draw a foul or grab an errant UCLA pass or hit an open basket every time it had to down the stretch.

When the buzzer sounded, Vanderbilt, 13-15 last season, exploded in a court-side celebration.

“We felt better,” said forward Charles O’Bannon, who had 14 points, eight rebounds and five turnovers. “We had a good run in the end, but we just ended up dying.”

Point guard Cameron Dollar had another shaky game, making only one of eight shots and having trouble running the offense.

“This is his first time as being the man, running the show,” Harrick said of Dollar. “He had a great game against Arkansas [in last season’s national championship game], but that was an open-court, open-floor game. Most of these games have been half-court games, and you’ve got to slow it down, get under balance.”

Last season, with a senior-driven team, the Bruins lost only two games. This time, with no senior playing significantly, UCLA could lose three or four before January.

“I’m disappointed about losing, but . . . I’m trying to learn what these kids can and what they can’t do when they step out on the floor,” Harrick said.

“I thought we did some things well, and we did some things not so well. When you miss foul shots and lay-ins and turn the ball over, you’re going to get beat.”

Bailey, for his part, rejected the notion that the young Bruins, used to last season’s title accolades, have gotten big-headed and lazy.

“It’s not that at all,” Bailey said. “This is a whole different season. Those other teams practice too, and they have seniors. There’s still not anybody in this tournament that has as much talent as we have.”

* MOVING ON: Arizona beats Michigan to reach final of Preseason NIT against Georgetown. C6