Bruins Prevail in Exhibition

At the Pacific 10 Conference media day Wednesday morning, UCLA Coach Steve Lavin compared T.J. Cummings to Baron Davis and Jason Kapono, in terms of Cummings’ ability to adapt to college basketball as a freshman.

At the Bruins’ exhibition opener Wednesday night, Cummings played, well, like a freshman.

In six first-half minutes, he collected four fouls and two points.

In eight second-half minutes, he added eight more points before fouling out.

“Everything was going 100 mph,” said Cummings, who ended up making five of seven field-goal attempts. “The jitters lasted the whole first half.”

No worries Wednesday, not when the Bruins started the game with a 25-0 run and cruised to a 118-64 victory over Team Concept.

But the Bruins may worry if Cummings’ jitters are a factor in the season opener against Kansas next week.

At the end of the first half, with Cummings and center Dan Gadzuric in foul trouble and on the bench, the Bruins surrounded Matt Barnes with four perimeter players.

Winning with such a small lineup requires exceptional shooting; the Bruins shot 59% and sank 13 three-point shots.

Earl Watson led UCLA with 21 points. Kapono added 20.

Barnes had 13 points in a game-high 28 minutes. Billy Knight, who started ahead of Ray Young at shooting guard, was joined by Watson, Kapono, Barnes and Gadzuric in the opening lineup.