These Bruins Can’t Miss

There are numerous paths to self-discovery. UCLA found its way after three days of hula hoops.

A sloppy victory, an embarrassing defeat and, finally, a breathtaking performance that sends the Bruins home today thankful for the opportunity to discover an identity without having it handed to them on a stake by Duke.

It’s something the Bruins would never acknowledge, but they weren’t ready for the No. 1 Blue Devils this early. Probably not for No. 4 Kansas, either.

South Carolina, however, provided a perfect foil, and with a lei-clad contingent of fans chanting “Beat SC,” UCLA nearly set a school record by shooting 72.9% in an 89-77 victory Wednesday in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Coming as it did on the heels of an 18-point loss to Ball State, the effort was astounding. The Bruins played harder and smarter than the Gamecocks (1-2) from start to finish.

And UCLA made shooting look as easy as tossing pebbles into the Pacific. Had one more shot fallen, the Bruins would have broken the school record of 73.1% set in 1996 against the more familiar USC.

“We forced up a lot of shots from outside against Ball State,” guard Billy Knight said. “Coach gathered us up and said to work it inside. It helped everybody a lot.”

UCLA (2-1) made 35 of 48 shots and took only 10 three-point attempts, making six. Knight, who had 12 points, made three of four from long range and Jason Kapono, who scored 19, made his only two three-point attempts.

But the Bruin who became what Hawaiians call an “U’i”--a youthful hero--was T.J. Cummings, who posted career-high totals of 25 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-10 sophomore made 11 of 12 shots, most of them contested jump shots from inside 15 feet.

“Every shot I put up I think is going in,” he said.

Cummings, the sixth man, is making a strong case for a starting job. Normally a forward, he played 33 minutes at center because Dan Gadzuric reinjured his left ankle six minutes into the game and did not return.

Power forward Matt Barnes played only the first two minutes of the first half because he picked up two fouls on the same South Carolina possession, but the absence of the Bruins’ two leading rebounders wasn’t noticeable.

Cummings had six rebounds in the half and the Bruins displayed such sound ball movement on offense that South Carolina had few rebounding opportunities. Nine Bruins were credited with an assist and UCLA shot 78.6% en route to a 48-30 halftime lead.

Barnes returned in the second half and joined the fun, converting two three-point plays and making a three-point basket from the top of the key in the first seven minutes.

With the Bruins passing the ball like cranberry sauce around the dinner table, Kapono, who averaged 20.3 points in the tournament, did not feel compelled to carry the offense. He took only eight shots and made six.

Freshmen Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson added to the Bruins’ high-energy output. Thompson had 10 points, four assists and three steals in 22 minutes. Patterson made three of four shots and took four rebounds in 13 minutes.

Point guard Cedric Bozeman, touted as the best of the three freshmen, struggled for the second game in a row, committing five turnovers while scoring four points and passing for three assists.

“The freshmen gave us a great lift with energy and enthusiasm,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “Each one contributes in different ways. I told Ced it doesn’t happen overnight.”

Or over three nights. But a trio of games in such rapid order gave the Bruins a much clearer idea of their strengths and weaknesses.

There are plenty of each. The Bruins outrebounded all three opponents, yet turned the ball over 58 times, including 21 against South Carolina. Their press is leaky, leading to easy baskets and failing to create many turnovers.

They have enviable depth--a rotation of nine quality players--but the gimpy Gadzuric was a non-factor throughout the tournament. And the emergence of Cummings, who added 15 pounds of muscle during the off-season, could cause Lavin to re-evaluate his lineup.

“We learned a lot here,” Knight said. “We learned we can bounce back quick after a loss. We can give everybody looks on offense and get contributions from a lot of people. But we still need to play better defense and cut down on the turnovers.”