Bruins Follow Where Kapono Leads for Win

Jason Kapono looked around half-empty Pauley Pavilion on Sunday and thought, enough is enough.

He had returned to UCLA for his senior year rather than jump to the NBA because, in his words, “I haven’t won anything.” Never mind that the Bruins reached the NCAA’s round of 16 in each of his three seasons.

This season he had found out what not winning anything actually feels like. The Bruins had dropped two exhibitions and their first two regular-season games.

Enough was enough.

Kapono became a whirling dervish in a headband, equaling a career high with 28 points to lead an 81-58 blowout of Long Beach State and sparing the Bruins the ignominy of losing their first three for the first time since 1940.

The forward’s trademark perimeter jumper was clicking. He made 12 of 19 shots, including four three-point field goals. But he was more impressive in the paint, grabbing rebounds, making twisting layups and aggressive putbacks.

Kapono had seven of UCLA’s 44 rebounds, including five on offense. He had three of the Bruins’ 20 assists. Afterward, instead of having to explain a disheartening loss, he was able to joke about reaching his career-high point total for the fifth time.

“I’m like a credit card with a low limit, I max out at 28,” he said.

His pre-holiday spree did enough damage to the 49ers (1-4), who stayed even for 13 minutes before sinking. UCLA outscored them, 49-33, in the second half.

It was all Kapono early. He had seven field goals in the first half, when no other Bruin had more than one, and three times converted offensive rebounds into baskets.

“I was out there scrapping,” he said. “I didn’t want to lose today.”

Kapono’s energy proved infectious. The Bruins had 23 more rebounds and 15 more assists than Long Beach, which shot 39.6% and made two of 15 three-point tries. Sharpshooting 49er guard Tony Darden made one of six from long range and scored 14 points.

The return of Ryan Walcott was another boost for the Bruins. The sophomore point guard, who had sat out the first two games as a penalty for playing in an exhibition during his redshirt year, made up for lost time, notching a career-high seven assists with no turnovers in 23 minutes.

“You could clearly see the impact of Ryan Walcott,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “He makes us a very quick team.”

Lavin utilized the quickness three minutes into the second half, employing a full-court press that forced four 49er turnovers in three minutes and triggered a 22-6 run.

The sleepy announced crowd of 6,358 finally roared its approval when a blocked shot by forward Dijon Thompson led to a three-point shot by Kapono. T.J. Cummings, who made the assist rather than take a contested shot, waved his arms in the air and bumped shoulders with Kapono.

“T.J. could have shot the ball, but he turned down an average shot to get me a pure shot,” Kapono said. “I was proud of him.”

Thompson did not start because a sprained right thumb had caused him to miss two practices this week, but he grabbed nine rebounds, a career high, in 24 minutes.

Freshman center Michael Fey started for the first time and did little, missing two shots and committing four turnovers. However, his presence enabled Cummings to move from center to forward and contribute 12 points and five rebounds.

“T.J. was patient,” Lavin said. “He allowed the game to come to him.”

Whereas Kapono reached out and grabbed it by the collar. Tired of losing, tired of Pauley Pavilion feeling like a morgue, he made a difference.

“It finally looked like my old home court out there,” he said.

And when the student section began chanting, “Ja-son Ka-po-no” in the second half, it sounded like a home court too.

“Jason realizes he’s a senior and he needs to have a good season for us to be successful,” Lavin said. “He opens things up inside when he aggressively catches and shoots. Defenses have to honor that.”