Bruins Produce an Early Bloom

Growth in a team, like in a lawn, is normally imperceptible at any given moment.

But UCLA’s 81-74 victory over Oregon on Sunday was a rare occasion when improvement was as magically visible to the naked eye as photosynthesis charted by a fast-motion camera.

The Bruins followed their best first half of the season by scoring the first nine points of the second half to lead by 22 points. Then, after the advantage was cut to six points during a wobbly period fighting Oregon’s press, UCLA turned its biggest weakness into a strength, making free throw after free throw down the stretch.

The victory in front of 10,152 in Pauley Pavilion improved UCLA to 6-3, 2-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and will give the Bruins momentum heading into their first conference road games.

“Winning breeds winning,” Coach Ben Howland said.

And some wins are bigger than others. Beating an Oregon team that defeated UCLA three times last season and is expected to make the NCAA tournament this year served to validate Howland’s emphasis on defense, rebounding and balanced scoring.

“They came a lot harder than they have in the past,” said Oregon senior Luke Jackson, who scored 28 points. “You have to give them a lot of credit.”

The Bruins were so crisp that 93-year-old John Wooden uncharacteristically stayed until the end.

UCLA held Oregon (6-3, 1-1), the nation’s top three-point shooting team, to seven-for-25 shooting from beyond the arc by chasing shooters on the perimeter.

Led by forward T.J. Cummings’ nine rebounds in the first half, the Bruins dominated the boards, 38-27. Guard Dijon Thompson had eight rebounds and forward Trevor Ariza had seven.

Though UCLA posted its second-highest scoring total of the season, no Bruin scored more than 13 points. Thompson and reserve guard Janou Rubin reached that total, and Cummings and point guard Cedric Bozeman each scored 12.

Most of the baskets came inside. Bozeman, who had five assists, and Thompson, who had four, were especially effective penetrating the lane and dishing off to post players Cummings, Ryan Hollins and Michael Fey for layups and dunks.

The most impressive ingredient, though, was the dramatic improvement in free-throw shooting. UCLA made 25 of 32 two days after making three of 11 against Oregon State, one day after the Bruins spent half an hour in practice shooting free throws in what Cummings described as “a zipped-mouth session.”

Even the worst Bruin free-throw shooters got into the act. In consecutive one-and-one situations with less than three minutes to play, Ariza made two, then Bozeman made two, stretching a six-point lead to 10.

Bozeman, a junior shooting 43.0% from the line in his career, made two more with 1 minute 26 seconds to play, prompting his father to thrust his hands in the air and shriek from his seat.

“I know I hadn’t been making free throws, but they should be routine,” Bozeman said. “I slowed down and knocked them down.”

When Oregon made its move in the second half, trimming a 22-point margin to six with three minutes left, UCLA veterans recalled last season’s finale when Oregon overcame an 11-point deficit in the last three minutes to knock the Bruins out of the Pac-10 tournament.

“It was in the back of our minds because that loss hurt bad,” Hollins said. “I never had the feeling we’d blow this lead. We were staying calm and making our free throws.”