Bruins Find There’s No Easy Way Out

The pattern has become all too familiar. Nationally ranked UCLA faces a smaller school with the assumption that it’s an opportunity for the Bruins to pad their record and fine-tune their game.

Instead, because of the tenacity of the opponent or the overconfidence of the Bruins, or a combination of both, it turns into a much tougher game. What looks a walk in the park turns into a sprint to the finish line.

It happened against Albany when UCLA blew a 19-point lead before rallying, it happened against Coppin State when UCLA trailed at halftime before kicking it into a higher gear, and it happened Wednesday against Wagner College, the best of the bunch, with UCLA winning a squeaker by two points.

“There’s still that mystique about this program,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. “Teams come in to Pauley Pavilion and they want to beat UCLA on our home floor.”

And so it will be again tonight with the arrival of the Sacramento State Hornets, the last so-called soft touch on the Bruin schedule before the start of Pacific 10 Conference play next week.

As always, Howland is quick to praise his opponent’s skill level, hoping his players take him seriously.

“We expect another tough game,” Howland said. And who can blame him?

The Hornets, members of the Big Sky Conference, will take the floor at Pauley for their first-ever meeting with the Bruins with an 8-4 record. Much like Wagner, Sacramento State is small but quick, using a four-guard offense on occasion. They don’t have much choice since their tallest starters are forwards Alex Bausley and Davon Roberts, both 6 feet 6.

“It’s going to be a tough matchup for our big guys,” Howland said.

*

It has been tough for Howland just figuring out who his big man in the middle should be. He has been going with the hot hand at center, but nobody has been too hot there. Howland had hoped that seniors Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins could handle the bulk of the workload, but Fey has been hurt and Hollins ineffective.

Freshman Ryan Wright looked impressive enough to get the start at center against Wagner, but he never seemed to recover from missing his first four free throws. In all, UCLA missed its first seven and wound up nine for 18 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore Lorenzo Mata logged the most minutes at center Wednesday (15). He also got one defensive rebound, the only one collected by any of the four players employed in the post by Howland.

“No one has stepped forward yet and said he should be the one,” Howland said of his search for a permanent center.

The Bruins were able to overcome that hole in the middle Wednesday. They don’t figure to be as fortunate if they continue to struggle in conference play.

*

UCLA TONIGHT

vs. Sacramento State, 7:30, FSNW2

Site -- Pauley Pavilion.

Radio -- 690.

Records -- UCLA 9-1, Sacramento State 8-4.

Update -- The Hornets’ leading scorers are 5-11 senior guard DaShawn Freeman (14.3 points) and 6-4 senior swingman Jason Harris (13.7). Freeman is the runaway team leader in assists, averaging 5.4.

Tickets -- (310) 825-2946.