Better Starts Are a Priority

It’s not the plan. While UCLA Coach Ben Howland loves the way his young Bruins never lose faith in winning no matter how far behind they get, Howland would prefer that faith isn’t tested so often.

When the Bruins came back from a 36-21 halftime deficit last month at Pauley Pavilion to beat Washington State, 80-77, in double overtime, it started a pattern. UCLA dropped behind Washington by 21 in the first half before upsetting the Huskies, who were then ranked 12th. Saturday the Bruins let USC run away with a 43-25 halftime lead before they came back to win.

Howland said that after watching film of the first Washington State game, he discovered the slow starts “are caused by two things. Most often it’s defensive mistakes, but in the Washington State and Cal games we were inept offensively too.”

The Cal game included a slow start and slow finish and ended with an ugly loss.

“I don’t know if it’s kids being too anxious each game, but I do know it’s young kids who won’t give up. But we need to start being physical right away,” Howland said.

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While freshman guard Arron Afflalo hasn’t been as offensively steady as might have been expected after he averaged 23 points last season at Compton Centennial High, Howland said the plus was that Afflalo has been UCLA’s best defensive player.

“We’re asking him to guard the other team’s best player night in and night out,” Howland said of Afflalo, who is 6 feet 5 and sometimes is asked to stop smaller, quicker guards and sometimes bigger, stronger forwards. “He is going to grow, I think, into a really good on-ball defender. Where he has to improve his defense is off the ball, knowing when to rotate.”

Afflalo is averaging 10.9 points a game (but 9.6 in Pacific 10 Conference play). He did gain confidence in his shot, though, after making three straight three-point baskets during UCLA’s furious comeback against USC.

While shooting only 43.6% from the field overall, Afflalo is making 40.6% of his three-pointers (26 of 64). That’s the best long-distance percentage of any Bruin except Ryan Hollins, who is one for one.

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TONIGHT

at Washington State, 7:30, FSNW

Site -- Friel Court, Pullman, Wash.

Radio -- KLAC (690).

Records -- Washington State 9-9 overall, 4-5 in the Pacific 10 Conference; UCLA 11-6, 5-4.

Update -- UCLA won the first game this season at Pauley Pavilion, 80-77, in double overtime. Washington State senior Thomas Kelati, called “the best underexposed player in the conference” by Bruin Coach Ben Howland, was Pac-10 player of the week last week for helping the Cougars to an upset at Arizona. Kelati matched a career-high 27 points, added seven rebounds and played, according to Howland, as tough on defense against Arizona’s sharp-shooting guard Salim Stoudamire as anyone in the league.