UCLA finds escape route just in time

Derrick Low didn’t see Luc Richard Mbah a Moute behind him. The Washington State point guard saw only the glass backboard and an open route to a layup. Low didn’t feel the strong arms of Mbah a Moute, but he heard the sound of his shot being blocked.

Whomp!

Ten seconds later Arron Afflalo converted that blocked shot into a three-pointer. Twenty seconds after that point guard Darren Collison scored his first basket of the night, another three.

That flurry of defensive power and swift offense turned an upset-in-the-making into a narrow 55-52 victory Thursday for the top-ranked Bruins in their Pacific 10 Conference opener in front of 11,102 at Pauley Pavilion.

For 30 minutes, victory appeared unlikely. UCLA (12-0) trailed by as many as 10 points and was behind, 28-24, at halftime.

Early in the second half UCLA Coach Ben Howland was halfway onto the court, arms raised, in a defensive stance. His point guard, Collison, sat beside him having acquired three fouls, three turnovers and no points in the first half. Forward Josh Shipp was struggling to move with a right ankle he sprained in practice Tuesday.

Howland couldn’t play defense so he had to call timeout. Low (14 points) had just scored a layup and was about to shoot a free throw. This had come after Nikola Koprivica had converted an offensive rebound into a three-point jumper.

After the timeout Low missed the foul shot but the Cougars, picked to finish last in the Pac-10, led the Bruins by nine.

Howland called his team’s offense “inept” and “stagnant.”

“There was no player movement,” he said. “That’s my responsibility and we will get better. If we don’t, we will get beat.”

It got better, just enough. Just in time.

Coming into the game UCLA had been 126-3 at Pauley when ranked No. 1. Only Alabama (1983) and USC (in 1969 and 1970) had been able to beat a top-ranked Bruins team in their home. When the Cougars (11-2) had that 35-26 lead with 17:19 left in the game, it appeared they could make a little history.

Washington State played smart. If the Cougars missed a long jump shot, none of them went for offensive rebounds. They scampered back to play defense. No matter what, they didn’t want UCLA’s quicker players running.

Collison was stymied. On consecutive first-half possessions he double-dribbled while leading a rare fastbreak and then committed a charging foul instead of pulling up for a five-foot jumper.

“That first half was Darren’s poorest of the year,” Howland said. “But he’s a great competitor. That’s Darren’s best attribute, his competitiveness.”

UCLA’s competitiveness surfaced more on the defensive end, encapsulated by Mbah a Moute’s block and Afflalo’s clutch three-pointer. It was an energy boost for the Bruins and their fans.

Still, the win never did come easily. The score was tied, 45-45, with 6:40 left but another Collison three-pointer gave UCLA the lead for good. Three more seemingly emphatic points came on a long jumper by Michael Roll with an assist from Collison, giving UCLA a 53-47 lead with 3:29 left.

What seemed a safe advantage dwindled to 53-52 with 53 seconds left after Ivory Clark broke free for a layup. Collison had a driving shot roll off the front of the rim and with 25.7 seconds left Washington State had the ball and a chance to win. But Collison got a fingertip on Low’s three-point attempt, just enough to knock the shot crooked.

“Derrick got a look,” Washington State Coach Tony Bennett said. “If he could have pump-faked, the guy would have sailed by him.”

“That was a big win for us,” Howland said. “We made our foul shots (11 of 15) tonight. I’m feeling very fortunate.”

Collison, who finished with 13 points, four assists and seven rebounds, said he agreed about his bad first half.

“I don’t like the way we came out,” he said. “Me as an individual and the team.”

But it was the ending that mattered.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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UP NEXT FOR UCLA

Sunday vs. Washington at Pauley Pavilion, 2 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket -- The Bruins have lost three straight to Washington including a Huskies sweep last season when the Bruins won the Pacific 10 Conference title. Freshman center Spencer Hawes has been the standout for Coach Lorenzo Romar’s young team so far this season.

-- Diane Pucin