Bruins show no mercy in blowout

If there were a mercy rule in college basketball, it would have been invoked in Saturday afternoon’s UCLA-Oregon State game at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins opened with an 11-2 run, enjoyed a 30-point halftime edge and cruised to an 82-35 victory.

What was most impressive, however, about the Bruins was not the outcome. That was to be expected, considering it was a matchup between a fifth-ranked squad, leaders of the Pacific 10 Conference at 9-2 and owners of a 20-2 overall record, against a Beavers team that is 1-10 in conference, 9-15 overall and 0-7 against ranked teams.

What was impressive was the manner in which UCLA won. Despite the early lead and the fact all 15 players on the roster got into the game, UCLA kept its collective foot on the pedal for the duration, showing a focus that was in question only a week ago when the Bruins blew a 17-point lead in losing at Stanford.

They regained their intensity Thursday in beating No. 9 Oregon, then the co-leader of the conference, and maintained it Saturday in a game that quickly proved less competitive then a Globetrotters exhibition.

It was the Bruins’ largest margin of victory since they beat Morgan State, 100-39, in December 1999.

“We want to focus for 40 minutes, and the last two games, we have been doing that,” UCLA swingman Josh Shipp said.

The Bruins outshot Oregon State from the field, 57.6% (34 for 59) to 31.4% (16 for 51), out-rebounded the Beavers, 37-29, played tight defense and ran the court with skill and precision.

“It started and ended with our defense,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. “I loved how hard and intense we came out defensively. Our passing was at a high level. The players took satisfaction in making the extra pass.”

It was a game in which guard Arron Afflalo, the team’s offensive leader, played only 20 minutes yet still led the team in scoring with 16 points, making seven of nine shots from the field. Darren Collison played 24 minutes and keyed the fastbreak with 10 assists, and UCLA scored 28 points in transition.

UCLA forced 21 turnovers, resulting in 29 points.

This was also a day for some of the not-so-familiar names on the Bruins’ bench to get their 15 minutes of fame, or two minutes, or whatever Howland gave them.

The UCLA reserves outscored their counterparts, 32-2, led by Russell Westbrook’s 11 points in 21 minutes.

Freshman forward Nikola Dragovic, a 6-foot-8, 215-pounder from Serbia, played 12 minutes after having previously logged only eight minutes this season. He was still winded in the postgame news conference but had a big smile on his face.

“It was good,” said Dragovic, who had eight points and six rebounds. “I’ve been patient, working hard, trying to improve, waiting for my chance.”

Sophomore guard DeAndre Robinson scored the first two points of his Bruins career, and Joey Ellis and Matt Lee played for the first time this season.

“This team is so talented,” Collison said. “It’s not just the guys who start. It’s the guys on the bench too.”

No argument from fellow starter Shipp.

“Those guys pay their dues every day in practice,” Shipp said. “It’s great to see them get out there and get rewarded.”

The one standout for the Beavers was junior forward Marcel Jones from Santa Ana Mater Dei High who tied Afflalo for the game-high scoring honors with 16 points.

Nobody else reached double figures in scoring for the Beavers.

Oregon State Coach Jay John was impressed with the Bruins.

“UCLA can do [this] to anybody they play,” he said. “Today, it was us. They are a very good pressure team. They are relentless in their mission to play their best on every possession. They could really pour it on.”

And on Saturday they did. For 40 minutes.

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steve.springer@latimes.com