Close, no scars for Bruins

SACRAMENTO — Three times Indiana tried to inbound the basketball, down by two points but with all the momentum.

Three times UCLA’s Luc Richard Mbah a Moute hopped and jumped, shouted and glared at Hoosiers forward Lance Stemler.

Indiana had no timeouts and Stemler had a look of bewilderment. He couldn’t see above or around Mbah a Moute’s waving arms and bobbing head. Twice Mbah a Moute kicked the ball. The third time, a harried Stemler tried to throw the ball up court, along the sideline and it was stolen by Bruins guard Darren Collison.

“Biggest play of the game,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. About 35 seconds later, second-seeded UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row with a 54-49 win over seventh-seeded Indiana in the second round of the NCAA West Regional at Arco Arena on Saturday.

UCLA will play third-seeded Pittsburgh on Thursday in San Jose. Howland left Pittsburgh to come to Westwood four years ago and his protege, Jamie Dixon, is the coach now.

“It will be all business,” Howland said. “Jamie and I are friends but this is all business.”

The business of winning in the second round was skintight defense. Or short-armed shooters. Or both.

“I think everybody had a hard time scoring the ball,” UCLA center Alfred Aboya said. “Sometimes it was the defense. Sometimes it was the shooters.”

The Bruins (28-5) had once led Indiana (21-11) by 16 points in the second half, 34-18, and with 13:46 left it had seemed impossible the Hoosiers could score 16 more points. At halftime UCLA had a 20-13 lead, and the Bruins’ Arron Afflalo said, “Twenty-thirteen is not a good look.”

It wasn’t.

Those who judge kindly will say that seven-point lead was built from defense. UCLA was seven of 24 (26.9%) from the floor and Indiana was five of 28 (17.9%).

“I don’t think we ever got in a good rhythm offensively,” said Collison, who had a game-high 15 points, including two key free throws after the stolen inbounds pass. “It was just really hard to score in this game.”

The Bruins had a slow-developing 14-5 run to open the second half. Collison’s 20-footer gave UCLA a 34-18 lead with 13:46 left and then the Bruins seemed to withdraw their offense.

It seemed innocent when Stemler put back an offensive rebound to make the score 34-20 and a little worrisome when guard Armon Bassett made a three-pointer to bring the Hoosiers within seven, 34-27, with 9:43 left. But the Bruins still had a 13-point lead with 5:26 left, 46-33, on a Collison layup, before the Hoosiers started tossing up three-pointers and making them.

Earl Calloway made one, so did Stemler. Roderick Wilmont banked in a 20-footer over Afflalo’s fingertips to bring the Hoosiers within two and Stemler was fouled by Alfred Aboya while shooting a three-pointer. Stemler made the first two free throws and D.J. White saved the rebound on the miss. Calloway made a tough layup with a minute left and the score was 49-49.

“You just felt it coming,” Mbah a Moute said of the Hoosiers’ comeback. “I never thought they wouldn’t make a run.”

Indiana Coach Kelvin Sampson said there were no brilliant adjustments, no new offensive plays, no magic formulas for his team’s recovery. “In the first half we didn’t make shots,” he said. “In the second half we did.”

The Hoosiers made 12 of their 24 attempts in the second half. And that was after two desperate airballs at the end. Afflalo’s two free throws had given UCLA a 51-49 lead with 38.1 seconds left and that’s when Stemler couldn’t get around Mbah a Moute.

“Our experience from last year really helped,” Mbah a Moute said. “We never lost our cool.”

Mbah a Moute finished with seven points, 12 rebounds and three steals and compared this game to UCLA’s 62-59 win over Alabama in the second round of last year’s tournament.

“We took punches,” Mbah a Moute said. “But we came back. That’s what we’ve learned.”

Afflalo said Indiana made “a miraculous effort” to get back in the game but said his own experiences from last year’s Bruins run to the national championship game brought him calm.

“I think that made me more relaxed,” Afflalo said. “We all were.”

So what Afflalo did when Indiana came close was start driving to the basket. He was fouled twice and made all four free throws in the final 90 seconds.

“We kept our composure,” Lorenzo Mata said. “At this time of year you have to.”

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diane.pucin@latimes.com