Energized Bruins trounce 49ers, 81-58

It still isn’t quite a return to normalcy, but for this
beleaguered Bruin bunch, it’s a start. “We’re all
smiling again,” sophomore Ryan Walcott said after UCLA (1-2)
disposed of Long Beach State 81-58 before 6,358 people at Pauley
Pavilion Sunday to grab its first victory in a season feared to be
headed southward fast. The Bruins played with an energy largely
absent in their previous losses, pressing the 49ers (1-4) for a
good part of the game, doling out 22 assists and out-rebounding the
49ers 44-21. Jason Kapono returned to his old self with 28 points
and 7 rebounds. “We made a little bit of progress today on
both ends of the floor,” UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said.
Walcott’s return from a two-game NCAA-imposed suspension
injected new life into the defense, which allowed a season low for
points and provided UCLA with its largest margin of victory since
the 2000-2001 season. Lavin, who had said that he was reluctant to
utilize a full-court press without Walcott, brought him in midway
through the first half. But his presence in transition truly came
to the fore as the game wore on and the 49ers buckled under Bruin
pressure. UCLA went on a 22-6 run to open the second half, with
much of the firepower ignited by open-court steals. “One
mistake tends to compile on another one,” LBSU head coach
Larry Reynolds said. “I think we handled their pressure well
until (point guard) Darnell (Thompson) got worn down and some other
people had to make passes.” The win marked the first time
this year that the Bruins have played against a team they truly
outsized. LBSU’s tallest starter was 6 feet, 8 inches, yet
UCLA continued to get second and third scoring chances. “We
thought we had a good chance of beating them,” 49er guard
Darnell Thompson said. “What killed us was their offensive
rebounding.” Seven-foot freshman Michael Fey found his way
into the starting lineup, as sophomore forward Dijon Thompson had
been nursing an injured thumb all week. But Lavin took him out and
opted for a smaller, three-guard set that featured Walcott, Cedric
Bozeman and Ray Young. Fey’s size was hardly necessary to
easily overmatch LBSU in the paint and on the glass. Lavin said he
plans to use Walcott and Bozeman together in the backcourt while he
continues to tweak lineups. “They give us two playmakers that
can play at high speeds,” he said. “They definitely
disrupt what teams want to do.” The Bruins’ last win
outside of scrimmage was Mar. 17, over Cincinnati in the NCAA
Tournament. UCLA opened the season with two exhibition losses and a
pair of regular-season losses, making it the worst start in 41
years. “We felt like a different team out there,”
freshman center Ryan Hollins said. The LBSU game begins the soft
underbelly of the UCLA schedule. The Bruins host Portland and
Northern Arizona in the coming weeks. “The kids were glad to
be done with the month of November,” Lavin said. So were
Pauley Pavilion fans, able for the first time in months to leave
early with the Bruins on the good side of a blowout.