Bruins’ Quintet: Rhythm in Blue

ANCHORAGE —  Less than 24 hours after the deluge, UCLA started fresh Friday, and played mostly freshmen.

How does a scrambling, seventh-ranked team try to move beyond its futile, 41-point loss to North Carolina in the season debut?

By giving major minutes to Baron Davis, Earl Watson, Billy Knight, Rico Hines and Travis Reed.

By putting all five on the floor together for one fascinating 4:41 stretch in the middle of this 92-68 UCLA rout of host Alaska Anchorage in the consolation round of the Great Alaska Shootout before 8,700 at Sullivan Arena.

And by living to tell about it.

UCLA officials said Friday that this was the first time the Bruins had ever had five freshmen in a game at the same time.

“It took me a few minutes to realize, hey, there’s five freshmen out here,” said Reed, who finished with six rebounds and five steals in 14 minutes. “It made me think, ‘This is the future of UCLA,’ and it made me feel good to be a part of that.”

With seniors J.R. Henderson and Toby Bailey fighting foul trouble in the second quarter, Coach Steve Lavin substituted Hines for junior Brandon Loyd with 7:33 left in the half and the Bruins ahead, 33-22.

Matched against the sagging Seawolves, who lost an emotional overtime game to Seton Hall late Thursday, the young Bruins immediately created four quick turnovers, converted on seven straight possessions, and reeled off a 15-5 run.

“The most encouraging thing was that our freshmen had the opportunity to play and have success together when Toby and J.R. had foul trouble,” Lavin said. “Some of our best runs were with those two out of the game.

“That’s invaluable--getting their feet wet, getting to experience some success with them all on the floor.”

Davis, who had 16 of his 20 points in the first half (and eight assists in the game), made a three-point basket and a flying slam dunk during the run and Watson, his running partner at guard, had a layup, forced several of the Seawolves’ miscues, and had two assists.

By the time Lavin put Loyd back in the game at the 2:52 mark, UCLA (1-1) had a 48-31 lead and Bailey and Henderson were beaming on the bench like proud uncles.

The Seawolves (4-2), who, before this year, had upset a Division I team for 12 straight seasons in this tournament (and have one more chance today against Southwestern Louisiana), never got closer, and trailed by as much as 39 early in the fourth quarter.

“It didn’t surprise me after watching them in practice,” said Henderson, who dominated the inside in the second half for 13 points, to give him a game-high 21. “Those guys don’t back down from anybody. Earl and Baron are the leaders, and the rest of them follow those guys. It’s perfect.

“That’s what we needed to know, that these guys can come in and things aren’t going to fall apart.”

UCLA plays Alabama Birmingham today at 3 p.m. for fourth place.

With Alaska Anchorage firing up quick three-point tries and committing wild turnovers, UCLA was able to gallop up and down the court for easy slams and layups. The Bruins shot 64.9% in the first half (24 for 37), while the Seawolves, who had 16 first-half turnovers, shot 40% (10 for 25).

Alaska Anchorage forward Burt Wallace, who made five three-pointers against Seton Hall, was 0 for five against UCLA. The Seawolves, who made 19 threes against Seton Hall, made only nine against the Bruins, who used an aggressive matchup zone for most of the game.

For the Bruins, even though the Seawolves obviously aren’t even close to Pacific 10 Conference caliber, this was a chance to show some character with Kris Johnson and Jelani McCoy on suspension.

Most of the team watched the ESPN replay of the North Carolina game early Friday morning and decided the Tar Heels simply were too tall for UCLA to compete.

“I knew we were going to come out really sharp--I could see it in everybody’s eyes,” Davis said. “I could see the will to win in everybody’s eyes last night.”

Said Lavin: “It’s a long season. We pointed out to them that the [San Francisco] 49ers started out 0-1, and now they’re 11-1. We were 3-3 last year, 1-2 at one point, and we ended up 24-8 in the regional final. . . .

“The key to college basketball today is how you bounce back, how you respond, especially with two suspended players and five freshmen playing quality minutes.”

UCLA came out flying against the weary-legged Seawolves, who turned it over four times in their first seven possessions. Early in the first quarter, UCLA had an 11-2 lead; halfway through it was 15-4.

“They played right into our hands,” Davis said. “We love to run with anybody. We think if we’re running, we’re the fastest team in the country.”

After Alaska Anchorage buried several three-pointers to close the gap, Henderson and Bailey picked up fouls, and it was time for the freshmen.

“We were kidding them, it wasn’t fair if only the upperclassmen have the experience of a 40-point loss,” Lavin said. “That’s why they had to get one.

“It was kind of a baptism for them. To be a member of our gang, you have to experience a 40-point loss.”