Bruins Lean on Kapono

On the brink of another meltdown, the Bruins put the ball in the hands of their best shooter and told him to pass.

Hey, whatever works.

Jason Kapono willed the Bruins to an 84-64 victory over Hawaii Saturday before 6,604 at Pauley Pavilion. He got assists. He got rebounds. He got points.

He got game.

“It was like a playground game for me,” Kapono said. “I was playing power forward, point guard, shooting guard, whatever. I like doing it all.”

The Bruins (3-3) played well for a half, well enough to lift the veil of crisis enveloping UCLA but not well enough for anyone to confuse this team with a nationally ranked team. Still, after ugly losses to Cal State Northridge and Georgia Tech and an ugly victory over UC Santa Barbara, the Bruins were grateful for any 20-point victory.

“It’s good to have something positive,” Kapono said. “The last three games, we haven’t had anything positive. Guys were down, dragging their heads. At least now we have something to build on.”

Kapono snapped a shooting slump with a team-high 21 points, hitting eight of 13 shots. He set a career high with 12 rebounds and tied a career high with six assists.

He ought to get credit for a save too, for he might have saved the season. If the Bruins had lost to the spirited but woefully outmanned Rainbow Warriors (1-3), panic would have been an appropriate response in Westwood.

The NBA might smile on Kapono and center Dan Gadzuric and even freshman forward T.J. Cummings, but point guard Earl Watson is the Bruins’ indispensable player. When he does not play, the Bruins sputter.

UCLA sprinted to a 10-2 lead Saturday, with Watson hitting a pair of three-pointers within the first three minutes, but he committed two quick fouls and headed to the bench with 16:40 left in the half. The Bruins tried Ryan Bailey and then Jason Flowers at point guard, but Hawaii closed within 16-15 when Watson returned.

At that point, the Bruins had been outscored by 20 points in the 13 minutes Watson has not played this season.

With 6:13 left in the half and the Bruins leading, 30-25, Watson committed his third foul. Coach Steve Lavin cast conventional wisdom aside, sent Cummings in to play forward and told Kapono to play point guard.

Kapono had played there before, but never in a season bubbling over with toil and trouble.

Trouble? Not Saturday. With Watson watching approvingly from the bench, Kapono directed UCLA during a 15-1 run. The Bruins led by 19 points and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game.

“I thought Jason played great,” Watson said. “He got everyone involved.

“He can handle the point on his own. He doesn’t need me to tell him what to do.”

Watson played the entire second half and finished with 13 points. Ray Young had 13 points too, with Gadzuric adding 12, Matt Barnes nine and Cummings and Billy Knight eight apiece.

Kapono’s assists made for a great story Saturday, but his points were more integral to the success of the season. After Kapono had shot 29% in the three previous games, Lavin made a concerted effort to create shots for him, including a start at power forward so he could free himself for high-post shots.

“He’s a tough matchup out there,” Lavin said.

Kapono, who generally plays small forward, endorsed the concept of shifting his position during the game, in part to create headaches for opponents trying to guard him.

“I just love playing basketball. I don’t mind playing point guard, power forward, whatever.”

The Bruins felt good but not great after the game, and understandably so. They played a fine first half and an almost disinterested second half, in which their lead fluctuated from 11 to 21 points. They never gave the appearance they would lose, but they also failed to show a killer instinct.

In the first half, Hawaii shot 40% and the Bruins had five turnovers. In the second half, Hawaii shot 57% and the Bruins had 12 turnovers.

“In the first half, we made some strides in terms of improving,” Lavin said. “The second half was disappointing defensively, especially in terms of taking care of the ball. Our turnovers were alarming.”

This season, “alarming” is an adjective better reserved for describing losses to the likes of Northridge. For one night, the play of the Bruins was not that alarming.