Slow-starting Bruins find some direction

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The back-to-back missed slam dunks by Arizona State’s Ty Abbott and UCLA’s Russell Westbrook were show-off moments that could be forgiven in a basketball game played for a half without a compass on offense.

The fourth-ranked Bruins kept their one-game lead over Stanford and stayed alone at the top of the Pacific 10 Conference with a 70-49 win over the Sun Devils at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday night.

After scoring only nine points in the first 10 minutes, UCLA (25-3, 13-2) found its scoring power in a confident spurt of three-point shooting by point guard Darren Collison and used its own defensive quickness to force a series of early second-half turnovers by Arizona State (17-10, 7-8).

“This was an important win for us,” UCLA Coach Ben Howland said. “We were really struggling offensively in the first 10 minutes.”

Or, as Bruins center Kevin Love said, “The first half, it was ugly, one of the ugliest first halves we’ve played all season.”

After Love watched his final shot spin in a vortex before dropping in, he ran to the UCLA bench and gave a running high five to everyone in celebration. That basket gave UCLA a 59-43 lead with 2:31 left and the effort earned Love the right to a little fun.

“Just getting it out of me,” said Love, who was upbeat after his 18-point, 12-rebound performance.

Love was one of four Bruins to score in double figures. Collison and Josh Shipp each had 17 and Westbrook, despite getting two early fouls and missing the breakaway slam dunk that had Howland shaking his head, scored 13.

Shipp admitted he was relieved to break an 0-for-20 streak of three-point misses. He ended it by making a 24-footer less than three minutes in, UCLA’s first basket. He ran past his teammates talking and smiling. “Just happy to get one,” Shipp said.

The junior’s next two attempts were air balls that didn’t come near the rim, but Shipp said he didn’t remember those except to note he thought he was fouled on one. And more than his shooting -- Shipp made four of eight shots from three-point range -- Howland was enthusiastic about Shipp’s overall game. He had eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and no turnovers in 36 minutes.

“The game changed when Josh started hitting,” said Collison, who made five three-pointers.

One of Shipp’s assists came at the end of the first half after Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had blocked a shot with five seconds left and dropped the ball to Shipp.

Collison had taken off, looking to get a fastbreak layup. He slipped and stumbled and when Shipp’s pass found Collison, he was trying to stand up.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Collison said, “so I just threw it up.” The toss was a three-pointer with less than a second left and gave UCLA a 29-18 halftime lead.

Until then, the half had been deadening.

In an effort to boost enthusiasm, the arena overhead scoreboard kept showing new Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal laughing and signing autographs. O’Neal didn’t miss a lot of scoring while he made friends.

When UCLA had won the first game between the teams this season, 84-51, at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins floated to a 46-24 halftime lead. Their offense operated with an airy confidence. Jump shots came in a rhythm with the ball often going into Love and back outside with efficiency.

Thursday night the high-flying Westbrook had two charging fouls called against him in the first 6:08, fouls of frustration as he tried to bulldoze his way through the Sun Devils’ 2-3 zone defense.

As usual, the Bruins forged ahead with defense.

Because he was trying too hard to beat Mbah a Moute, Arizona State’s James Harden missed a dunk with about 1:30 left in the half. Shipp followed the miss with a three-pointer -- a critical five-point turnaround, Howland said -- and then Collison ended the half with the three-pointer.

“Collison’s three-pointer was huge for the momentum going into the halftime break,” Howland said.

Love opened the second half with a hook shot and with 16:08 left in the game Shipp made another three that gave UCLA a 44-23 lead.

“Obviously their defense was excellent for 40 minutes,” Arizona State Coach Herb Sendek said. “Very few things came easy for us offensively.”

The Bruins outrebounded the Sun Devils, 34-20, and Harden, who averages 18 points a game, was held to 11. Jeff Pendergraph who had been averaging almost 13, had only five.

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diane.pucin@latimes.com

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UP NEXT FOR UCLA

Sunday at Arizona, 1 p.m., McKale Center, Channel 2 -- After losing to USC on Thursday, the Wildcats (17-10, 7-8) may be one loss away from needing to win the Pacific-10 Conference tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament.