After one half of play, the hype surrounding Steve Lavin’s return to Pauley Pavilion has far exceeded the quality of the game.
UCLA took a 29-26 lead into the locker room despite a sloppy first half. Seven turnovers and rushed passes typified the first half of play for the Bruins (15-7, 7-3 Pac-10). In their second pre-noon game of the season, the Bruins slept walked out of the gate, much like they did against Stanford two weeks ago. St. John’s (13-8. 5-5 Big East) took an early 13-4 lead, forcing UCLA coach Ben Howland to burn a couple of early timeouts.
UCLA countered with a 7-0 run, sparked by freshmen Joshua Smith and Tyler Lamb. Smith finished the half with 12 points, including four monstrous dunks that were born of crafty passing to penetrate St. John’s zone pressure defense. Lamb was UCLA’s second leading scorer with six points coming on two big 3-pointers.
The Red Storm’s Dwight Hardy has caused all sorts of problems for UCLA’s defense. Hardy finished the half with 16 points to lead all scorers.
St John’s coach Steve Lavin, Howland’s predecessor, received a somewhat indifferent welcome from UCLA fans. He greeted old acquaintances and John Wooden’s family before nearly taking a seat on the Bruins’ bench.