Shooters Are Real Basket Cases

The Bruins’ 64-57 victory over California Saturday served as a reminder that UCLA is an exceptional shooting team.

Cal was leading the Pacific 10 in most defensive categories, holding opponents to 39% shooting. Yet UCLA shot 51.1% from the field, including 54.5% in the second half.

Starters Billy Knight (five of eight), Jason Kapono (five of nine), Dan Gadzuric (six of 11) and Cedric Bozeman (two of three) made more than half their shots. Matt Barnes, UCLA’s hottest shooter of late, made four of 10.

UCLA is shooting 48%, second in the conference to Oregon (49.1%), the Bruins’ opponent Thursday.

All four UCLA centers and power forwards--Barnes, Gadzuric, T.J. Cummings and Andre Patterson--are shooting better than 50%. And the two players who take the most perimeter shots--Kapono and Knight--also are shooting well.

Kapono is 60 for 121 on three-point attempts, Knight is 41 for 95 and the team leads the conference from beyond the arc at 41.8%.

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Free throws are a different story. UCLA made only 14 of 23 against Cal and has shot under 70% five games in a row.

Part of the problem is that Barnes and Gadzuric draw the most fouls while shooting and neither is proficient from the line.

Also, the free-throw shooting of Bozeman, the point guard, is a glaring weakness. He has made three of 15, and Coach Steve Lavin doesn’t allow him to bring the ball up the court when UCLA is ahead and opponents are forced to foul.

That role falls to Kapono (86.6%) and Knight (81.9%), who are by far the most reliable free-throw shooters.

Steve Henson