IT'S NO SWEET CHARITY FOR UCLA BRUINS' BIGGEST STRUGGLE: MAKING FREE THROWS.

Byline: JILL PAINTER Staff Writer

Pauley Pavilion fans clapped in unison for UCLA's Lorenzo Mata while he was at the free-throw line Tuesday.

Not because he made a free throw. Just because he was about to attempt one.

Home crowds usually sit quietly as a player goes through his pre-shot routine, allowing him to concentrate. Against Sam Houston State, it was as if fans were trying to bolster Mata's confidence with a ``You can do it!''

He missed.

Mata has by far the most problems at the free-throw line, where he's shooting 26.5 percent, but he isn't the only one struggling for the Bruins. Top-ranked UCLA (10-0) is shooting just 61.9percent, ranked 308 among 325Division I schools. Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo and Josh Shipp are particularly adept at the charity stripe, but as a unit, UCLA is not good.

UCLA is stellar on the defensive end and defense usually wins championships, but these debacles at the free-throw line could be just the thing that keeps the Bruins from advancing to the NCAA title game for a secondconsecutive year.

``I don't know if the sting of defeat will finally be the impetus or what it will finally take, but we've got to get better,'' UCLA coach Ben Howland said.

Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) shot just 56.4percent from the free-throw line during the 1945season and still won the championship. In 1995, UCLA won the title and made 70.9percent at the line. Florida, which dominated UCLA to win the NCAA title last year, made 74.4 percent of its free throws that season. Yet Connecticut won in 2004 and shot just 62.3 percent.

Free-throw shooting is simple -- at least that's how the self-professed free-throw master, Ed Palubinskas, feels about the shot that is quickly becoming a lost art.

Lakers fans should remember Palubinskas, who was hired to work with Shaquille O'Neal during his free-throw shooting crisis in 2000.

O'Neal was a 38 percent free-throw shooter when Palubinskas met him and his productivity at the line nearly doubled after free-throw lessons. The Lakers and Palubinskas parted ways after a couple of months and Palubinskas has long criticized O'Neal (who has reverted to his old free-throw shooting adventures) since then.

Palubinskas received an NBA Finals ring for his work and a confidence that his methods can change anyone.

``This can be learned,'' said Palubinskas, between shots during a round of golf in Louisiana. ``I took Shaq to the largest improvement in the NBA and he had all the classifications of being a bad (free-throw shooter) -- big, bulky, no desire. Those are the biggest problems and you can see what happened after I left.''

Palubinskas, who earns $100 an hour to work with high school players (and considerably more to work with pros), is irritated with the state of free-throw shooting. But, it keeps him in business.

``I could take UCLA and make them improve 15-18 percent in eight hours,'' Palubinskas said. ``What I teach is that the world is literally in your hands. Ninety-eight percent of the country or even more doesn't shoot with their hands and fingers. Most have no idea which finger should touch the ball last. Everyone is trying to think of making the shot instead of changing the behavior.''

Howland won't say so, but this ugly performance at the free-throw line has to be unbelievably frustrating, especially since he was a very good free-throw shooter. During his junior and senior seasons at Weber State, he shot 73 and 76.7 percent, respectively.

UCLA is a good shooting team, which is why the free-throw woes are disturbing.

``We should be a good free-throw shooting team,'' he said. ``I think we're pretty good shooters. Look at our field-goal percentage (50.5) and our 3-point percentage (38.6).''

Earlier this season, Luc Mbah a Moute, who's shooting 58.6 percent from the free-throw line, gave Mata a tip. When things are going wrong, everyone tries to help. But ultimately, there's only one person at the line.

``Personally, I don't put that much pressure on myself,'' Afflalo said. ``Every time I step to the line, I want to go one for one.''

UCLA hasn't been a good free-throw shooting team at home. Imagine what will happen on the road, where opposing fans heckle players. The Bruins have yet to play a true road game. They've played four games on neutral courts and the rest at Pauley Pavilion.

Cal -- a Pac-10 foe -- is the second-best free-throw shooting team in the country at 79.8 percent.

UCLA had its best performance of the season Tuesday, when it made all 12 of its free throws in the first half and finished 17 of 21 (81percent) from the line. On Monday, Howland had each player shoot 100 free throws. Nikola Dragovic made 95 and Afflalo and Collison made 94 and 93, respectively. Freshman Russell Westbrook, who's shooting 45.5 percent (although he's only shot 11 free throws) in games, made 85.

Perhaps free-throw problems are a thing of the past. Maybe they're not.

``Anyone in the starting five wants to be the guy shooting free throws at the end,'' Collison said. ``If you're put in that situation, you've got to make it.''

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CAPTION(S):

photo, 2 boxes

Photo:

(color) Lorenzo Mata is shooting 26.5 percent at the free-throw line.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) No. 1 UCLA vs. MICHIGAN

- Jill Painter

(2) NO FREE RIDE