UCLA HAS EASY TIME BEATING SACRAMENTO ST. BRUINS SHOOT 67.3 PERCENT FROM THE FIELD, GET MOMENTUM HEADING INTO PAC-10 PLAY UCLA 86, SAC. ST. 56.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

With only one game remaining before the start of Pacific-10 Conference basketball play next week, UCLA didn't jump over its final hurdle on Friday night; the Bruins ran through it.

Two nights after a stunning near-defeat to Wagner, the Bruins faced another unheralded opponent at home but this time left no doubt. A strong start, and some much-needed impressive play in the post, was more than enough in a 86-56 victory over Sacramento State in front of 7,452 at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins head into Thursday's conference opener against Stanford feeling about as good as possible, with a 10-1 record, a No. 12 national ranking and some confidence after Friday's blowout victory.

``We've played a lot of tough teams and been pretty solid,'' guard Arron Afflalo said. ``It's a good feeling that we're going into Pac-10 play as a total team.''

Mindful of facing another upset-minded underdog, the Bruins dominated every aspect of the start of the game. UCLA led 18-2 after six minutes and cruised to victory in the programs' first meeting despite some sloppy moments, most notably their 21 turnovers.

But UCLA shot 67.3 percent from the field (37 of 55) for the game, totaled 28 assists and led 42-28 at halftime. The second half was more of the same, as Afflalo scored 10 points in the first 3 minutes, 30 seconds and the Bruins opened up a 24-point lead.

``It was good that we were able to come out with some intensity and maintain it for 40 minutes,'' Afflalo said.

Afflalo made nine of 11 shots and finished with a game-high 22 points and Jordan Farmar contributed 15 points and nine assists. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Jason Harris led Sacramento State with 16 points.

``We came out very focused in terms of playing very good team defense,'' Howland said. ``We played very smart offensively, and I'm excited that we were finally able to beat someone handily in Pauley Pavilion.''

UCLA coach Ben Howland has had difficulty finding a consistent center, but his options dwindled before the game even started, when Ryan Hollins was injured and preliminarily diagnosed with a groin strain.

Lorenzo Mata had already been picked to start at center, but all of the Bruins' big men had to like what they saw when Sacramento State came onto the court for pregame warmups.

Sacramento State started 6-foot-8 Randy Adams and 6-6 Alex Bausley, but otherwise didn't have a starter over 6-4. The Hornets' game is based around quick guards and a trapping defense, but they struggled from the perimeter and rarely gave their defense a chance to put much pressure on UCLA.

Mata had been the only Bruins post player to perform well against Wagner. That earned him the start Friday, and he turned in another solid effort, particularly in the beginning. Mata scored the game's first basket on a turnaround jumper and had two blocks in the first three minutes to get the Bruins going.

``I just tried to come out and play hard and that always pays off for me,'' Mata said. ``The team defense was what mattered tonight.''

Mata didn't score again but did add seven rebounds in 19 minutes, and backup center Ryan Wright made all four shots from the field for eight points.

Strong performances were plentiful at the start. Afflalo's baseline drive, followed by an Afflalo 3-pointer, gave UCLA a 9-0 lead before the Hornets scored their first points, 3:11 into the game.

Two minutes later, UCLA had pushed its lead to 18-2 after consecutive baskets by Alfred Aboya.

Sacramento State followed with a 10-2 run and threatened to get back in the game, but the Bruins responded and took a 36-17 lead on a layup by Aboya. The Hornets couldn't get much done on offense, as they attempted 13 3-pointers in the first half and missed 11.

The wide margin gave Howland a chance to give Aboya more minutes, something the coach came into the game seeking to do. Aboya, a 6-8 freshman, had arthroscopic knee surgery in July and had played only sparingly in the past three games, but excelled Friday.

In seven first-half minutes, Aboya made all three shots from the field and grabbed a defensive rebound, although he did commit two fouls. Aboya finished with eight points.

Rich Hammond, [phone]

rich.hammond(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) UCLA's Jordan Farmar gets ready to drive to the basket during Friday night's win against Sacramento State.

(2 -- 3) Above, UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute gets fouled by Sacramento State's Zane Beekman while attempting a shot. Below, the Bruins' Lorenzo Mata blocks a shot from the Hornets' Jason Harris.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer