And so the restoration of the UCLA legacy begins in earnest.

A day that started with a ceremony commemorating the dedication of the Nell and John Wooden Court ended in celebration of Ben Howland’s first marquee victory as Bruins' new coach.

Venerable Pauley Pavilion was awash in blue and gold Saturday as a sell-out crowd roared in approval with every floor burn, every hustle play, every hint of effort in UCLA’s 64-58 win over No. 25 Michigan State.

The Bruins (4-2), who appeared utterly lifeless in a one-point loss to UC Santa Barbara earlier in the week, took to the court determined to christen the newly renamed floor with a victory.

“It was a pride thing,” senior forward T.J. Cummings said. “We wanted to get a win for Coach Wooden. We had to make sure we came out and represented.”

Clad in 1960s vintage throwback uniforms, UCLA gave a performance worthy of its storied past. With more than 60 of Wooden’s former players in attendance, the Bruins displayed the intensity and passion that were the trademark of the program in its glory years.

What UCLA lacked in offensive efficiency, it made up for in intangibles: attacking loose balls, crashing the glass or skidding across the floor with a fervor seldom seen in Westwood lately.

The Bruins forced 18 turnovers, limited the Spartans (4-5) to 35 percent shooting from the field, and generally dictated the flow of the game.

“We won on toughness today,” Howland said. “I’m really proud of our guys. They never said die, they never gave up, and they never quit. That’s the attitude that we’re learning here.”

The outcome probably should have been more lopsided had it not been for UCLA’s free-throw shooting woes. The Bruins built an eight-point advantage three times in the second half, but failed to break the game open due to an inability to convert from the charity stripe.

The team finished 16-of-34 from the line, highlighted by guard Cedric Bozeman’s anemic 1-of-9 performance. Seven of Bozeman’s misses came in the second half, including three with less than two minutes to play.

“A couple of them went in and out, and then it just snowballed,” Bozeman said. “I’ve never missed that many free throws before in one game in my life.”

Michigan State had every opportunity to get back in the game in the final minutes, but a combination of stingy defense and poor outside shooting thwarted its efforts. Trailing 61-55 with less than two minutes left to play, the Spartans had no less than five clean looks at the basket, but could not convert any of them.

Bozeman went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with 35.5 seconds to play, earning a mock ovation from the crowd and effectively icing the game.

Cummings, who started for the first time this season, led UCLA in scoring with 13 points while Brian Morrison and Dijon Thompson also finished in double figures with 11 and 10 respectively.

Morrison left the game with 3:23 to go in the second half with a pulled left hamstring. He is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Defeating Michigan State should prove to be quite a salve for the Bruins’ wounds as they prepare to take a few days off for the Christmas holiday before travelling to Michigan Saturday.

Embarrassed by their loss to UCSB this past Wednesday, UCLA was eager to take the floor again and erase the memory of the upset by pulling one of their own. After two arduous days of practice, a moving half-hour ceremony, and forty minutes of grueling, physical basketball, it was mission accomplished.

“This was a very good win over a tough, hard-nosed team,” Howland said. “It was a great finish to a special day.”