UCLA Still Has the Upper Hand Against Trojans

Is USC for real?

Perhaps.

But the Trojans aren’t yet in the same class with UCLA.

At least they weren’t Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion, where UCLA maintained control from beginning to end in winning easily over the Trojans, 98-81, despite its worst shooting in seven home games.

“They certainly look like a top-five team to me,” USC Coach George Raveling said of the 10th-ranked Bruins.

UCLA made 48.7% of its shots, including only two of 12 three-point attempts, but won in the Pacific 10 Conference basketball opener for both teams by outrebounding the Trojans and controlling USC’s Harold Miner.

Miner led the Trojans with 22 points, but scored seven in the last 1 1/2 minutes, after UCLA had pulled out to a 19-point lead in the game before 12,688.

“With about four minutes to go, one of the things that dawned on me was that UCLA plays a lot better defense than they get credit for,” Raveling said of the Bruins, who lead the Pac-10 in scoring. “So much focus is put on their offensive ability and tonight they sent a message out, ‘OK, you guys think we’re all offense. We’ll show you tonight we can play some defense.’ ”

The Bruins’ defensive leader was junior guard Gerald Madkins, who was assigned to Miner, the Pac-10’s No. 2 scorer.

In a season-high 36 minutes, Madkins rarely let Miner out of his sight, hounding last season’s Pac-10 freshman of the year into eight-of-17 shooting and never allowing him to get into a rhythm.

“They did a really good job of overplaying me,” Miner said. “You have to take your hat off to (Madkins).”

Offensively, the Bruins were led by forwards Tracy Murray, who scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting and took 10 rebounds, and Don MacLean, who scored 24 points and equaled a season high with 11 rebounds.

Murray, who usually positions himself on the wing, where three-point shots are his specialty, took his game inside against the Trojans, taking five offensive rebounds and scoring many of his points from the lane.

“He’s an outstanding inside player,” UCLA Coach Jim Harrick said. “We don’t want him to lose his ability to make three-point shots because those can be very devastating, but make no mistake about it: Murray can play inside.”

Guard Darrick Martin had 14 points and seven assists, reserve forward Keith Owens had 14 points, six rebounds, two spectacular dunks and three assists in 24 minutes, and Madkins had eight points and six assists.

Ronnie Coleman scored 20 points for USC (8-2), which lost for the first time in eight games.

Point guard Robert Pack had 14 points and eight assists.

About 45 minutes before the game, as the Trojans warmed up, a UCLA student chided them for their nonconference schedule.

“This isn’t Harvard,” he shouted. “This isn’t Brooklyn.”

What was the point?

“You’re going down,” he cried.

Like a rock, it turned out.

The Bruins hit them with an early 9-0 run, getting a pair of layups from Madkins off passes from Martin, a three-point play from Murray and a jumper from Mitchell Butler to open a 16-7 lead.

Meantime, Madkins put the clamps on Miner, who didn’t take his first shot until 12:15 remained in the half, when he fired up an off-balance fallaway jumper that bounced off the rim. He didn’t score until 9:24 was left, making a jumper from the left side.

UCLA led at halftime, 49-42, and never by less than five in the second half in running its record to 11-1, its best start since the 1982-83 season, when it won 13 of its first 14 games and the Pac-10 championship.

Murray led the Bruins with 15 points and seven rebounds in the first half. MacLean had 13 points and five rebounds.

Coleman led USC with 12 points. Miner scored 10.

Bruin-Trojan Notes

Sophomore Cordell Robinson, a reserve guard from Detroit, has left USC and plans to transfer, George Raveling said. . . . USC made 50% of its shots. Only Notre Dame and San Diego State have shot better against the Bruins this season.