Clock Runs Out on UCLA Rally : College basketball: Cal hangs on for 92-88 victory that puts Pac-10 race in a virtual three-way tie.

Another game, another defeat for the UCLA Bruins, who followed up a 24-point loss at Arizona by getting nudged Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion by California, which looked like a team going somewhere fast.

Meanwhile, the Bruins, also looked like a team going somewhere swiftly, only not in the right direction. As soon as UCLA fell, 92-88, the Pacific 10 Conference race fell into a virtual three-way tie between the fading Bruins and surging Arizona and Cal.

But UCLA didn’t go easily. Down 86-71 and with Ed O’Bannon having fouled out, the Bruins outscored Cal, 15-1, and got to within 87-86 with 1:04 to go.

The Bruins had a chance to go ahead, but turned the ball over when the shot clock ran out.

Five free throws in the last 18 seconds--four by Jason Kidd, ended it for Cal.

UCLA, 18-4, is 11-3 in the Pac-10, the same as Arizona, while the Bears are a half-game back at 10-3.

After back-to-back losses and four defeats in eight games, it’s not a pretty picture at UCLA.

Who’s to blame? This time, it was easy. Lamond Murray, a shooting star if there ever was one, scored 36 points and Kidd inspired the Bears to a sweep of their series against UCLA.

“We certainly had the chance to win,” Coach Jim Harrick said. “We just didn’t play well enough.”

Shon Tarver’s career-high 30 points, 21 in the second half, nearly rescued the game for UCLA, but the shot-clock violation was a critical error.

The ball wound up in Tyus Edney’s hands, but he was double-teamed, so he passed to Charles O’Bannon and the shot clock ran to zero.

“Tyus probably wishes he got the ball to Shon Tarver,” said Harrick, who said he did not call a time out because he did not want to stop UCLA’s momentum.

“Maybe we should have called a timeout there,” he said. “What happened there was not a good thing.”

Kidd was not a good thing for UCLA. He had 23 points, sank two free throws for a 89-86 lead with 19 seconds left and Edney’s three-pointer missed.

Kidd completed his night’s work with 11 assists, only four fewer than the UCLA team.

If the Bruins needed any extra incentive Thursday, all they needed to do was think about last season’s 104-82 wipeout at the hands of Kidd and Murray, their worst loss ever at Pauley.

In addition, there was the matter of the timely critique, becoming almost routine around Westwood these day. This one was slightly different, though, because it came from Bill Walton.

Appearing on ESPN’s “Up Close,” Walton delivered a withering blast that seemed sure to bruise Bruin psyches, since it came from one of their own.

“Unfortunately, this Bruin team does not know how to play big games,” Walton said. “Like a number of UCLA teams with Jim Harrick, they start to go downhill as the season goes on.”

Counting last year’s blowout, Cal had been 2-32 at UCLA since the 1959-60 season coming into Thursday night’s game.

But most of that was before the Kidd Era at Cal.

In that case, the Bruins probably are going to close their eyes until its over. The first half was a Kidd production, almost in its entirety.

At the half, Kidd had 12 points, eight assists, three steals and California owned a 53-41 lead. It took only 10 minutes for UCLA to fall behind by 10 points at 26-16. Murray was a main culprit with 15 of his 20 first-half points as well as four dunks of the highlight variety.

Edney scored on a breakaway to get UCLA within 31-24, but then Kidd took over.

He started it on defense when he stole the ball from Cameron Dollar and scored on layup. Then Murray rejected Charles O’Bannon. At the other end, Kidd batted a mid-air rebound to Akili Jones and he knocked in a short jumper.

The next time down, Kidd finished another fast break with another layup. At 37-24, the rout was on, or so it seemed.

Long before the tipoff, game faces were already being worn, even by non-combatants.

“If there was ever a must game on the schedule for UCLA, it’s this one,” ESPN’s Dick Vitale said. “They really need it psychologically, to beat somebody good.”

They almost did.