Bruins Looking G<i> rrrr</i> -eat in Easy Victory Over LSU : College basketball: UCLA makes 10 of 18 three-point shots and plays tough defense on Tiger guards, 92-72.

Searching for signs, Jim Harrick saw only portents of doom.

Searching for a way onto the Pete Maravich Assembly Center floor, the UCLA Bruins were met by a full-grown Bengal tiger, yawning in its portable cage, blocking their path.

The Louisiana State mascot was eventually cleared away, but could the Bruins, who have recently stumbled so often in similar circumstances, stay composed under this kind of duress?

If they were searching for reasons to lose, the Bruins had plenty here Saturday night, before a roaring crowd of 14,551 and against an LSU team bristling to avenge last year’s loss at Pauley Pavilion.

Freshman standout J.R. Henderson had injured his back in practice Thursday, and his availability was questionable. UCLA’s week of practice had been altered and abbreviated by finals week. LSU seemed due for a victory after losing each of its six meetings against the Bruins.

“I told our assistants that I thought we were kind of ripe for the picking this week,” Harrick said.

But, instead of tightening, UCLA broke loose.

The Bruins shut down LSU’s offense, ripped through its defense and dominated the Tigers, 92-72.

Ed O’Bannon scored 28 points as UCLA forced 26 turnovers, made 55.6% of its shots, emptied its bench with time to spare and more than solidified its hold on the No. 2 national ranking.

Bruin guards Tyus Edney and Cameron Dollar initiated the intensity with chest-to-chest defensive pressure on Randy Livingston and Ronnie Henderson, the Tigers’ most talented offensive players.

Livingston was suffering from a bruised right kneecap and it was announced after the game that he had a stress fracture. He made only two of 13 shots and committed six turnovers. Henderson also had six turnovers.

“Because of their backcourt and how Livingston can handle the ball, we wanted to make sure that we had pressure on him all the time,” Dollar said. “And Tyus was on him, and it spread from there.”

From there, the Bruins’ outside shooting--led by freshman Toby Bailey’s three-for-four night from three-point range--kept UCLA out front comfortably. J.R. Henderson was limited to less than a minute of action when his back acted up again, but the rest of the Bruins’ regular rotation picked up the slack.

“My teammates know when I’m feeling my jump shot,” Bailey said. “After that first one, the point guards knew I was on and they tried to set me up for the three-point shot.”

Overall, UCLA was 10 for 18 from beyond the three-point line, its best outside shooting performance of the season by far.

“A lot of people say we can’t shoot, that we lack an outside perimeter game,” said Charles O’Bannon, who had 17 points. “And I think we proved we can shoot the ball.”

At halftime, UCLA led by nine. Nine minutes into the second half, LSU (4-1) had committed eight turnovers in 18 second-half possessions and UCLA had a 17-point lead.

“They’re good, and we were terrible,” said LSU Coach Dale Brown, who added that Livingston shouldn’t have played in the game because of his injury. “I can never remember a game in which we did not make any runs. They totally took us out of everything.”

For the Bruins (4-0), the victory was an important step in erasing the painful memories of last year’s collapse after rising to the No. 1 ranking. Coming into LSU’s arena with their No. 2 ranking, the Bruins, for once, did not fold.

And they made a point of reminding people of it.

“After last year, everybody out there is waiting to see when we become inconsistent,” Dollar said. “So everybody we play is a test for us. But we’re going out there with a hired hit-man mentality, taking out everybody put in front of us.

“(That kind of defensive pressure) might not be what you expected from past UCLA teams, but expect it from us.”

Said Ed O’Bannon: “I think it was a good test for our character. We came out, our first road game, after taking finals, and we really could see what we’re about. I just hope we can keep this up and keep the intensity on the defensive end.”