Bruins Bloom, Trojans Wilt

UCLA went to the desert this weekend, and found peace, tranquillity and the shining path to the Pacific 10 Conference title.

With a final, decisive surge of energy and a postgame display of sly confidence, UCLA on Saturday completed its burst to first, controlling the tempo, then pulling away from Arizona State, 92-81, before 4,823 at University Activity Center.

Coming two days after edging No. 11 Arizona in Tucson, the victory was UCLA’s third in a row, and 12th in 16 games since opening the season at 3-3.

Coupled with USC’s loss at Arizona on Saturday, the 24th-ranked Bruins are now alone in first place, one game ahead of USC and California, with a game against the Trojans on Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion.

“We know people are seeing us and saying UCLA is back,” said junior forward J.R. Henderson, who had 19 points and eight rebounds. “We are back. I wouldn’t have said it before this Arizona trip, but I can say it now.”

This time, the Bruins didn’t need gigantic production from Charles O’Bannon, who was clearly still exhausted from his dramatic 26-point performance against the Wildcats.

Instead, O’Bannon was one of five Bruins in double figures, led by Toby Bailey’s 20 points on nine-of-11 shooting and Cameron Dollar’s career-high 19 points.

“Cameron Dollar was extremely big. They were doubling off him every time, left him wide open,” said O’Bannon, who had a quiet 13 points, his lowest total in 10 games, “and he killed them.”

After all the controversy and benchings and public doubts and impermanence of the first three months of this wild season, UCLA’s smiles and jokes on the court and postgame gregariousness was the clearest sign of the new Bruin mood.

Henderson, with Kris Johnson gently telling him to be quiet, firmly shrugged off any suggestions that the Trojans could mess up the Bruins’ title plans.

“I just can’t see SC as this top-notch team,” Henderson said, shaking his head. “When I think about SC, it’s just SC, we’re going to beat them like we should. That’s the way we’re approaching it--it’s just SC.

“I don’t plan on losing to SC.”

And if the Trojans get upset seeing these words in the paper?

“They can read this, I don’t care,” Henderson said. “Let them read whatever they want to. This is how I feel. They’re better [than in the past]. But I don’t think they’re as good as people are trying to make them out to be.”

On Saturday, UCLA (15-7, 10-3) was as good as it wanted to be. The Bruins outclassed the scrambling Sun Devils with a full-court press right off the bat, but they didn’t put Arizona State away for a while.

Arizona State (10-14, 2-10), which was led by Eddie House’s 24 points, got it down to 51-48 early in the second half, kept hanging around, narrowed it to 68-62 with 7:43 left, then fell away when UCLA’s passing offense resulted in baskets on seven consecutive possessions.

The Bruins, the top field-goal shooting team in the nation, made 53.6% of its shots.

Bailey was the most effective Bruin, stepping away from the pass-first role he has assumed of late and firing jumpers early and often.

“I was feeling it--my shot was going,” said Bailey, whose 11 shots were almost all jumpers. “This whole year, I’ve just been letting my offense come, taking what the defense gave me.

“Today, Charles probably was a little tired from that performance against Arizona, and other people had to step up and provide some offense. I picked up the slack.”

Said Coach Steve Lavin, who is suffering from a chest cold and gave the players today and Monday off to rest up for Wednesday’s game: “I told Toby when he’s open, shoot it.

“I have not taken a player out this entire year for taking a shot. Maybe Toby’s struggled the last couple of games, but I want him to keep shooting.”

Arizona State Coach Bill Frieder, the man who two years ago was the first major figure to publicly say UCLA could win the national title, said this season’s UCLA team could be dangerous again in March.

“It’s happened just like I told you it would,” Frieder said. “They’ve come together. [People] panic, but they’re right where they want to be, fighting for the Pac-10 championship.

“They’re not comparable to the team that won the national championship--not yet--but they’re much better than they were. And they keep getting better and better. They could work their way into the top 15, and could very well end up a No. 2 seed [in the tournament].”