Bruins Shoot Way to the Top

Two hot-shooting games have moved the Bruins, one of the best field-goal shooting teams in the nation the previous two seasons, to the top of the Pacific 10 Conference field-goal percentage rankings--and above 50% for the first time since mid-December.

UCLA shot a combined 63.5% (73 for 115) in victories over Louisville on Sunday and USC last Wednesday, lifting its season percentage to 50.5. The eighth-ranked Bruins are the only Pac-10 team above 50%.

Arizona is No. 2 at 49.8%.

The Bruins made 52% of their field-goal tries last season, and 52.8% in 1995-96.

Tonight vs. Washington State.

* 7:30

* Fox Sports West 2

Site--Pauley Pavilion.

Radio--AM 1150.

Records--No. 8 Bruins 15-3, 5-2; Cougars 8-10, 1-6.

Update--Washington State, facing four consecutive conference road games, has lost nine in a row to the Bruins and has never beaten UCLA in Los Angeles (0-32 at Pauley dating to 1966). The Cougars were 7-4 before losing senior guard Rodrigo de la Fuente, at the time their leading scorer, earlier this month to a professional team in Spain--and have gone 1-6 since. Forward Carlos Daniel, 6 feet 7, has tried to fill the void: He has averaged 20.3 points and 12 rebounds since de la Fuente’s departure.