Bruins Have ‘Em on Run

Baron Davis had a little too much quickness, stealing the ball and starting the fastbreak.

Dan Gadzuric had a little too much strength, setting up in the half-court offense, muscling his way inside.

UCLA had a little too much of everything--three-point shots, jumpers, layups--in defeating USC, 98-80, before a raucous crowd of 10,986 at the Sports Arena on Wednesday night.

“Everybody stepped up offensively,” Davis said. “You could really see it. You could see everything opening up.”

The 13th-ranked Bruins shot 54% from the field and an amazing 63% (10 of 16) from three-point range. The victory improved their record to 13-4, 5-2 in Pacific 10 Conference play, and lengthened their winning streak in this cross-town rivalry to nine games.

USC, meanwhile, lost a fourth consecutive game. The Trojans (10-6, 2-5) shot 33% from the field and were left to wonder, again, where the scoring went.

“We didn’t play smart at all,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “We didn’t make good decisions.”

This game offered both teams a chance to bounce back. The Bruins were coming off a loss to Stanford in which they hung close to the No. 4 team in the nation until the last few minutes. The Trojans were recuperating from a disappointing defeat against California.

USC was also staring down the barrel of the losing streak to UCLA, a streak dating to 1994 and including an overtime loss at the Sports Arena last February.

That particular loss weighed heavily on USC guard Adam Spanich’s mind this week. The senior missed a three-point shot that would have won the game at the end of regulation. He hastily launched the shot just as UCLA’s Kris Johnson came flying at him.

“If I could do it all over, I’d have let him foul me,” Spanich said. “I’d have had a chance to win it at the free-throw line.”

This time, there would be no opportunity for last-second heroics.

The Trojans came out in a tight zone defense, daring UCLA to shoot from outside, and the Bruins took them up on the offer. JaRon Rush found the touch he had been missing these last few weeks, making three of five three-pointers on the way to 15 points.

“It felt good,” Rush said. “It felt real good.”

It was enough to compensate for the temporary absence of Gadzuric, who went to the bench in foul trouble.

On defense, UCLA played a physical man-to-man as Davis pestered his USC counterpart, the smaller Brandon Granville, all over the court. UCLA guard Earl Watson and USC swingman Jeff Trepagnier traded elbows late in the half and officials called a technical foul on Trepagnier.

Given such little room to maneuver, USC could manage only spurts of offense. Center Brian Scalabrine, who had 13 points, made a follow shot while falling to floor. Guard Elias Ayuso, who had a team-high 16, made a couple of three-point baskets. But, in between, the Trojans made too many mistakes and missed too many shots.

A traveling violation and an errant pass allowed UCLA to go on a 7-0 run. A turnover and a couple of hasty jump shots led to an 8-0 run.

Just before halftime, with USC threatening to close the gap, Jarvis Turner made a diving steal but Scalabrine was called for traveling. UCLA held a 46-35 lead going into the second half.

Things would only get worse. Or better, depending on the point of view.

USC went scoreless for almost the first five minutes of the second half, missing more shots, suffering more turnovers. UCLA, meanwhile, came out in a whirlwind of steals and fastbreak dunks. Bruin Coach Steve Lavin got so excited he started leaping on the sideline every time his players went up for a slam.

By the time USC guard Quincy Wilder put back his own miss, with 15:13 remaining, UCLA had a 56-37 lead. The Trojans mustered a brief run, creating a handful of turnovers with their full-court press, but it was too little and much too late.

UCLA forward Jerome Moiso was on his way to scoring a game-high 17 points. Gadzuric returned to finish with 16 points and finish off USC.

“We had a good chemistry going on,” he said.

* RUSH HOUR: UCLA freshman breaks out of shooting slump in a big way. Page 7

By The Numbers

9: Victories in a row for UCLA over USC.

114-92: UCLA’s record in the series, which dates to 1928.

13-6: UCLA’s record against USC in the ‘90s.

5-1: USC Coach Henry Bibby’s record versus the Trojans when he was a starting guard for UCLA (1969-1972).

1994: The last time USC defeated UCLA in men’s basketball.