Tough Moiso Is Hard on Opponents

Jerome Moiso is still soft-hearted in personality. That may never change, a good thing for everybody.

But Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., he was not soft in play. That did change, a good thing for UCLA.

Coming off the showing against USC that focused more attention than ever on the inability of the Bruin big men to offer an inside presence to match their potential, Moiso had 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots and Dan Gadzuric added 10 points and 10 rebounds to play a major role in the 71-68 victory over North Carolina. It marked the first time each sophomore had a double-double in the same game.

It was particularly noteworthy for Moiso, since Gadzuric is having his most consistent rebounding stretch as a Bruin, having averaged 9.4 boards in the last 10 games. Moiso, however, has remained an enigma, disappearing in some outings and then playing well when UCLA needed it most, on national television and against the 13th-ranked Tar Heels.

“We’ve seen it before,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “Against Kentucky, against Arizona last year in the first game. With him, he tends to step up in the bigger games.”

Indeed, Moiso made 11 of 17 shots and had 25 points and seven rebounds in the fourth game of his college career, last season against Kentucky at the Puerto Rico Shootout, and then went seven of 11 from the field en route to 21 points and eight rebounds in the 1999 conference opener against Arizona. Of course, he also disappeared twice against Stanford and in the first-round tournament loss to Detroit Mercy, most notably.

Saturday’s effort came three days after the 12 points and six rebounds at USC, decent numbers that belied a poor showing for Moiso, who criticized UCLA’s play as much as anyone.