UCLA Pulls Rank Again

The battle for Los Angeles was down to 6:28, one point separating USC and UCLA. It had been the kind of battle both teams had promised Thursday--a tenacious turf war that would leave the loser bitter and the winner physically and emotionally spent.

USC trailed, but it had the ball, the crowd and--it thought--momentum. But the latter belonged to the Bruins.

Jason Kapono made a three-point shot, USC turned the ball over three consecutive times and that was all UCLA needed to go on to an 85-76 victory before a record crowd of 16,409 in the Sports Arena.

The win gave the unranked Bruins (14-6, 8-2) a sweep of the season series with the 22nd-ranked Trojans (16-6, 6-4) and kept them tied with Arizona for second in the Pacific 10 Conference. It was also UCLA’s third consecutive victory over USC.

Kapono led all scorers with 20 points, followed by Ray Young with 19.

“We weren’t trying to make a statement,” said Earl Watson, who had 11 points before fouling out. “Basketball is not about making statements. It’s about getting ‘W’s. And we’re getting key wins and making big-time plays, and being passionate about the game.”

USC--which lost at home for the first time in 11 games this season--fell out of a fourth-place tie with California, and probably fell out of the top 25 for the first time this season.

Of course the Bruin fans in attendance were all too happy to pass judgment, with shouts of “overrated” as the Trojans dragged back to the locker room.

Trojan guard Jeff Trepagnier couldn’t argue.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Trepagnier, who scored 12 points. “We’re the ones who talked all week about wanting this game. And then they come into our house and outplay us.”

It was the second consecutive victory over a ranked team for UCLA and embattled Coach Steve Lavin.

“I’m happy for our kids,” Lavin said. “We continue to improve every practice and every game. We have come a long way and have a long way to go. But we just keep getting better.

“USC is as talented as any team in the Pac-10. They are very impressive, but our kids kept plugging away and making progress.”

The Trojans had all five starters in double figures, with Sam Clancy and Brian Scalabrine scoring 17. But the Trojans never led after the nine-minute mark of the first half, were guilty of too mistakes (19 turnovers), got outrebounded, 36-34, and rarely showed the drive and desire needed to win this kind of game.

“We weren’t ready to play,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said. “It was evident that UCLA did what it wanted to do. They were much more focused and they outhustled us. They executed their game plan; they made shots and they made plays.

“It’s a step in the other direction for us because we wanted to win our home games. We still have lots of games left. Our hope is to hang in there and finish in the top half of the Pac-10.”

After 10 minutes of trading baskets and glares in the first half, UCLA gained control of the scoreboard, using an 11-2 run for a 29-21 lead at the 7:16 mark.

The Bruins’ pesky defensive pressure was bothering the Trojans even though USC only had eight first-half turnovers. And the Brandon Granville experiment--letting the 5-foot-9 guard chase and harass the 6-6 Kapono while Trepagnier shadowed Watson--wasn’t working. After 15 minutes Kapono had scored 10 points; Granville and Trepagnier switched their assignments.

By halftime USC had whittled the lead down to five, 39-34. And three minutes into the second half the Trojans caught another break when Watson picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench, returning with 12:28 to play.

The Trojans continued their pursuit until they caught the Bruins at 54 on a steal by Granville and a layup by Trepagnier.

That was the last big Trojan moment.

“They wanted the game more,” Trepagnier said of UCLA. “We weren’t flat and we weren’t too high. But we were the ones with the key mistakes and we were the ones who didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. They did, so they came in and beat us.”

Pacific 10 Conference

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School W L Stanford 9 1 Arizona 8 2 UCLA 8 2 California 7 3 USC 6 4 Oregon 3 7 Washington 3 7 Oregon State 2 8 Arizona State 2 8 Washington State 2 8

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COVERAGE

CHANGE PAYS OFF

Streak-shooting UCLA guard Ray Young got hot Thursday night thanks to a subtle adjustment to his game. D6

ALSO

STANFORD 69, OREGON 62

The Cardinal, struggling at the foul line, uses a 20-6 run in the second half to avoid second upset in a row. D6

ARIZONA 82, WASHINGTON 62

Loren Woods is booed, but Michael Wright has 20 points and the Huskies commit a season-high 29 turnovers. D6

UTAH ST. 67, UC IRVINE 52

Anteaters’ 13-game win streak ends as Shawn Daniels scores 18 points on nine-of-10 shooting. D5