Bruins in Gear After a Pit Stop

Their star point guard had fouled out. Their once-robust lead had worn perilously thin under a barrage of Oregon baskets. But not once Thursday did that feeling--that McArthur Court malaise--wash over UCLA players.

Yes, point guard Earl Watson was on the bench. Yes, the crowd pumped the decibel count through the roof. No, the 15th-ranked Bruins were not teetering on the verge of collapse.

“We’re all just seasoned on the court, so we know how to handle it when our leader goes down,” guard Ray Young said in the afterglow of an 88-73 victory. “We would have folded when teams made runs on us last year. This year, we’ve learned to withstand them because we’re older and smarter. You can’t really teach that.”

Older, smarter, and bound for the NCAA tournament. The Bruins, winning their sixth game in a row, collected their 18th victory, all but assuring them of a bid on Selection Sunday. But they have other goals on their checklist, most notably a Pacific 10 Conference title. They improved to 11-2 in league play (18-6 overall) and are within striking range of Stanford, which visits Pauley Pavilion on March 3.

“Definitely,” Watson said, when asked if a league title is within reach. “But we can’t lose any games. We realize that. It’s going to be tough. There’s no off-nights in the Pac-10 ever.”

The Bruins were reminded of that Thursday, when they built a 21-point lead in the second half, only to watch it wither to eight on a 13-0 Oregon run. But they kept their cool, even as the place got so noisy the rims shook and the scoreboard swayed, even as the point guard duties were entrusted to a guy who averages a dozen minutes a game.

Ryan “Moose” Bailey played 26 minutes, collected season highs in rebounds (five) and assists (four), and ignored the student-section taunts of “Toby’s better!” in reference to his older brother.

“Like a pinch hitter, Moose has always responded when called upon in tough situations,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “And tonight was another example of that.”

It was Bailey who broke UCLA’s six-minute scoring drought with 8:32 remaining, when he weaved through the lane for a layup. That stemmed the run by Oregon, which had trimmed the deficit to 64-56 and had whipped the home crowd into a frenzy.

The teams traded baskets and twice more the Ducks got within eight before running out of gas. UCLA pulled away in the final five minutes.

The victory was the Bruins’ third at McArthur Court in eight years. It was only the second time Lavin has won at “The Pit,” considered by most Pac-10 teams to be the most challenging place to play in the league.

“It’s so little and everybody’s right there on top of you,” said Young, who came off the bench to score 12 points. “I think some of the bigger courts are a little bit more intimidating for me, but with how loud it gets here it’s definitely a factor.”

Playing Oregon doesn’t seem to bother Bruin forward Matt Barnes, who has had his two best games of the season against the Ducks. He scored 21 points Thursday and tied a career high with 38 minutes. He scored 26 in the first meeting.

Jason Kapono contributed 20 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. It was his third double-double of the season and second in four games. Dan Gadzuric had 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

UCLA had a 45-33 lead at halftime, and headed for the locker room with Mac Court as quiet as the cemetery across the street.

The Bruins dominated the boards in the half, 31-20, and feasted on second chances and tip-ins. Kapono got off to a slow start but finished the half with 14 points. Barnes scored 10.

The crowd was at its loudest early in the game, when Lavin angrily argued for a traveling call against the Ducks. When the officials reversed an out-of-bounds call, giving the ball back to Oregon, Lavin erupted. Assistant coach Michael Holton tried to restrain him, but Lavin was whistled for a technical foul.

Watson, who got in foul trouble early and was limited to 14 minutes before fouling out with 12:07 to play, had three assists. That gives him 222 for his career; he needs three more to break Tyus Edney’s school record.

Watson said he was totally at ease on the bench and never doubted his team would prevail.

“I knew we were going to win,” he said. “I wasn’t concerned at all. They made a great run, but I knew we could hold them off. I’ve fouled out before. It’s rough, but I knew we were going to get the W.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

PACIFIC 10

Stanford 12-1

UCLA 11-2

Arizona 11-3

California 9-4

USC 7-6

Oregon 4-10

Wash. St. 4-10

Oregon St. 4-10

Washington 3-11

Arizona St. 3-11

*

COMEBACK

No. 1 Stanford rallied from a 33-25 halftime deficit. D12