This Pit-Fall Turns Pitiful for Bruins

What could possibly be greener than 9,000 Oregon fans packed into McArthur Court?

UCLA floundering on the floor like a team that had never encountered a loud crowd and an energized opponent.

Or Coach Steve Lavin’s face, watching the sickening spectacle of the Bruins falling behind by 24 in the first half, 35 in the second and losing, 91-62, Thursday night to fall two games behind the Ducks and USC in the Pacific 10 Conference race.

The 13th-ranked Bruins have three senior starters and a two-time all-conference junior in their starting lineup, but they were like high school freshmen at their first dance--self-conscious and flustered.

“We had a lack of poise and they were on fire,” forward Jason Kapono said.

It was UCLA’s worst defeat against Oregon, eclipsing the 56-30 loss here the first time the teams met in 1936.

And of greater importance, , it was the Bruins’ fourth loss in their last six conference games.

Kapono made his only field goal with 20 seconds left in the first half and finished with four points, his lowest total since scoring four at Arizona a year ago.

Matt Barnes was just as cold, making one of nine shots, scoring three points and and missing all three of his three-point attempts.

In fact, the Bruins were shut out from three-point range--missing 13--until Ryan Walcott made one with five minutes to play.

“We never established a rhythm offensively and we showed no intensity on defense,” Lavin said. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance to even be competitive, let alone win.”

Oregon (16-5, 8-2) improved to 12-0 at home with astonishing ease. Everyone got into the act. Luke Jackson was the only starter who did not make at least three field goals in the first half and he made two three-pointers in the first three minutes of the second half.

Senior Frederick Jones scored 28 points and the other four starters also finished in double figures. Chris Christoffersen, the Ducks’ 7-foot-2 center, had 15 rebounds. Oregon shot 56.7%, including 45.5% from three-point range, both the best numbers for an opponent against UCLA this season.

“Our players were so intense and locked in, we got on them early,” Jackson said. “We just contained them, got stops, then went down and scored.”

Nothing went right for UCLA (14-6, 6-4) from the opening tip. Each starter missed a shot in the first four minutes and Oregon zipped to a 14-4 lead.

With the student section about three feet from the court and fans in the top bleachers seemingly hanging over the floor, falling behind is like soliciting your mother-in-law’s opinion of your new sports car--it’s asking for an earful.

“Anything you do, our crowd will let you know about it,” Jackson said. “You miss a shot, you’ll hear about it. We make a shot, they let us know they appreciate us.”

UCLA showed life only for a short time in the second half, going to a full-court press and making a 12-point run that reduced a 35-point deficit to 69-46. T.J. Cummings scored eight of his 15 points during the spurt.

But two putbacks by Christoffersen and a dunk by Jones off an alley-oop pass from Luke Ridnour got the crowd going again. Lavin responded by emptying the bench.

“They had the intensity of a team playing for the Pac-10 championship,” UCLA guard Rico Hines said. “They beat us to loose balls, they fed off the crowd. And we just did not respond.”

So UCLA, picked to finish first in a Pac-10 preseason poll, is in sixth place. Oregon, picked to finish sixth, is in first.

The only silver lining is the realization that UCLA lost here in 1995--and went on to win the national championship. Same with Arizona in 1997.

Some very good teams have been buried at this 75-year-old building that sits hard by a graveyard. But few have put up less of a fight.

In a somber locker room, UCLA center Dan Gadzuric sat motionless, his head bowed low, tears welling in his eyes.

Two lockers over, Barnes put into words what Gadzuric felt.

“They beat us in every aspect of the game,” he said. “We’re not where we need to be to win the Pac-10. Not offensively or defensively. Not in terms of intensity. Not in team camaraderie.

“We’re not even close.”

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UCLA’s Worst Losses...

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