Seniors Rescue Bruins

This was a dreaded “sandwich game,” wedged between bread-and-butter battles against ranked opponents--Kansas and Arizona, in UCLA’s case.

Sure enough, Arizona State made like peanut butter, posing a sticky challenge. But just when it appeared the Bruins would choke, relief came from a comforting source.

Got seniors?

Four-year veterans Matt Barnes, Billy Knight and Dan Gadzuric made the plays down the stretch in the ninth-ranked Bruins’ 82-79 victory Thursday night in front of 9,013 at Wells Fargo Arena.

Much of the contribution was reflected in numbers. Knight had 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Barnes had 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Gadzuric had 14 points and eight rebounds, with all the rebounds and 10 of the points coming in the second half.

But some key plays can’t be measured. Call them senior moments.

A comfortable lead dwindled to three with 8.9 seconds left after the frigid-shooting Sun Devils inexplicably got hot, making four of their five three-point baskets in the last 2:34.

Bruin freshman Cedric Bozeman was fouled with 8.9 seconds left and missed two free throws, but Barnes reached over Arizona State’s Justin Allen and muscled for the rebound. His putback missed, but this time Knight went up hard, forcing a jump ball with 6.2 on the clock and the Bruins had possession.

It wasn’t over. Jason Kapono was stripped after taking an inbounds pass and Curtis Millage weaved down the floor, launching an off-balance 20-foot shot that bounced off the front of the rim as the horn sounded.

Barnes also was a money player. As Kapono prepared to shoot two free throws with 39.1 seconds left and the score 76-72, Barnes noticed coins rolling on the floor and brought them to the referee’s attention.

A technical foul was issued because earlier Arizona State had been given a warning when pizza was tossed from the stands. While Sun Devil Coach Rob Evans protested and the crowd wailed, Kapono made all four freebies and UCLA’s lead was eight.

“When the game is close, you let the players decide things,” Evans said. “[The officials] never told me to quiet the crowd. They said we had a warning but I didn’t know of any warning.”

All in all, it was a much more difficult victory than the 10-point win over No. 1 Kansas.

“Sometimes you have to win ugly and we found a way to grind out a win on the road,” Coach Steve Lavin said.

Said Barnes: “This was the type of game the younger players haven’t been in. [The seniors] know what it takes to win.”

So UCLA (13-3, 5-1 in the Pac-10) left fat and happy, with a day off to prepare for No.15 Arizona and the rigors of playing in McKale Center, where none of the current Bruins have won.

“We know we have to get up for all the games,” Barnes said. “This game was as important as Kansas and Arizona.”

Barnes picked up where he left off in scoring 34 and 27 last week against USC and Kansas, making a three-point basket and a scoop shot in the paint for the game’s first five points.

Next it was Knight. Arizona State (10-6, 3-4) used a full-court press to overcome cold shooting and take its first lead, 29-28, with two minutes left in the first half. But Knight made UCLA’s last eight points--including a steal and layup in the final seconds--and the Bruins led, 36-31.

Kapono tried to get out of his habitual first-half doldrums by taking six shots, but he made only two and missed three from long range. He finished with 20 points, however, making eight of nine free throws, and appeared comfortable playing a wing rather than point guard.

Bozeman played 21 minutes at the point, and Ryan Walcott spelled him for 12 minutes. This was a homecoming for Walcott, a redshirt freshman from Phoenix Shadow Mountain High, and he responded with two points, two rebounds, an assist and only one turnover.

There were more minutes to go around than usual because starter Rico Hines sat out. He is still experiencing headaches from a concussion suffered at practice 10 days ago and is questionable for Arizona.

But his fellow seniors made up for his absence.

“First it’s Dan on both ends of the floor, then Billy, then Matt,” Lavin said. “Our older players know what it takes to close out basketball games.”