Kapono Is in It for Long Haul

The ignorance might have been feigned in the interest of modesty, but forward Jason Kapono insisted he was unaware that his first three-point basket Saturday was his 300th as a Bruin.

“I didn’t know that,” he said. “Never thought about it.”

Kapono, a senior, began the season as UCLA’s record-holder from long range and is chasing the Pacific 10 Conference record of 323 set by Stevin Smith of Arizona State from 1991 to ’94.

Kapono made five of 10 against Stanford to give him 304 in 675 attempts. He has made 45.2%, No. 2 at UCLA behind Pooh Richardson, who made 46.4% of 112 three-point attempts from 1986 to ’89.

“When I get in a shooter’s rhythm, it’s a good feeling,” Kapono said. “I haven’t had that feeling often enough this season.”

Arizona senior guard Jason Gardner is neck-and-neck with Kapono, with 301 three-pointers through Saturday’s games.

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Point guard Cedric Bozeman did not play for the second game in a row because of a bruised right shoulder.

And he might have lost his starting job.

Ray Young put together two stellar performances in Bozeman’s place, scoring a total of 40 points. He had 22 against Stanford, equaling a career best set against Oregon State in January 2000.

Young, a senior who never played point guard until Thursday against California, also has distributed the ball well and kept turnovers to a minimum.

Bozeman, a sophomore, said he will be ready to play Thursday at Oregon State.

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Stanford’s six victories in a row at UCLA is a record at 38-year-old Pauley Pavilion. But the Cardinal actually had a longer streak in the late 1930s, winning nine in a row at UCLA.

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UP NEXT

Thursday at Oregon State, 7 p.m., Fox Sports Net 2 -- This is a key game in the Bruins’ quest to not only make the Pacific 10 Conference tournament but to gain the No. 7 seeding and avoid facing Arizona in the first round. Oregon State beat UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, 83-79.