UCLA Seniors Are Past Tense in Win

It was undeniably a senior moment.

But instead of again turning clumsy, forgetful or feeble, Jason Kapono and Ray Young hoisted UCLA onto their shoulders. With the clock ticking on their careers, the two Bruin seniors made Thursday night in a hostile arena winning time.

And the 69-66 victory over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum kept UCLA alive for a Pacific 10 Conference tournament berth, maybe even a decent seeding.

A sound game plan was devised and executed. Necessary adjustments were made, the way good teams do. Yet a happy ending would have eluded the Bruins if not for the poise, clutch shooting and rugged rebounding of the two seniors.

Kapono, sick and dizzy all day, had 20 points and tied a career high with 13 rebounds in 35 minutes. His 19-foot shot extended the lead to 60-57 with three minutes to play and his bank shot 40 seconds later extended the margin to five.

Young, playing his third game at point guard, also equaled his career best with nine rebounds to accompany 19 points. His put-back of a missed shot with 45.5 seconds left came moments after Brian Jackson pulled the Beavers back within one with a three-point basket.

“Jason and Ray were inspiring,” freshman center Ryan Hollins said. “They were the leaders we know they can be.”

Thus aroused, Hollins made a big play of his own, chasing down a loose ball and causing frustrated Oregon State guard Jimmie Haywood to commit a flagrant foul with 16.3 seconds left. Hollins made one free throw and the Bruins could breathe easier, ahead, 67-63.

“We were playing free and easy, not getting tense near the end,” Young said.

Tightening considerably is the bottom half of the Pac-10 race. The top eight teams make the conference tournament, and UCLA (7-17, 4-11) is tied with Washington for eighth place and only one game behind Oregon State (12-12, 5-10) and USC.

“We’re obviously aware of the math, but really we aren’t trying to think about the race at all,” Coach Steve Lavin said. “We’re trying to stay on an even keel.”

Lavin, though, displayed more fire than he has in weeks. He called timeout three minutes into the game to scold his team for not swarming Beaver post player Philip Ricci, and was assessed a technical for the first time all season for barking at an official.

Ricci, who had 26 points and 14 rebounds in Oregon State’s victory over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion four weeks ago, was held to 15 points and five rebounds.

“In L.A. I had single coverage and they were more aggressive this time,” he said. “They focused on me with two guys.”

UCLA was especially successful collapsing on Ricci and denying Jackson the ball in the first half, which ended tied, 30-30. The Bruins, however, were so sloppy with the ball that their strong defense only kept them even. Their 13 turnovers came in bunches, three in a row on two occasions, two in a row on two others.

Kapono scored seven points in the first 3:20 -- eclipsing 2,000 points in his career in the process.

At halftime Lavin emphasized taking care of the ball and switched to a match-up zone, a defense that has not worked well all season. Oregon State was taken by surprise and shot no better than in the first half, making 12 of 33 (36.4%) in each period.

UCLA did not commit a turnover in the first 10 minutes of the second half, and when Young made two three-pointers in a row, the Bruins led, 52-44.

Young has scored 59 points in three games since replacing the injured Cedric Bozeman at point guard.

“For 4 1/2 years, he missed every shot he took,” Oregon State Coach Jay John said. “Now all of a sudden the basket is as big as the Pacific Ocean. He believes everything is going in.”

And all of a sudden, the Bruins believe they can still make something out of a disappointing season.

“All we can do is stay in the moment and not regret the past, not get anxious about the future,” Young said. “Who knows? Maybe we can make it a positive.”