X Marks This Bruin Streak

Someone asked guard Earl Watson in the aftermath whether he thought UCLA played well Wednesday night.

“I think we battled well,” he said.

The 16th-ranked Bruins, showing the intensity that was missing four days earlier in the loss at California that prompted the overhaul of the rotation, used a pressing defense in the second half and a clutch shot from Baron Davis to beat USC, 68-63, before 11,601 at Pauley Pavilion.

It was the 10th victory in a row for UCLA in the series.

“We came out with a lot of heart today,” JaRon Rush said after contributing 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. “Coach kind of challenged us, to see if we would step up. And I think we did. We played well.”

The message from Coach Steve Lavin had been personal to the point that he questioned their heart and emotions, or what passed for them in the 18-point loss in Oakland. He promised a new lineup, then followed through with that Wednesday, sending the end of his bench out to face a USC team coming off an upset of then-No. 6 Stanford.

The Trojans (12-11, 4-10 in Pacific 10 Conference), offering a response of their own, showed no emotional letdown from the weekend.

Blown out by 18 when the teams met Jan. 20 at the Sports Arena, they never trailed by more than five points in the second half, even leading by a point with five minutes remaining.

But when UCLA (18-7, 9-5) stepped up its full-court defense, USC was unable to answer. The Trojans had only two turnovers in four possessions in the key stretch, and only six turnovers in the second half, but beyond that were unable to get any real offense going.

In the end, USC went the final 3:48 without a field goal, managing only two free throws from there as a 61-61 game turned into a five-point loss. It came as part of a stretch in which the Trojans also missed four of their last free throws.

“We shot ourselves in the foot, not making free throws and not making rebounds,” USC Coach Henry Bibby said after the game-high 20 points from Brian Scalabrine went to waste.

“They find a way to win. That’s what UCLA has done for years and years, always find a way to win.”

The biggest way was Davis’ fall-away 15-footer with 36 seconds left, after he had beaten Quincy Wilder off the dribble from the top of the three-point circle. Davis, his strength reduced by a bout of flu and continued soreness in his knees, started down the right side and pulled up to make the shot that gave UCLA a decisive 67-63 lead.

If the revamped starting lineup was meant as a statement from Lavin to the Bruins, it came also as an event--Sean Farnham’s parents commuted from Northern California for the occasion, leaving in the early afternoon, making it to Westwood for the game, and then turning right around afterward for another six-hour drive to make it back in time for work this morning.

Rush was the tallest Bruin in the opening lineup at 6 feet 6 and handled the jump ball.

So it was that UCLA, in the wake of the terrible showing at Cal, began its quest for regained footing with an early rotation that could not have been imagined five days earlier.

Farnham, averaging 5.2 minutes a game at the start of the night, the inside presence.

Brandon Loyd, averaging 6.8 minutes, opening in the three-guard alignment along with regulars Davis and Watson.

And Todd Ramasar, who hadn’t played more than a minute in two months, since the Cal State Northridge game of Dec. 19, as the first Bruin off the bench.

Loyd, Farnham and Ramasar hadn’t combined to play more minutes than the next-closest Bruin in 1998-99 experience, Rico Hines. And Hines hasn’t played since Jan. 9 because of a broken foot.

Farnham and Ramasar are walk-ons. Loyd recently went a month while reaching double figures in minutes only once.

Ramasar, averaging 2.6 minutes in his eight previous appearances, came in this time with 3:42 gone. But he was out again after 1:42.

By the time the game was 11:42 old, all 11 available Bruins had played, everyone but Hines, who could return Sunday against Syracuse, and Jerome Moiso, out for the second time in a row because of sore arches. Suddenly, it seemed like old times, with more of that on the way.

Coverage

NOTES

After tying the score, 61-61, Trojans can’t make a basket for the final 3:48.

Page 5

NORWOOD

Who’s the best player? It’s still too close to call.

Page 4

TOP 25

Buckeyes’ Penn is mightier than the Hoosiers.

Page 4