UCLA thinks it’s ready for a stretch run

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If UCLA fans are looking for signs of encouragement, any hint that their team is poised to catch fire through the second half of the Pacific 10 Conference schedule, they should look past the starting lineup.

In big victories over California and Stanford last week, the Bruins (17-4, 7-2) lengthened their rotation to 10 or 11 players, getting strong efforts off the bench, as they surged back into a tie for first place in the Pac-10 standings.

Michael Roll scored in double figures in both games. Drew Gordon had six points and three rebounds in 14 minutes against Stanford. James Keefe and the two freshman guards -- Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee -- also contributed.

‘That’s nice having your guys that come in off the bench keep the level of play or even raise the level of play,’ Coach Ben Howland said.

The starters said they felt fresher toward the end of both games as the Bruins, who rose to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll on Monday, reversed an earlier tendency to struggle down the stretch.

Now comes a critical game against crosstown rival USC on Wednesday night. ‘We may be reverting to past years when we were a very good second-half team,’ Howland said. ‘Obviously that’s when you want to be good if you had to choose between one and the other, but we want to be good for 40 minutes.’

-- David Wharton

Photo (top): UCLA’s Michael Roll, left, and Jerime Anderson team up against California last Thursday. Credit: Jeff Lewis / Associated Press

Photo (inset): Ben Howland. Credit: Kirby Lee / Image of Sport-US Presswire