Josh Shipp has a big night for Bruins

In case anyone missed it, Josh Shipp has played some decent basketball lately.

"Just being aggressive," he said. "Just being confident."

In case anyone missed it, the UCLA swingman offered a reminder Thursday night.

As in 17 straight points during a four-minute stretch in the first half. As in 27 points for the game, a season high for the Bruins.

And while it would be wrong to say that Shipp's performance made all the difference in his team's 79-54 victory over Oregon State at Pauley Pavilion, he certainly put the rout in a routine evening.

"He let everything come to him," Coach Ben Howland said. "Just had an unbelievable half."

The victory kept 20th-ranked UCLA (23-7, 12-5) in second place in the Pac-10 and within striking distance of a tie for the conference championship, depending on what happens this weekend.

It also raised hopes that a player who has struggled at times during his career might be heating up for the postseason, averaging almost 19 points over the last five games.

"When he's shooting the ball," backcourt mate Darren Collison said of Shipp, "he makes it easier for the rest of the team."

Oregon State Coach Craig Robinson noticed.

"It was like he was shooting in his yard . . . not playing anybody," Robinson said. "It was like a free-for-all."

Meanwhile, the Bruins were busy winning a game they needed to win.

Earlier in the week, Howland had set the table for Oregon State by raising the specter of UCLA's upset loss to Princeton in the 1996 NCAA tournament.

He was talking about famed coach Pete Carril's patient, passing, back-cutting offense that took the Bruins down, 43-41, in that game. He was tracing a bloodline.

Robinson played for and learned from Carril. Now he has brought this style of basketball to Corvallis and revamped a program that went 0-18 in Pac-10 play last season.

The Beavers (13-15, 7-10) made their intentions known early, using a whirlwind of screens and passes to run down the shot clock on each possession and stick close through the first 10 minutes.

They were led by Lathen Wallace and Seth Tarver, on their way to 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Then Shipp took control.

Coming out of a timeout with 7:43 remaining, he went on a tear, scoring UCLA's next 17 points as the Bruins opened a lead they would never come close to relinquishing.