Basketball

It may have been the first time in the glorious history of UCLA basketball at Pauley Pavilion that one Bruins fan could turn to another and legitimately ask: "Did they nail a lid on our rim?" My kingdom for a horse -- or a layup. They call it "hoops," and for a span of 12 minutes 20 seconds on Saturday, UCLA couldn't buy one. Not a jump shot, not a put-back, not a slam dunk . . . nada. Arizona State's 61-58 overtime victory over UCLA was so stranglehold-strange.

Pick a moment, a meaningful statistic, anything that might explain UCLA's frustration. Start with the final eight minutes of regulation, an interminable stretch during which the Bruins squandered an 11-point lead by failing to score a single point. Add a careless foul that sent the game into overtime. Finish with the clock ticking down, a chance to tie, a few aimless passes and not even a shot. "We were just trying our hardest out there, trying to get baskets," forward Josh Shipp said.

Dwight Lewis took one giant step forward, and USC took a little one in a game where the biggest play happened out of bounds. By the time the Trojans had finished scratching and clawing their way to a 65-64 victory over Arizona on Saturday at the Galen Center, they could claim full membership in the Pacific 10 conference race -- for now.

USC got a boost with the return of power forward Leonard Washington on Saturday. Washington, who had missed nearly five weeks because of a high ankle sprain, played 16 minutes in the Trojans' 65-64 victory over Arizona. He had five points and three rebounds. "It was great to get minutes from him," Coach Tim Floyd said. "He has practiced only two days with us. He was able to watch from the sideline when we put in a new zone offense. He went to the right spots. That's encouraging.

Dwight Lewis, USC's leading scorer, suffered what was called a "mild" sprained left ankle during basketball practice Monday. "They said it is a mild sprain, I guess we will hold him out [today] and try to get him some work Wednesday," USC Coach Tim Floyd said. "Then we'll see where he is." Lewis, a 6-foot-5 guard, is averaging 15.8 points a game and leads the Trojans with 30 three-pointers. He was injured landing on teammate Percy Miller's foot during drills.

The coach couldn't sleep. The players went looking for any modicum of solace they could find. "I get home and it's all silent," guard Darren Collison said. "My parents are taking it harder than I'm taking it." It has been that kind of week for anyone associated with UCLA basketball, the Bruins coming off a disheartening loss to Arizona State, a Pacific 10 Conference game they let slip away. "We're all pretty bummed," swingman Michael Roll said.

Auditions are underway. The USC basketball team is looking for someone to fill 20 minutes each game and keep guards Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis from fatigue. That casting call has sophomores Marcus Simmons and Donte Smith trying to prove they are worthy of the role. "We're begging one of them to come on and give us relief minutes for Daniel and Dwight," Coach Tim Floyd said. "There is 22 minutes out there at guard." Both are trying to clear hurdles to earn some, or all, of that time.

The team that UCLA plays tonight knows what it feels like to start the season with big shoes to fill. While the 13th-ranked Bruins lost three players to the NBA over the summer, Washington State is learning to live without guards Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low who, along with forward Robbie Cowgill, led the team last season. And just like UCLA, the Cougars are asking their remaining upperclassmen to step up. "They have to play at a high level," Coach Tony Bennett said.

This time, Darren Collison wasn't going to let it happen. This time, as his team blew yet another lead down the stretch, the UCLA point guard told himself that he needed to get tough. Tough as in waving his teammates out of the paint, diving into the thick of the defense. Tough as in drawing fouls and making his free throws, making clutch baskets in the final minutes.

Even before the game began, this was a war of attrition that USC was losing. Dwight Lewis, USC's leading scorer, was out with a sprained left ankle. The offense was going to suffer. As things lurched and the Washington Huskies took the game in their shaky hand, the Trojans showing all the depth of a wading pool.