[0] UCLA OWNS ASU : BRUINS DISPLAY DOMINATING PACE UCLA 79, ASU 62.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

It's called ``60-point game,'' and it's one of UCLA's most grueling practice drills. Five against five. One point per pass. Five points per basket. First team to 60 wins. Losers run wind sprints. And, above all, no dribbling.

For months they've endured the punishment and exhaustion that accompany ``60-point game,'' waiting for the toil to translate into victories.

Thursday night, against their favorite Pacific-10 meal, Arizona State, and without injured forward Kris Johnson, the Bruins finally played a ``60-point game'' when it counted. The result was their most unselfish performance of the season and a 79-62 victory, before 10,067 at Pauley Pavilion.

``We were unselfish, almost to a fault,'' coach Steve Lavin said. ``We enjoyed the thrill of the pass.''

When was the last time a UCLA coach said that?

``Sometimes during the games, we'll even say, `Let's play the 60-point game,' '' guard Toby Bailey said. ``It makes us pass better and play harder.''

The Bruins whipped the ball around the perimeter, into the lane and out, over ASU's zone and through it. There were more passes than dribbles, as possessions often took 20-25 seconds. It was almost Kansas-esque.

``We enjoyed the thrill of the pass.''

UCLA finished with 21 assists, its highest total of the season against a team not named Cal State Northridge or Morgan State. Bailey had six, Cameron Dollar and Charles O'Bannon four each, and center Jelani McCoy had a career-high five.

Time and again, he'd catch the ball near the foul line, then quickly send it back to a guard, who'd fling it around the perimeter for an open jumper, or penetrate against the Sun Devils' befuddled defense.

``We were just playing, not thinking about outside things,'' Bailey said. ``If we didn't have an open shot, we'd just kick it around until we did.''

The victory was UCLA's 16th consecutive over the Sun Devils, and its sixth win in seven games.

At 4-1 in the conference (and 9-4 overall), the Bruins are tied with Stanford and a half-game ahead of Arizona, which visits Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

``We showed what we're capable of tonight,'' O'Bannon said. ``You can throw that Stanford game out the window. That wasn't us.''

Already thin, the Bruins were nearly transparent without Johnson, their fourth-leading scorer whose sprained right ankle prevented him from practicing this week.

He could have played Thursday, if needed, and is probable for Arizona.

``He would have played if it had been tied or close,'' Lavin said. ``He's ready, but he's 80 percent, and I'd rather have him 100 percent for Arizona.''

Johnson's absence altered Lavin's rotation. McCoy returned to the starting lineup after a one-game benching (for poor play against Stanford). Forward Bob Myers, a former walk-on, became the sixth man, and guard Brandon Loyd the seventh.

Each contributed - Myers with rebounds and a few layups, Loyd with a 3-pointer - but it was clear Lavin needed major minutes, and top performances, from each starter.

McCoy, especially, did not disappoint. He had nine rebounds in the first half - one more than ASU's team total - and finished with a career-high 15.

``He's such a dominating force,'' Sun Devils coach Bill Frieder said. ``He's so much bigger and stronger than anyone we have.''

McCoy added 15 points and a stunning 3-for-3 performance from the foul line. (He's now shooting 35 percent from the line.)

``Jelani played the way he's capable of playing,'' Lavin said. ``I've been watching the way he responds. Instead of pouting (about the benching), he went back to work, played well against Cal and had great practices all week.''

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Photo

Photo: UCLA center Jelani McCoy, left, pulls down a defensive rebound while teammate Toby Bailey, center, fends off two ASU players.

Associated Press