[0] BRUINS ARE THINKING FAST : UCLA 100 WASHINGTON ST. 61.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

Subtract size, add speed. Eliminate a stagnating frontcourt presence, improve ball movement. Lose the starting center . . . become a better team?

For one night, at least, the UCLA Bruins showed no adverse effects from center Dan Gadzuric's season-ending knee injury. With a torrent of pressure and speed, they raced past Washington State 100-61 on Thursday in front of 10,486 at Pauley Pavilion, their most dominating game of the season.

``We were doing this for Dan,'' guard Baron Davis said. ``We knew he couldn't be here. He's at home, on his bed, listening to the game. I hope he's satisfied.''

Of course, UCLA's performance Saturday against Washington 7-footer Todd MacCulloch should provide a better gauge of its post-Gadzuric possibilities. The Cougars simply did not have the athletes or manpower to challenge UCLA.

The Bruins (20-7, 10-5) used their 20th different starting lineup of the season, with walk-on Sean Farnham holding the power forward spot for the third consecutive game and 6-foot-8 freshman forward Matt Barnes filling Gadzuric's spot.

What they lost in size, they gained in speed and ball movement as Barnes and Farnham eagerly distributed the ball to teammates on the fast break and in the halfcourt offense. UCLA shot 53 percent from the field, had 24 assists and looked as cohesive and fluid as it has in weeks.

Barnes finished with 10 points, three assists and three rebounds and showed the form that made him UCLA's most impressive freshman in November.

``It's nice to get back in the rotation,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Washington State made 14 field goals and committed 31 turnovers against the Bruins' unrelenting pressure defense. UCLA charged to a 17-2 lead, held a 50-27 advantage at halftime and opened the second half with a 16-0 surge.

It was the rarest of conference games - as lopsided as an exhibition against the Taiwan National Team. Then again, Taipei is almost as far away as Pullman.

``The challenge tonight that I gave the team before tipoff was to give the same effort we gave against USC and Syracuse,'' Bruins coach Steve Lavin said. ``At times, the game was sloppy, but I thought we played with a sustained effort.''

Davis - who convinced Lavin to re-insert him with a 46-point lead and seven minutes left - led the Bruins with 17 points and 11 assists. Several came in the final minutes, when reserves Ryan Bailey, Brandon Loyd and Todd Ramasar pushed UCLA to triple figures for the third time this season.

The Cougars shot 26.9 percent and their leading scorer, guard Jan-Michael Thomas, was 2 of 12 from the field.

``We thought we would be inspired by the injury to Gadzuric,'' Cougars coach Kevin Eastman said. ``It would have been better for us if Gadzuric would have played.''

Maybe Gadzuric's presence would have slowed the blazing Bruins, who applied pressure defense from the outset - just as they did against Syracuse, just as they will for the rest of the season. Without size, speed is their best weapon.

A subtle but important development for UCLA was the play of freshman forward Jerome Moiso, who is slowly regaining his confidence and conditioning after missing two games with tendinitis in his feet. He didn't play particularly well, but he played: six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.

``It's another step in the right direction for Jerome,'' Lavin said. ``He has a long way to go, but at least he broke a sweat.''

The Bruins' first basket - Earl Watson to Farnham for a layup - established the tempo. When Watson buried a 3-pointer two possessions later, the Bruins had a 7-0 lead and Washington State called a 20-second timeout to temper the tempo.

The respite did little good. After Kojo Mensah-Bonsu's dunk, the Bruins dashed away for 10 consecutive points that included Barnes' deft pass to Watson for a hanging layup. A few seconds later, Barnes intercepted a pass and found Davis, who dished to JaRon Rush for a gimmie that gave the Bruins a 17-2 lead.

Washington State pulled within 24-12 midway through the half, but the Bruins quickly put the game out of reach. Barnes drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then scored a layup for a 33-14 lead.

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Photo: (Color) JaRon Rush (4) pulls down a rebound during UCLA's 100-61 victory over Washington State.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News