[0] BRUINS TAUGHT A LESSON; POISED STANFORD TAKES CONTROL IN FINAL MINUTES : STANFORD 72 UCLA 59.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

With five minutes remaining, the game ended and the clinic began.

And Stanford did all the teaching.

For 35 minutes, UCLA challenged the Cardinal in a way it had not been challenged in Pac-10 play, but even the Bruins' best effort was not enough. Stanford broke open a close game and defeated UCLA 72-59 on Saturday night, before a crowd of 12,992 at Pauley Pavilion that included Stanford sophomore Chelsea Clinton.

``They don't get rattled when they go on the road in a hostile environment,'' Bruins coach Steve Lavin said. ``That's why they win, and they did it tonight.''

Leading 54-53 with 5:31 remaining - and with UCLA's most effective player, center Dan Gadzuric, on the bench with five fouls - the Cardinal shifted into a dimension of poise and precision the baby Bruins simply do not possess.

After a 10-0 surge, the No. 4 Cardinal was in total command and cruised to its 11th consecutive victory. The game ended with a frustration foul by Baron Davis on Stanford guard Art Lee, and with objects thrown onto the court from the UCLA student section. (A piece of candy hit Davis on the lip.)

But until Stanford's late surge, which included a stifling zone defense, it was a riveting duel of tactics and talent, structure and spirit.

The dominant theme was Stanford's smothering defense. The Cardinal was acutely aware of Davis' every move and dropped four players into the paint at the slightest hint of penetration. The strategy choked off UCLA's greatest weapon and forced the Bruins to the perimeter. They shot 40.6 percent from the field and made 1 of 14 shots from 3-point range.

``It worked,'' Davis said. ``We didn't execute on the offensive end. That was our biggest problem of the night.''

Foul trouble was a close second. UCLA (12-4, 4-2) had five players disqualified, and it committed 35 fouls to Stanford's 19.

The costliest was Gadzuric's fifth, with 6:45 left and the Bruins trailing 51-49. He departed with 15 points - his best game of the season - and seemed to take UCLA's spirit with him, as Stanford's game-breaking run began one minute later.

``It was an unusual game,'' Lavin said, careful not to directly criticize the officiating and incur the Pac-10's wrath. ``I've never seen anything quite like it.''

Nor had the Cardinal, but for a different reason. UCLA's uber-aggressive defense challenged every pass and every rebound, but the Bruins also grabbed and clawed continuously. Perhaps they were overly excited. Perhaps they were frustrated by Stanford's structured offense. Either way, the Cardinal didn't think enough fouls were called.

``That was brutal,'' coach Mike Montgomery said. ``I've never seen anything like that.''

Stanford controlled the tempo from the outset, jumping to a 9-4 lead and drawing two quick fouls on Gadzuric and Jerome Moiso. Lavin removed them immediately, guessing correctly that the Bruins could stay in striking range with a small lineup for the remainder of the first half. The Bruins trailed 33-27 at halftime and were thrilled about it.

Gadzuric and Moiso were back on the court when the second half began, and Gadzuric made three early baskets - including a ferocious dunk - to jump-start UCLA's attack.

A technical foul on Stanford guard David Moseley, followed by another Gadzuric dunk, gave UCLA a 47-42 lead with 12:14 left.

``I thought, `Now, we've got them,' '' Davis said.

Unable to contain UCLA's quickness, Stanford switched to a 2-3 zone. It worked as designed - and as practiced Friday afternoon - sending UCLA's offense into instant stagnation. The Bruins scored six points in 10 minutes against the zone, and Stanford took control.

``We had seen some tape of them struggling in zone in other games,'' Montgomery said. ``It ended up working well for us. It bought us some time and enabled us to gain the lead.''

The Bruins did some of their best work without guard Earl Watson, who missed five minutes in the second half because of a cut finger on his right (shooting) hand. Watson returned with eight minutes left and immediately hit Moiso for a lay-up. But by that point, the Cardinal was in charge.

``They executed well in the stretch, and we didn't execute well against the zone,'' Lavin said. ``A lot had to do with foul trouble, and Earl had the stitches on his finger.''

The margin was 11 with 90 seconds left when the crowd departed, leaving the Bruins deflated and defeated.

``We seemed to give up,'' Davis said angrily. ``It seemed like we just gave up.''

Why not? The clinic was over.

Note: Watson said he might be out a week or two because of his cut finger.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) UCLA's Baron Davis is called for a technical foul that slowed the Bruins' momentum in the first half.

(2) Chelsea Clinton, third row from bottom, sits with Stanford supporters.

(3) Standford's Mark Madsen (45) dunks over UCLA's Travis Reed (13) in the first half o the Cardinal's 72-59 win.

John McCoy/Daily News