[0] UCLA FINALLY GETS WIN IN SEATTLE UCLA 85, WASH. 79.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

SEATTLE - The UCLA basketball team, which usually leaves here with its tail between its legs, will depart today with a W and something even more important in the long run - their long-lost center Dan Gadzuric.

After a month-long funk, Gadzuric finally emerged as the dunking, devastating inside force at both ends of the court that he was at the end of last season.

The 6-foot-11 senior scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and was the main reason the Bruins beat Washington 85-79 Thursday night in Pacific-10 Conference opener for both teams.

The win, the fourth in a row for the Bruins (6-2, 1-0), also broke a losing streak of four games in Seattle - the Bruins' longest road drought in 16 years.

It sends the Bruins to Pullman, Wash., today in first place in the Pac-10 and with a sense of confidence.

``This is his coming-out party,'' UCLA guard Rico Hines said. ``From here on out, this is the Dan everybody is going to see.''

Gadzuric had been averaging just 19 minutes per game, a statistic determined mostly on merit.

His turnaround jumper was an even-money proposition to hit the rim, let alone go in. Worst yet, he was shooting just 37 percent from the free-throw line and he seemed to miss at least one dunk per game.

But on Thursday, UCLA coach Steve Lavin made up his mind to stay with Gadzuric regardless of how he played. Lavin stayed true to his word, playing Gadzuric a season-high 35 minutes.

``We talked before the game,'' Lavin said, ``and remembered late in last season we stayed with him and let him play through his mistakes.

``Dan's very emotional and with his adrenaline, he gets exhausted three minutes into the game and we would take him out. Last year, we forced him to play through it and he got his second wind. We told him `if you miss a dunk or a free throw, play through it. Just worry about the next play.' ''

Despite Gadzuric's career high in scoring, which came on 9-of-13 shooting, he said his main focus was at the defensive end of the court.

``Basically, I just went real hard and had a defensive mind set,'' Gadzuric said. ``I really focused on defense, worked hard and hopefully the shots will follow.''

Absent from most of the night, were Gadzuric's turnaround jumpers. Instead, he went at the Huskies' two best post players, 270-pound center David Dixon and 6-9 forward Jeffrey Day. Both fouled out and managed a total of 5 points and 5 rebounds in 24 foul-plagued minutes.

``I'm a big guy,'' Gadzuric said. ``I'm 6-11, I can't fade away. That doesn't draw any fouls and usually I miss a lot of shots.''

Jason Kapono scored 19 points and Billy Knight had 17 for the Bruins who rallied from a nine-point deficit in the first half. Doug Wrenn led Washington (6-4, 0-1) with 23 points and 7 rebounds, both team highs.

The first half was more of the usual struggles the Bruins seem to experience here. They trailed at halftime, 37-30, and were fortunate it wasn't more thanks to Dijon Thompson, who hit a jumper at the halftime buzzer.

The Bruins were stagnant on offense and looked lost on defense.

UCLA's biggest problem was finding a way to handle Washington point guard Curtis Allen. He was the key player in an 8-0 run at the end of the half that put the Huskies ahead 37-28 before Thompson's shot.

At the defensive end, Allen twice stepped in front of passes and went coast-to-coast for baskets. He also had no trouble in the first half penetrating UCLA's zone. The other two baskets in the 8-0 run were a tip in and a dunk by Wrenn after an assist and a miss by Allen.

The Huskies managed the lead despite Wrenn starting on the bench for showing up late for last week's game against Gonzaga and Dixon missing the final 15:57 after he got his second foul. Dixon, in his brief time on the court, proved to be an effective force, scoring on two offensive rebounds.

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UCLA guard Billy Knight brings the ball downcourt against Washington.

Steven Morgain/Associated Press