BRUIN QUINTUPLETS ROMP IN ALASKA.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

Less than 24 hours after the second-worst loss in school history, clinging to a 10-point lead and his only experienced big man on the bench in foul trouble, UCLA coach Steve Lavin turned to his only reasonable option.

The first all-freshman lineup in UCLA history.

And it worked Fab-five-ulously.

With heralded point guard Baron Davis leading the charge, UCLA's youth served up a second-quarter surge that buried Alaska-Anchorage and sent the Bruins to a 92-68 victory Friday afternoon before 8,700 in Sullivan Arena.

UCLA will play Alabama Birmingham today in the fifth-place game of the Great Alaska Shootout. Tipoff is 3 p.m. It will not be televised.

``A lot of us watched the replay of the North Carolina game on TV,'' said Davis, who had 20 points and eight assists. ``We saw that we didn't play that bad. We were just outmanned. We had to bounce back.''

The Bruins improved to 2-0 in games following 40-point defeats.

``We used (the Stanford loss) as a reference point,'' Lavin said. ``It's only fair that everybody on the team experience a 40-point loss. The upperclassmen had one. It's like a baptism. You can't be a member of our team unless you've lost by 40.''

The all-freshman lineup was not a conscious tactical move. With seniors J.R. Henderson (three fouls) and Toby Bailey (two) on the bench, Lavin said he ``went with the guys I felt could help.''

Those guys were Davis, Earl Watson, Billy Knight, Travis Reed and Rico Hines. Their frenetic pace and energy generated a 15-5 surge over a 4 minutes, 41 second span in the second quarter that propelled the Bruins to a 55-34 halftime lead. Davis and Watson were the catalysts, combining for seven points and four assists during the surge. Neither immediately realized they were a part of UCLA history.

``I didn't notice until the timeout,'' Watson said. ``I looked at the bench and thought, `Oh, man, this is the future.' ''

In all, the five freshmen had 45 points, 17 assists and seven turnovers in 95 minutes. Davis and Watson actually played more minutes than Bailey, the Bruins' unofficial iron man.

``It was fun to see those guys enjoying themselves and playing together,'' Henderson said. ``They've been doing this since they've been here. They bring a certain energy. You can tell when they're together that they have a chemistry.''

Just 12 hours earlier, Lavin had no idea how his young team would react to the 109-68 loss to North Carolina. He emphasized resiliency and gave three examples: his beloved San Francisco 49ers winning 11 consecutive games after an 0-1 start, UCLA's response to the 48-point loss at Stanford last year, and Arizona's march to the NCAA title after finishing fifth in the Pacific 10 Conference.

To avoid a lackadaisical performance against the Division II Seawolves, he reminded UCLA of Anchorage's past victories over Wake Forest (with Tim Duncan) and Texas Tech in this tournament.

``We heard Anchorage beats a Division I team every year,'' Knight said. ``We didn't want to be that team.''

The Bruins also had an enormous logistical advantage. Their game Thursday night finished at 7 p.m. local time, while Alaska-Anchorage lost to Seton Hall in an emotional, physically draining overtime game that didn't end until after 10.

There was no question which team had the fresher legs and minds when play began Friday at 2:30 p.m.

The Bruins gorged on that advantage, using a full-court press against the weary Seawolves. UCLA took special care to challenge every 3-point attempt, since the Seawolves tried 49 against Seton Hall and base their offense on perimeter shots.

In the decisive first half, Anchorage made only 5 of 14 3-point attempts against UCLA's swarming defense. Each miss produced a long rebound, which produced a UCLA fast break and an even faster tempo.

``They played right into our hands,'' Davis said.

Still, the Bruins held a tenuous 25-17 lead with 28 seconds left in the first quarter when Henderson committed his third foul - a reach-in 20 feet from the basket that was inexplicably stupid. As he wheeled to the bench, Lavin flashed three fingers (three fouls) and a look of frustration.

The Bruins played several minutes with junior Brandon Loyd and four freshmen. Then, with 7:33 left in the half, Lavin yanked Loyd and inserted Hines to create the all-freshman lineup.

Hines started the scoring with a leaning jumper. Then Davis took over with a dunk, a 3-pointer and a brilliant pass to Knight. Soon, it was 48-27 and the Seawolves were finished.

``We played with each other over the summer against the older guys and the pros,'' Davis said. ``So we're used to it. This was a confidence builder and a chance to gain a lot more experience.''

No. 7 UCLA vs Alabama Birmingham

Tipoff: 3 p.m. at Sullivan Arena.

TV, Radio: No TV; XTRA-AM 1150.

Alabama Birmingham (3-2) update: The Blazers reached the fifth-place game with a loss to Purdue and a victory over Southwestern Louisiana. They start three 6-foot-8 players and should give the Bruins problems underneath. The Blazers are sloppy ballhandlers, however, and might be susceptible to UCLA's pressure. UAB had 42 turnovers Friday. Guard Cedric Dixon scored a team-high 16 points.

UCLA (1-1) update: The Bruins are looking for their first Division I victory, since Alaska-Anchorage is a Division II school. Against UAB, J.R. Henderson must avoid the foul trouble that limited his effectiveness in UCLA's opening games. The Bruins were outrebounded 45-28 by North Carolina but dominated Alaska-Anchorage 41-30 on the boards. Freshmen guards Earl Watson and Baron Davis have combined for 47 points and 21 assists in two games. Toby Bailey played 21 minutes Friday despite a bruised shoulder and should have fresh legs today.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Freshman Baron Davis, UCLA's offensive star, guards Alaska-Anchorage player.

Associated Press

Box: No. 7 UCLA vs. ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM (See Text)