BRUINS' SUBS DESERVE PUB YOUNG, BARNES SHINE VS. ASU UCLA 83, ASU 77.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

As Friday's afternoon practice turned to night, they stood alone near midcourt at Pauley Pavilion.

It was not a meeting to save the season - not with an assistant coach (Steve Spencer) and two reserves (Ray Young and Matt Barnes) frustrated with production and playing time.

But there's no question their discussion salvage UCLA's weekend.

``Matt and I have been frustrated, and coach Spencer put it all in perspective,'' Young said. ``We couldn't argue with anything he said. He told us to play good defense, and good things will happen.''

Young and Barnes responded with the finest performances of their careers Saturday in UCLA's gritty 83-77 victory over Arizona State, before 9,557 at Pauley Pavilion.

Young played sensational defense on ASU's high-scoring guard, Eddie House, and Barnes scored a career-high 17 points. They played 51 minutes, committed just three turnovers, combined for 27 points and energized the wobbly Bruins, who trailed at halftime in a game they needed desperately.

``Matt and Ray came back to life and produced in a big way,'' UCLA coach Steve Lavin said. ``They gave us a great lift.''

The Bruins used one of their best second halves of the season to defeat Arizona State for the 22nd consecutive time and avoid their worst conference start since 1945-46, when they were 0-4 under coach Wilbur Johns.

They played solid man-to-man defense, they limited their fouls and they held the Sun Devils to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half. House scored his team's first 12 points on 3-pointers, but finished with 18 points (12 below his Pac-10-leading average) and was not a factor in the stretch.

``They played good defense,'' he said.

The Bruins (11-5, 2-3) weren't great offensively, but they played with more poise and patience than against Arizona. They shot 61.5 percent in the second half, made their free throws (75 percent) and executed their half-court offense well enough to outscore ASU 16-9 with the game on the line.

Two days after committing 10 turnovers against Arizona, freshman forward Jason Kapono scored a career-high 24 points and hit two free throws with 20 seconds left.

Sophomore forward Jerome Moiso, who's playing like a first-round pick, added 22 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

Point guard Earl Watson took one shot - ``That's never happened in my life,'' he said - but he distributed the ball effectively. UCLA's top scorers, Kapono and Moiso, took 25 of its 51 shots and scored 46 of its 83 points. Their contributions were critical but not unusual.

The production from Barnes and Young, however, was both essential and unexpected.

Barnes, a sophomore forward who was academically ineligible for the fall quarter, had reached double-figures in just two of 10 games and played inconsistent defense. Friday, Spencer reminded him that he's not the No. 1 scorer, so his minutes are based on defense and rebounding.

``The bottom line is that if they play hard for two minutes, if they get a rebound or take a charge, that buys them more time,'' Spencer said.

Barnes listened and learned.

Saturday, he grabbed seven rebounds, defended well and gave UCLA the lead for good with a nifty spin move with seven minutes left. His 17 points were not only a career high, they were more than he scored in the previous three games combined.

``I realize that if I play good defense, I'll get on the court more,'' Barnes said, ``and if I'm on the court, I can score.''

For Young, Saturday's game was personal.

He's a sophomore from Oakland and House is a senior from nearby Hayward, and they faced each other in high school. Young has enormous respect for House's work ethic and his skill, but the easiest way to regain playing time was to undermine House's All-American campaign.

After scoring 12 points in six minutes against UCLA's zone defense, House made 1 of 11 shots against Young's relentless man-to-man.

``There was no master plan. I just made sure I stayed on his butt and didn't let him catch and shoot,'' Young said.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) UCLA's Dan Gadzuric is bedeviled trying to find room in the paint against Arizona State defenders.

Phil McCarten/Daily News

(2) UCLA's Matt Barnes scored a career-best 17 but shows defense to ASU's Shawn Redhage.

Phil McCarten/Daily News

Box: PAC 10 STANDINGS