BRUINS BUST LOOSE; UCLA PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER AT USC'S EXPENSE : UCLA 101, USC 84.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

Building the enormous lead wasn't a surprise. They have done that before. No, the most shocking development was they held the lead, expanded it, massaged it and had some fun with it.

Of course, this crosstown ``rivalry'' tends to bring out the best in the UCLA Bruins, especially in the comforts of Pauley Pavilion. Including Wednesday's 101-84 victory, they have beaten USC five consecutive times here by an averaged margin of 23 points.

The win improved No. 9 UCLA's record to 14-3 overall and 5-2 in the Pac-10 as it struggles to keep pace with Arizona and Stanford.

Former Bruin Walt Hazzard, former mayor Tom Bradley and former Laker Magic Johnson watched UCLA's formerly sputtering offense bust loose against its annual panacea.

Two years ago, the Bruins shot 84.6 percent in the first half and rolled to a 50-30 lead over USC. This year wasn't much different, as they shot 72 percent and grabbed a 51-29 halftime lead.

UCLA's dominance was so complete coach Steve Lavin shunned his six-man rotation and used reserves Billy Knight, Brandon Loyd and Travis Reed in the first half.

What happened? Why the breakout after weeks of inconsistent production? There were three important developments.

First, the Trojans play at UCLA's pace, they just don't do it as well. They attack on offense but miss shots, which creates fast-break opportunities for UCLA. And they apply pressure defense without causing turnovers, which produces uncontested layups.

Second, the Bruins couldn't miss - draining 7 of 11 3-pointers and 11 of 14 2-pointers in the first half. It was a performance worthy of the smooth-running systems at Arizona or Stanford, not a UCLA team accustomed to stagnation.

Third, the Bruins kept point guard Baron Davis on the court and out of foul trouble with a slight change in tactics. Instead of Davis pressuring the USC ballhandlers, Earl Watson did it. And instead of Davis leading the fast break - where he is susceptible to charging violations - he ran the wing and Watson took the helm. Davis did not commit his first foul until 9:38 remained and the Bruins' lead was 25.

Surprisingly, both teams were at full strength. USC center Jarvis Turner started despite an injured hand. Bruins reserve Jelani McCoy played, although his future with the team is in question based on comments made by Lavin last week and the refusal of UCLA officials to discuss McCoy's situation. And Davis started despite a sprained toe that prevented him from practicing Tuesday. He hobbled through drills several hours before tipoff but moved fluidly once play began.

Lavin used his usual starting lineup, with Watson joining Davis in the backcourt and McCoy as the sixth man. ``Right now I like the starting five,'' Lavin said. ``And I like the way Jelani's playing off the bench.''

McCoy had 19 points and 12 rebounds at Stanford in one of the best games of his career. He wore No. 51 Wednesday instead of his usual 34, but was as intimidating as ever.

The Bruins started with uncharacteristic sloppiness - they usually reserve that for later in the game - and committed turnovers on three early possessions. USC was the more efficient team and jumped to a 7-2 lead.

Then UCLA shifted to a higher gear, scoring on 17 of 19 possessions, and left the Trojans gasping. The Bruins did no wrong in the best offensive stretch of the conference season, making 10 consecutive shots during the eight-minute span.

Watson started it all with a nondescript layup, then Toby Bailey drained a jumper and J.R. Henderson hit two free throws as the Bruins took an 8-7 lead.

They never looked back. Kris Johnson scored three layups, then the 3-point barrage began: Davis from the right corner, Bailey from the right corner, Bailey from the left corner, Knight from the right corner. It was quite a display from the eighth-best 3-point shooting team in the league.

When the surge ended with six minutes left in the half, UCLA had a 39-16 lead and the starters were on the bench.

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PHOTO (Color) Kris Johnson and UCLA loomed large over Gary Williams and rival USC at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins won 101-84.

Tom Mendoza / Daily News