BRUINS FORGET TO GO IN FOR THE KILL.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

SAN JOSE, Calif. - It was the fitting finish they didn't want, the typically infuriating end to their consistently inconsistent season.

For most of the game Thursday, UCLA looked clearly the superior team. The big boys on the block. You kept waiting for them to take care of this dirty business, to finally seize the day and move onto the Elite Eight.

Even after struggling to finish the half, they came out like a confident team ready to take this ugly little game. Matt Barnes ignited them and they went up by eight. Finally, the Bruins playing like expected.

Only they kept letting Missouri hang around. Kept letting the Tigers remain close enough that a sudden spurt would put them back in the game.

And the Tigers weren't going to keep missing all those 3-point attempts forever. So when Missouri hit three consecutive 3-pointers to take the lead, you could just feel it slip away.

The Bruins who had were so impressive against Cincinnati never really showed in the Sweet 16. Just mere flashes.

Dan Gadzuric never took charge inside the way it appeared he could. Jason Kapono again mysteriously was unable to find his shot. The Billy Knight who had destroyed Mississippi in the NCAA Tournament opener was a no-show.

The freshmen - aside from a Cedric Bozeman spurt - who had provided such an unexpected boost in the first two tournament games went back to looking like inexperienced and overmatched kids.

Forget the 82-73 score, they should have won this game. They should have taken control, even taken it early when they were driving the lane unchallenged, controlling the boards and forcing constant Missouri misses and turnovers.

They went up by eight, but couldn't create a safe distance. Sure enough, the final 3 minutes of the half, the Tigers went on a 12-2 run. Rickey Pauley hit a pair of threes and - boom - Missouri was back in it. Given life, the Tigers took it.

The Bruins, or at least Barnes, came out to the start second half like they'd gotten the message.

The score was tied 34-34 when the scoreboard went out. We're in the high-tech capital of the world, and for several minutes, they couldn't figure out to plug it back in.

When the game started going again, so did Barnes. He scored UCLA's next nine points. The Bruins had energy, the Tigers were fading, the inevitable seemed at hand.

And then came the turnovers, missed shots, blocked shots, fumbled passes, the lack of concentration. Missouri went on another run, this time a 14-4 run the Bruins would not recover from.

``Missouri always had an answer,'' said UCLA coach Steve Lavin. ``It was kind of a game of runs. They finally made a run we didn't have an answer for.''

Gadzuric, Barnes and Knight, all seniors, went out with heads bowed. Kapono may join them by declaring early for the NBA, although this game did nothing to enhance his professional value.

Their leading scorer, Kapono was just 3-of-8 from the field. A sharp-shooter, he took only one 3-pointer and missed it.

They were beaten by JaRon Rush's little brother, the recruit that gotaway. Kareem Rush led the Tigers with 20 points, hitting 8-of-14 field goals.

They were beaten by a team without a point guard. Clarence Gilbert is their quasi-point guard. He didn't have a single assist, but had 23 points.

They were beaten by a center, Arthur Johnson, who looked overmatched by Gadzuric but gained confidence as the game went on, finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Missouri has mostly lived and died by the 3-point shot all season. And after hitting only 3-of-10 3-pointers in the first half, they connected on 7-of-13 3-pointers in the second half.

You let a team hang around long enough, it finds reason to believe.

UCLA hit only 3-of-17 3-pointers.

``They made their 3-point shots and we didn't make our 3-pointers,'' Lavin said.

That would make it simple, but little about this UCLA team was ever simple this season.