COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: HOOPS A TEAM GAME FOR OXY.

Byline: Scott French Staff Writer

Sam Betty is pouring in 20 points per game, and Zach Phillips is pulling down 8.5 rebounds.

Ask Occidental men's basketball coach Brian Newhall about his talent, and he can't say enough about Justin Zebb, a 6-foot, 165-pound forward with meager numbers.

``He's the heart and soul of our team,'' says Newhall, whose Tigers are 18-2 and ranked No. 1 in the West Region and 15th in the nation. ``He's our best perimeter defender, our best rebounder - he's the glue. No one plays harder.''

Betty and Phillips are the stars for Division III Oxy, which is tied with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps atop the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings - they meet Saturday in Pomona - but this season's surprising success is product of superb team play by role players.

``Our team embraces roles,'' said Newhall, in his 18th season as Tigers coach. ``Team unity has been good, chemistry has been good. ... In the preseason, we were picked fourth (in the SCIAC). I don't think anyone expected Oxy to be (18-2).''

Occidental, which went 25-3 and reached the D3 Elite Eight three years ago, asserted itself with a 73-68 victory Jan. 3 over Amherst, which is 22-2 and ranked sixth.

``That (2003 team) was a much better team,'' Newhall acknowledges. ``But what I tell alumni is we're (9-1 in the SCIAC). It's been a great season so far, and we have a chance to do something very special.''

Connor Whitman and Gemayal McBride have come up big when needed, and Ivan Kostic, Gyan Alexander, Dylan Marvin and Nick Mills have provided excellent depth.

The Tigers' fans have responded accordingly, and the group includes John Wooden, who stops by to watch great-grandson Jon Impelman, who has seen action in four games.

--Also: Patty Cardenas scored four goals as second-ranked USC halted No. 1 UCLA's 40-game winning streak in women's water polo Sunday, pulling out a 10-8 triumph in the Stanford Invitational final. ... Top-ranked Pepperdine's 18-match home win streak ended with a 3-0 loss Friday night to No. 6 Hawaii. The Waves rallied for a 3-2 win in Thursday's meeting. ... UCLA's men's golf team won last week's Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. ... UCLA's second-ranked softball team went 5-0 at the Campbell/Cartier Tournament in San Diego, outscoring foes 54-7.