FRIGID BRUINS SUFFER ANOTHER STINGING LOSS WOEFUL SHOOTING PUTS UCLA IN 2-3 `FUNK' GA. TECH 72, UCLA 67.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Sink a 3-pointer? Hit a jumper in the lane? Make a layup? The UCLA basketball team couldn't have tossed a ball into the Pond if it were standing on the edge. Or at the 3-point line. Or under the basket. Or anywhere else on the court for that matter.

The only thing the Bruins sank Saturday was to a new low in this young but already disappointing season, shooting 28.6 percent from the field and losing to Georgia Tech 72-67 in the Wooden Classic before an announced crowd of 15,286.

The loss dropped UCLA to 2-3, the worst they've been at this point in a season in Steve Lavin's five years as head coach.

Forget about those calculations of how many wins the Bruins need to make th NCAA Tournament. If they play as they have the last three games, they'll be lucky to make the NIT.

``If we play like this, we're not going to win a lot of games,'' Lavin said. ``Every year I've been here, we've had some kind of bump in the road. The question is how do you handle it? You don't panic. You don't point fingers. You don't make excuses. You worry about improving.

``When my team plays like this, I'm not getting it done. We have to go back and clean up the deficiencies.''

Again, there were the usual suspects: a defense that gets shredded by a point guard, poor shot selection and an absence of poise. They were joined by a new companion: awful shooting. It took UCLA 8 1/2 minutes to make its first basket and at one point the Bruins missed 14 consecutive shots.

Jason Kapono was 2 for 10. Ray Young was 1 for 9. T.J. Cummings was 2 for 8. Matt Barnes was 1 for 5.

Need we go on?

The Bruins were no better at the end.

With UCLA trailing 69-67, Kapono and Moose Bailey trapped Georgia Tech guard Shaun Fein in the backcourt and forced a turnover with 29 seconds remaining. But Earl Watson missed a layup and Dan Gadzuric couldn't get either of two tips to fall.

Georgia Tech's Marvin Lewis finally grabbed the rebound, was fouled by Watson (his fifth) and sank two free throws to put Tech ahead 71-67 with 21 seconds left. Billy Knight had a chance to cut the Bruins' deficit to two with 14 seconds left, but he missed both free throws, and that was that.

``I just missed the easiest layup of my life,'' Watson said. ``It just rolled out. I'm going to be thinking about that every night. Put the last 30 seconds on me.''

Actually, it would be easier to put more on Watson. He turned the ball over eight times - giving him 18 in the last three games - and he and the rest of the Bruins watched Tech point guard Tony Akins carve up their zone all afternoon.

The 5-foot-11 junior, the only player from either team to shoot better than 50 percent, scored 28 points and had five assists. He got to the free-throw line 11 times, thanks to his ability to dribble into the lane with impunity, and he hit four 3-pointers.

UCLA couldn't win despite the Yellowjackets (4-1) shooting just 23.5 percent in the first half and getting just five points and four rebounds from center Alvin Jones, their leading scorer and rebounder.

``To me, it's always hard to lose, but it hurts to get beat by somebody you think you can beat,'' Young said. ``We're UCLA. We didn't get here for no reason. We know we can play way better. We need to play 40 minutes of good basketball. If we don't, this will continue.''

UCLA went through several similarly poor stretches last season - including losing six of seven at midseason - but perhaps what's most disconcerting is a veteran team is playing like jittery freshmen.

The Bruins missed all five free throws they shot in the final 3:48. Gadzuric shuffled his feet under the basket for a critical traveling call, and Young fired up three long, hasty 3-pointers in the final two minutes, as did Bailey once.

``We were playing like it was the final shot when we didn't need to,'' said Kapono, who was 12 for 12 in free throws and hasn't missed in 28 attempts this season. ``We don't have any excuse. It's not like we're young and haven't practiced this stuff. We're in a funk now. If you don't play defense and you can't score, that makes it tough.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- color) UCLA's Earl Watson tries to defend Georgia Tech's Clarence Moore.

Jill Connelly/Associated Press

(2) UCLA's T.J. Cummings goes high to block the shot of Georgia Tech's Jon Babul in the first half Saturday at the Pond.

Jill Connelly/Associated Press