GUTTY BRUINS SUFFER REVERSAL OF FORTUNE LAST-SECOND MISS DOOMS COMEBACK STANFORD 52, UCLA 51.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

STANFORD - The place that has been so kind to UCLA - where every bounce of the ball, every kiss off the rim, every whistle that was blown had been so sweet - finally exacted its revenge.

Maples Pavilion, home to so many miraculous moments for UCLA in recent years, was the site of an excruciating loss Thursday, as the Bruins fell to Stanford 52-51 in front of 7,391.

The difference was T.J. Cummings' reverse layup in the final seconds that bounced off the rim and out.

The loss was the Bruins' fifth in a row and dropped them to 4-10 overall and 2-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference, but it was the first one in which they put up a fight.

``At least we showed we truly cared about winning,'' said UCLA forward Jason Kapono, who led UCLA with 13 points. ``Maybe it's a good starting point.''

The Bruins nearly crawled back from an eight-point second-half deficit by holding Stanford (13-5, 4-2) to a single free throw in the final 6:38.

Josh Childress, who scored a game-high 18 points, made 1 of 2 free throws with 1:11 to put Stanford ahead 52-49. UCLA then worked the ball into Kapono in the post, who was double-teamed when he wheeled toward the basket. As the second man arrived, Kapono whipped a pass to Cummings on the opposite block for an uncontested dunk.

After timeouts by each team, Stanford ran the clock down, and Childress drove the right baseline and tried a reverse layup with his left hand. But the ball bounced off the rim, and Kapono grabbed it and called timeout with 13 seconds left.

After spending a second 20-second timeout, the Bruins inbounded the ball to Cedric Bozeman in the back court. He raced into the front court, drove to the left of the lane and fed the ball to Cummings, who was on the right block.

But his short semi-hook shot was short. It bounced off the rim and a gaggle of hands and into the corner, where Cummings and Kapono chased it. Cummings picked it up but was swarmed immediately by Stanford players. He passed to Kapono, whose rushed 3-pointer barely ticked the front of the rim just before the buzzer sounded.

The Bruins had to do without forward Andre Patterson, who, running out and trying to block a 3-pointer by Matt Lottich 92 seconds into the game, landed awkwardly on his left ankle and hobbled to the bench. After having it wrapped, he returned briefly in the first half, then spent the rest of the game on the bench.

Patterson left the court on crutches, but said he'll play Saturday against Cal.

UCLA, after rallying from a nine-point deficit in the first half, took its largest lead 34-29 when Kapono - who was cold otherwise much of the night - hit a jumper and a 3-pointer.

Another jumper by Kapono put UCLA ahead 36-35, but it was their last lead. They missed their next six shots and Stanford took control.

The Cardinal led 48-40 on Jason Haas' 3-pointer with 8 1/2 minutes to play before both teams turned stone cold.

After Kapono hit a jumper with 8:01 left, the teams made one field goal apiece the rest of the way and both of those - by Cummings and Childress - were transition hoops two feet from the basket.

One of the biggest baskets for UCLA came in the first half, when walk-on Janou Rubin - who hit three 3-pointers in the blowout loss to Arizona - hit another 3-pointer, his only shot of the game.

Rubin's jumper was good for three points on the scoreboard but worth much more than that. It came with 6:25 left in the half and UCLA down 20-11 and looking ready to be finished off.

Rubin, after an inbounds pass, swung around from the corner to the top of the key, took the pass and confidently stepped into his shot. When it ticked off the rim and in, he pumped his fist and backpedaled on defense.

His jumper also seemed to pump new life into the Bruins.

They ran their motion offense, and if it meant waiting until the shot clock was inside 10 seconds before they got a reasonable shot, it seemed fine by them.

Suddenly, Dijon Thompson looked comfortable shooting the ball and Cedric Bozeman more confident with the ball in his hands. Marcedes Lewis, the football tight end, came off the bench to contribute some productive minutes and a three-point play when he followed up Ryan Walcott's missed layup.

At the defensive end, they seemed more attentive as well, staying with the Cardinal and forcing its two best players, Barnes and Childress, to make some difficult shots.

When Thompson tipped in Kapono's miss just before the buzzer, the Bruins were all even at 29.

The Bruins also looked like a much better team with Cummings out of the lineup. Cummings missed all five of his shots and rarely touched the ball without launching it.

With Johnson or Lewis in his place, the ball moved much more freely. But Cummings wasn't the only starter who suffered. The entire first five, which included Kapono, Patterson, Walcott and Ray Young, were a combined 2 for 15 in the first half and had five of the Bruins' six turnovers.

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Photo:

(color) UCLA coach Steve Lavin reacts to a foul called against the Bruins in the first half of their loss at Stanford on Thursday.

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press