TRAGEDY ENTERS THE LOCKER ROOM.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

The doors to the West Virginia locker room were still closed after the Mountaineers' victory over UCLA. There was elation inside, cheers and celebration for their road win over the 18th-ranked Bruins.

And then came complete silence. Not a single sound.

Reality came crashing down hard on Saturday afternoon, as heads bowed in the stillness.

West Virginia coach John Beilein had just delivered solemn news. It was not unexpected, but hope had been clutched to, kept close as a small barrier against the odds.

In the second half, while the Mountaineers battled a furious UCLA rally to hold on for a 60-56 victory, the dire report broke from across the country.

The bodies of two miners trapped behind a fire in a West Virginia coal mine had been found. In that celebratory locker room, Beilein broke the news to his players and asked for a moment of silence.

``He told us after the game,'' said senior guard Darris Nichols. ``It put basketball in perspective. You're happy you've got life, that's the big thing.''

The tragedy in Melville, W.V., was the second miners' disaster this month to rock the state. On Jan. 2., 12 died of carbon monoxide poisoning after an explosion at the Sago Mine, more than 180 miles away.

Mining remains one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Miners go thousands of feet into mountains, into darkness and dank air. Where it can be 30-below in the winter and 100 degrees next to screaming Earth diggers in the summer. Where the smell of sulfur can be thick and death is a daily possibility.

Of the 14 players on the No. 12-ranked Mountaineers' roster, only four are from West Virginia, though Nichols and Patrick Beilein - the coach's son - are from Virginia.

``In the state of West Virginia, everything is basketball and football,'' said Mountaineers star guard Mike Gansey. ``They're just tremendous fans. We always see them. You always feel like they're part of your family.

``I'm sure those coal miners' families love West Virginia basketball and we try to do the best to represent them and give them some fun at home watching us play.''

The Mountaineers tried to find some solace in that. Last year they seemed to have the entire state in a frenzy as they swept through the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight.

``We know those miners last March were all watching us during our NCAA Tournament run and cheering for us hard,'' said Patrick Beilein. ``We just want to represent the state. The state has been troubled so much now. We just want to keep winning, to try and keep spirits high.

``Everybody in West Virginia is just one huge family in the state. Everything can be really affected by somebody else.''

The Mountaineers are 14-3 now, with impressive road wins at No. 3 Villanova and now at No. 18 UCLA. They have won 12 consecutive games. Have a strong senior nucleus, including a pair of players - center Kevin Pittsnogle and Gansey - who may have NBA futures.

West Virginia is an unusual team to play, one that launches almost half its shots from 3-point range but also has a strong inside game. One that built a 20-point lead against UCLA in the first half.

One that rightly had reason to celebrate Saturday's victory in what coach Beilein said was the team's first regular-season game on CBS in over 20 years.

``I know we made a lot of people happy during what's been a very tough January for our state,'' he said. ``Even though most of our kids are not from West Virginia, we all know the fans. Last year this team probably signed a thousand basketballs. It's like we're the professional team within the state.''

Before Saturday's nationally-televised game began, as players lined up on court for the national anthem, UCLA offered a moment of silence for the 12 fallen miners and the two who, at that time, were still being searched for.

Ted Talkington is a redshirt freshman guard from Magnolia, W.V. He has friends and family members work in the mines.

``UCLA showed a lot of respect for our school and our state, for the fact that our whole state is grieving,'' Talkington said. ``It was a very nice gesture.

``Even a lot of (my teammates) can't relate, because they're not from West Virginia. But the coach always makes sure to mention it. It makes us think about how fortunate we are to be able to play basketball and be healthy and live our lives.''

Beilein would mention it yet again Saturday, one more somber reminder in the midst of an otherwise festive moment.

``It just took the air right out of the celebration,'' John Beilein said. ``We have an awful lot of people in West Virginia who are good, unselfish people. It's been tough for the whole state.''

The West Virginia campus is over 200 miles southwest from the Alma Mine, where a conveyor belt caught fire and claimed two young fathers.

Over 3,000 miles West, the loss was felt personally, and a young basketball team tried to give a weary state one small moment to celebrate, even if in silence.

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Photo:

Mourners exit a church in Melville, W.Va., near the Alma No. 1 mine after hearing that two missing miners were found.

Jeff Gentner/Associated Press