UCLA BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: BRUINS' POST PLAY IS LACKING PRESENCE.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

When Cedric Bozeman was a freshman point guard, he remembers center Dan Gadzuric ``demanding'' the ball nearly every trip up the court.

Now, a fifth-year senior wing, Bozeman is part of a UCLA team (20-6, 10-4 Pac-10) that is tied for the Pacific-10 Conference lead and ranked 19th in the nation, but has no threat of an interior scorer.

Neither Ryan Hollins nor Ryan Wright filled the role, Alfred Aboya has been too injured to be reliable, he suffered a strained left hip flexor Tuesday and now is doubtful Thursday against Oregon State, and Michael Fey is wasting away on the bench.

``Our big guys, I honestly feel they want the ball, they have to really want it,'' Bruins guard Arron Afflalo said. ``When they want it, they have to really have the confidence to do something with it, just like when the guards want the ball. I can't really speak for them too much, but it would be nice for one of our guys to become physically imposing, and start imposing their will in the paint.''

The leading contender is Aboya, but health is a problem. Knee injuries hampered him early, and now his hip flexor injury could linger.

Also, Aboya is averaging 3.7 points per game, Hollins is averaging 5.2 per game and Wright's playing time has decreased lately and he's averaging 2.8 points per game.

``We definitely have to look to get it in there more, and as the point guard, I take that responsibility,'' UCLA's Jordan Farmar said. ``We have to get it inside more, get more production in there. Whether it's me getting in there with penetration and dropping it off to them for easy opportunities and getting some kind of low-post presence, so they can get comfortable and get in their rhythm, I'll take responsibility for that.''

The lack of inside scoring threat has made it tougher on UCLA's leading scorers, Afflalo and Farmar, to get open shots.

``It can free up a lot of things on the outside, especially if there's somebody to worry about inside,'' Bozeman said. ``If you have both inside and outside, you'll be a tough team to guard.''

Bruins coach Ben Howland said Wright, Fey, Hollins and Aboya are in the mix to start against the Beavers.

--No FTs, no boards: Freshman wing Michael Roll is known as a shooter, and he is doing little to change that. As Howland noted, Roll has attempted two free throws and 14 rebounds in 240 minutes in Pac-10 play.

``He gets to the line once every 120 minutes, and he's getting a defensive rebound once every 20 minutes,'' Howland said. ``He's got to do more in those two areas.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com