UCLA NOTEBOOK: KNIGHT INFORMS LAVIN HE WANTS TO TRANSFER.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

Reserve guard Billy Knight will transfer from UCLA because of lack of playing time. Knight, a sophomore, was averaging 12.6 minutes and 6.7 points per game as the Bruins' sixth perimeter player.

"I talked to him for a couple hours in my office, and obviously we tried to discourage him from leaving," UCLA coach Steve Lavin said. "But we understand his wishes. He'd clearly like the opportunity to play more minutes, and he feels that'll happen quicker at another school."

Which school? Long Beach State seems a possibility. Knight is a Westchester resident, and former UCLA forward Travis Reed - Knight's close friend - transferred to Long Beach State last summer.

Knight was one of UCLA's best 3-point shooters, but subpar defense and foot speed hindered his playing time.

He'll be eligible next December, but because he redshirted last season for medical reasons, Knight will have just 1-1/2 seasons of eligibility remaining.

He could not be reached for comment.

The mentor: Lavin's greatest asset as a coach is his crisis-management skill. It helped him survive (and thrive) as an interim coach during the tumultuous 1996-97 season, and it has steadied the Bruins in recent chaos - from Jelani McCoy's dismissal to Baron Davis' injury to JaRon Rush's suspension.

Lavin owes his crisis talent to tonight's opponent, Purdue coach Gene Keady, for whom Lavin was a graduate assistant from 1988-91.

"How he handled discouragement and difficult times, that's the thing I was able to learn from him that's been most helpful as a head coach," Lavin said. "He's a model for that, thinking of all the tough first-round losses he's had."

Crying foul: The best defense against Bruins forward Jerome Moiso is to lure him into foul trouble. Moiso has been nearly unstoppable on the court, but he's spent considerable time on the bench this season with foul problems.

He had three fouls in the first half of the Gonzaga game, then got his fourth early in the second half and finished with eight points.

He also had first-half foul trouble against Colorado State and never found his groove, finishing with 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

However, Moiso avoided foul problems against South Florida, played 35 minutes and scored 20 points. He was also foul-free against Pepperdine and led the Bruins with 15 points, including the decisive basket.

"Everything I do is going to be a foul," Moiso said. "I'm an easy target. It's really frustrating me."

Moiso might not realize it, but there's a pattern to his problem.

"It's for blocking shots," Lavin said. "Last year, it was more for reaching. He's doing less of that. Our goal is always to get him to the second half without foul trouble."

PURDUE at No. 23 UCLA

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., at Pauley Pavilion 

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2; XTRA-AM (1150)

UCLA (7-2) UPDATE: The Bruins must rebound better against the Boilermakers than they did against Pepperdine. Because their margin for error decreases against talented opponents, Bruins must play with passion for 40 minutes; they can't rely on another late-game rally. Reserve guard Ryan Bailey is questionable because of tendinitis in his right foot.

PURDUE (8-3) UPDATE: The Boilermakers beat Florida early in the season but lost to Ball State by 20 points two weeks ago and dropped from the Top 25. Their top scorers are shooting guard Jaraan Cornell (14.6 ppg) and forward Brian Cardinal (12.3), who's back after missing one game with an injury. Purdue wants to slow the Bruins and play a grinding, half-court, Big Ten-style game.

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Box

BOX: Purdue at No. 23 UCLA (see text)