UCLA NOTEBOOK: MOISO'S FEET NO LONGER ARCH ENEMY.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

All the advice, all medical technology and advanced treatments available at UCLA, and what freshman forward Jerome Moiso really needed was a dabble of over-the-counter ointment to help his tender feet.

Before Saturday's game against Washington, a friend introduced Moiso to the magic of heat-generating sports cream. It immediately eased the pain from tendinitis in his arches. Moiso felt good for the first time in weeks and played like it - 11 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.

``The ointment warmed my feet, so I didn't feel any pain,'' Moiso said. ``Saturday was the first time I tried it, and it worked pretty well. It was almost like I felt a month ago.''

Moiso's confidence is as tender as his feet. The tendinitis flared in early February and disrupted his rhythm. That caused him to miss shots, which hurt his confidence, and the spiral continued. He was 1 of 12 at Stanford before missing two games (Cal, USC). He played a few minutes against Syracuse and Washington State, then he met the ointment.

``My friend said I'd feel no pain,'' Moiso said. ``Now, I use it for every practice.''

The more he practices, the better he plays.

``His timing and rhythm are back,'' coach Steve Lavin said. ``He's in the offensive flow, and with that he's getting confident and aggressive. But (without injured center Dan Gadzuric), we can't pin it all on his shoulders. We have to do it collectively.''

Prior commitment: Moiso, a native of Guadeloupe who was educated in France, said he probably won't play for the French national team in the European championships this summer.

``They start practice in mid-May, and I have school until mid-June,'' he said. ``I'd like to play, but the team will have been practicing hard and to come in late would not be right.''

Firepower: Arizona State has the best trio of scorers in the Pac-10, with guard Eddie House and forwards Mike Batiste and Bobby Lazor combining for 54 points per game. Lazor and House probably will make the all-conference team (to be announced this weekend).

``They have three players who are all capable of getting 30,'' Lavin said. ``If they have one of those nights, it'll be tough on us.''

Tiny does it: Gadzuric grabbed 14 rebounds in 18 minutes in the first Arizona State game, but the Bruins were most effective without him on the floor.

In Batiste and Lazor, the Sun Devils have two 6-8 forwards but no center, and they pose a difficult matchup for opposing big men.

``In the first game, our smaller lineup (was more effective),'' Lavin said. ``It was similar to Oregon and the Taiwan national team. All year, we've had a difficult time with small teams.''

UCLA vs. ARIZONA STATE

Time: 5:30 p.m., Wells Fargo Arena.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports West 2 (delayed at 10 p.m.); XTRA-AM (1150).

UCLA (21-7, 11-5) update: Bruins have won four straight since getting swept in the Bay Area. Forward JaRon Rush returned to practice Wednesday after missing a day because of the flu. Rush and guard Earl Watson (bruised thigh) are expected to play. Forward Sean Farnham should be in the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game.

Arizona State (14-14, 6-10) update: Sun Devils have lost five of their last six but nearly swept the Bay Area last weekend. They lost to Stanford in overtime and to Cal on a blown call. ASU has not beaten a ranked team in Tempe since 1995, a streak of 10 games.

- Jon Wilner

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Photo, Box

PHOTO JEROME MOISO

Freshman plays better after using heat-generating sports cream.

BOX: UCLA vs. ARIZONA STATE (see text)