UCLA NOTEBOOK: MORE TESTS NEXT WEEK FOR ARIZA.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

UCLA freshman power forward Trevor Ariza, who learned 25 hours before the season-opening tipoff he wouldn't be able to play because of a collapsed lung, will undergo a preliminary CT-scan early next week.

Ariza, who is slated to miss the first four games, said after UCLA's 68-67 victory against Vermont on Saturday he wasn't sure when he would be back.

``Right now I can't do anything,'' Ariza said. ``They said in five to seven days I could start shooting free throws and maybe running up and down the court. I hope it's only (four) games, but I don't really know. I have to wait and see.''

Bruins coach Ben Howland said he was ``hoping that (Ariza) will be back in time for Loyola,'' which is UCLA's fourth game. But even at that point there could be questions about Ariza's stamina.

``I couldn't even explain how disappointing that was to not be able to play,'' Ariza said. ``I was upset, disappointed when I heard, but I kept my composure. This is the first time I've been on a team and haven't been able to play.''

One thing that is concerning Ariza, who is asthmatic, is trying to keep the injury from happening in the future. He said doctors gave him no instructions or indications of how to keep spontaneous pneumothorax, the presence of air within the pleural cavity of the lungs, from re-occurring.

With Ariza out because of health problems and T.J. Cummings out because of academics, Howland was forced to play 7-footers Ryan Hollins and Michael Fey at the same time Saturday in an attempt to slow down Vermont's Taylor Coppenrath (38 points), something forward Josiah Johnson was unable to do.

``We were playing Fey and Hollins together for the first time, not really knowing the (power forward) spot for Ryan Hollins,'' Howland said. ``I thought he did a really good job coming in and playing that many minutes (32) for us.''

Johnson had two points and six rebounds, and Hollins finished with two points and five rebounds.

``We have to pick up Trevor's rebounding,'' Bruins forward Dijon Thompson said. ``He had 19 rebounds in the first two exhibition games, so everybody's got to pick up the rebounding intensity. That's our main focus.''

--A better Bozeman? Point guard Cedric Bozeman didn't take many jumpers and finished with 12 points, but his nine assists and one turnover had Howland smiling.

The 6-foot-6 Bozeman also shut down Vermont guard T.J. Sorrentine, who was averaging 10.5 points but managed four points, one assist and had two turnovers.

``(Bozeman) did a great job defensively,'' Howland said. ``You gotta remember (Sorrentine) was the player of the year in (America East Conference) two years ago. He really did a good job of shutting him down.''

--In a zone: Howland doesn't like to play zone defense, but with Hollins and Fey each with two fouls in the first half it became a necessity.

The Bruins scrapped man-to-man for a 2-3 zone, but Vermont hit three 3-pointers and another long jumper as UCLA's 17-14 lead turned into a 25-20 deficit.

``We lost a couple of their men and they hit a couple of big 3s and went on a run,'' Thompson said. ``That's why we had to go back to man-to-man in the second half.''

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