WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STILL LOOKING FOR AUDIENCE.

Byline: Lee Barnathan University Beat

They play a fundamentally sounder game, one that any basketball purist would appreciate.

The problem women's college basketball programs face is getting people to the games. There continues to be a stigma, that it's not as good, strong or talented as the men's game.

``It's a certain type of people who can watch,'' UCLA forward Maylana Martin said. ``Once you come, you'll see something you like.''

UCLA's men can sell out 12,500-seat Pauley Pavilion with little trouble. The women play with a blue curtain blocking off a fourth of the arena.

And yet, look at last year.

UCLA won its first Pac-10 title and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. The men didn't win the conference and got bounced in the first round.

Cal State Northridge won its first Big Sky title and reached the tournament for the first time. The men can't make that claim.

Pepperdine won the West Coast Conference regular-season title and reached the NIT first round. The men didn't win the conference and lost in the NCAA first round.

All three schools return the bulk of their talent. UCLA (ranked fifth by the Associated Press) and CSUN are again picked to finish first in their conferences.

Can the men make similar claims?

``The sport has a cult following,'' USC coach Chris Gobrecht said, ``but you'd be amazed how many people join the cult. L.A.'s ready for something different.''

Gobrecht hopes that difference is the emergence of the women's game. UCLA returns five starters, including Player of the Year candidate Maylana Martin.

But this season has had a rocky start. Point guard Erica Gomez injured her left shoulder in the summer and won't play until late December at the earliest. Starting guard LaCresha Flannigan had knee surgery and might be out another two weeks, although she played 10 minutes in Sunday's exhibition against SBC Prerov. And Martin continues to play with a degenerative disc in her back.

The injuries will test the Bruins at the start with games against No. 9 North Carolina Saturday, No. 30 Texas, No. 2 Tennessee and No. 6 Louisiana Tech.

Watch out for phenomenal freshman Nicole Kaczmarski, a USA-Today All-American who has stepped in for Gomez and scored 17 points in Sunday's exhibition. UCLA coach Kathy Olivier said she didn't want to start a freshman at the point, but Kaczmarski has played that spot her entire life.

At CSUN, no-longer-interim coach Frozena Jerro welcomes back four starters, including forward Lynda Amari and guard Edneisha Curry. Curry insisted she wouldn't return if Jerro wasn't named coach, and Amari also thought about leaving. But the Matadors don't have as much depth in the post this season and it remains to be seen if they can match up physically with the best of the Big Sky.

``My hope is to continue (from) where we stopped,'' post player and team captain Neda Milic said. ``I see no reason not to get there (NCAAs) again.''

OK, try this: Montana. The Lady Grizz were decimated by injuries last year, helping Northridge win the conference. This season, everyone's healthy.

``It will be tougher this year, but we are all stronger'' she said. ``I know what it means to get hurt. You are not as tough after the injury. It will take time for that team to get better.''

Pepperdine has one of the conference's best guards in Rasheeda Clark, and now point guard Jennifer Saari is healthy, so Clark can focus on shooting. Plus, the Waves have Moorpark High's Damaris Hinojosa, the Daily News Player of the Year, backing up Clark. Coach Mark Trakh says his team is two-deep at every position.

USC wishes it had that kind of depth last season because the Women of Troy could have avoided a complete disaster. Just about every key player was injured, forcing Gobrecht to play (and start) freshman who she would have wanted to ease into the program.

Now, everyone is healthy again, including guard Erica Mashia, whose hip and knee problems kept her out for two years. And USC has 13 players.

``We have a good, solid roster,'' Gobrecht said, ``but I can't tell you they'll be All-American or All-Pac-10, but we will win more games.''

Winning more games is what Loyola Marymount coach Julie Wilhoit hopes for, and she thinks the Lions heading in the right direction. They ended a 26-game losing streak last year, beat Northridge on a last-second shot and won four conference games. They led eventual champion St. Mary's by six points with three minutes remaining and lost.

This season, they want more.

``We're bigger, stronger, more confident, older, wiser,'' Wilhoit said. ``This year, it's about winning the close games.''