Feb. 7, 1998

Stats

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - UCLA salvaged a split on the Oregon trail.

After losing to Oregon two days earlier, the sixth-ranked Bruins rebounded by beating Oregon State 84-75 Saturday.

Toby Bailey scored 21 points and Kris Johnson and J.R. Henderson each added 20 as UCLA beat the Beavers for the 11th straight time.

"After you lose, you just have a sense of urgency that you have to win the next game," Bailey said.

The Bruins (18-4, 8-3 Pac-10) shot just 43 percent from the field, but outrebounded Oregon State 50-35.

UCLA, which never trailed, overcame another superb performance from Oregon State's Corey Benjamin, who scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half.

The sophomore has scored at least 30 points in four of his last six games, including a career-high 36 twice. Over that stretch he has averaged 29.3 points per game, and has boosted his overall average to 20.7 points, tops in the Pac-10.

Benjamin was forced to sit down for the last 6:36 of the first half after picking up his third foul reaching in on Bailey. The Beavers (12-11, 2-9) trailed 32-25 at that point, but never got any closer.

"It's kind of hard to sit on the bench and know you should be in the game, but it really wasn't my fault," Benjamin said.

"That hurts, when you take your superstar out of the game," added teammate John-Blair Bickerstaff, who had 12 points.

UCLA had one of its worst defensive performances of the season Thursday night against Oregon, which hit six 3-pointers during a 4 1/2-minute stretch in the second half and finished the game with a 20-7 run.

Oregon State didn't have the same shooting touch, hitting just 3 of 13 from 3-point range.

"We mixed up our zone, our man-to-man, our full-court press and our traps, and I think that kept them off-balance," said UCLA coach Steve Lavin. "Some nights they launch them and they do go in, other nights they launch them and they don't go in. I guess that's just college basketball."

Bailey, Johnson and Henderson - who combined for 61 points and 20 rebounds - consistently got easy baskets inside against the smaller, slower Beavers.

UCLA also had a big advantage at the free-throw line. The Bruins were 28-of-38 from the line while Oregon State, the worst foul shooting team in the conference, was 18-of-40.

"If you can't make some shots, particularly free ones at the line, that saps a lot of energy," said Beavers coach Eddie Payne.

Jelani McCoy added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Bruins.

Terrill Woods and Bickerstaff each scored 12 points for Oregon State, which still has a chance to finish the season with a winning record for the first time since going 22-7 in 1989-90, Gary Payton's senior year.

UCLA dominated the boards in the first half, getting 14 offensive rebounds, but the Bruins shot miserably and Oregon State kept it close for much of the half.

The Beavers pulled within 28-25 when Deaundra Tanner lobbed to Benjamin for a spectacular dunk with 8:01 to play. But the Bruins went on a 15-2 run over the next six minutes, with Bailey scoring seven points.

During one particularly ugly stretch, the Beavers went seven straight possessions without a basket and committed five turnovers in a span of 2:47.

Tanner snapped a nearly five-minute field-goal drought with a 3-pointer with 23.4 seconds left to cut the lead to 46-32 at the half.

The Bruins sank 20 of 23 free throws in the first half, while the Beavers were just 9 of 17.

Benjamin picked up where he left off in the second half, scoring 13 of the Beavers' first 17 points. Two straight layups by Woods cut the lead to 65-55 with 7:20 remaining, but Bailey hit a 3-pointer to stop the mini-run.