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Oregon State takes on UCLA hoping to end slide

Jan 26, 2008 - 3:34 PM No. 7 UCLA (17-2) at Oregon State (6-13) 11:00 pm EST

CORVALLIS, Oregon (Ticker) - Despite a new coach, Oregon State still can't break out of its nine-game losing streak.

Interim coach Kevin Mouton and Oregon State will have a hard time picking up its first win in 2008 when they host No. 7 UCLA on Saturday.

Mouton was named head coach on Tuesday after Jay John, who was 72-97 as the Beavers coach, was fired after leading the team to a 6-12 record to start the season.

However, the Beavers (6-13, 0-7 Pac-10) didn't play any better under Mouton in his first game at the helm, suffering a 68-44 setback to Southern California on Thursday.

Things won't get any easier against UCLA (17-2, 5-1), which rebounded from just its second loss of the season to USC on Saturday with an 80-75 victory over Oregon on Thursday.

Freshman Kevin Love, who was a three-time player of the year in the state of Oregon during his high school career in Lake Oswego, scored 26 points and grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds against Oregon, despite hearing boos from the crowd every time he touched the ball.

Love made 8-of-11 shots from the field, including both of his 3-point attempts, and continues to impress, averaging a team-high 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.