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UCLA aiming for sole possession of top spot in Pac-10

Jan 31, 2009 - 11:21 AM Stanford (13-5) at No. 16 UCLA (16-4) 3:30 p.m. EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Despite an inconsistent start to Pac-10 play, UCLA still owns a share of first place in the conference. Knocking the Bruins from their perch will be tough, especially for struggling Stanford.

Sixteenth-ranked UCLA goes for its second straight win on Saturday when it hosts the Cardinal.

After opening conference play with four straight wins, the first three coming on the road, the Bruins (16-4, 6-2 Pac-10) dropped two of their next three contests.

In fact, UCLA came awfully close to losing all three games over that span. Following a three-point overtime loss to then-No. 15 Arizona State on January 17, the Bruins nearly blew a 15-point lead to Washington State before Darren Collison scored six of his eight points in the final five minutes to preserve a 61-59 victory on January 22.

The momentum didn't last as UCLA suffered a surprising 86-75 loss to Washington last Saturday as the Huskies made 36-of-43 free throws in the physical matchup.

The Bruins put that loss behind them on Thursday, throttling California, 81-66, to move to the top of the Pac-10 standings alongside Washington (15-5, 6-2), which endured a nine-point loss to Arizona.

UCLA should continue its resurgence against Stanford (13-5, 3-5), which has lost two straight and four of six, including a 70-69 setback against Southern California on Thursday.