On the brink: Bruins

On the brink: Bruins

back in NCAA finals

UCLA zone defense shuts down Oklahoma State as Bruins prevail,
74-61, to advance to title game

By Scott Yamaguchi

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

SEATTLE, Wash. — No, this shot wasn’t nearly as dramatic as his
buzzer-beating scoop shot that advanced UCLA to the Sweet 16, but
Tyus Edney’s layup late in the second half of Saturday’s 74-61
victory over Oklahoma State was every bit as effective, and this
one moved the Bruins into their first NCAA Championship game since
1980.

With 2:18 left in the game, Edney drove into the lane, twisted
around OSU center Bryant Reeves, and layed the ball in to bump
UCLA’s lead back to three points, at 64-61. It had been cut to one
point when Randy Rutherford buried a three-pointer from the left
corner on the Cowboys’ previous possession.

"I’ll tell you something ­ I’m so happy for Tyus Edney that
the country got to see what kind of basketball player he really
is," UCLA head coach Jim Harrick said. "And he’s certainly been a
terrific player in this tournament.

"He’s come up real big."

Saturday was no different, with Edney scoring a team-high 21
points and dishing five assists in front of 38,540 here at the
Kingdome. He scored UCLA’s first three points, and his reverse,
no-look layup over the 7-foot Reeves with 13:34 left in the first
half capped an 11-0 UCLA run that also included two three-pointers
by Ed O’Bannon and a three-point play by Charles O’Bannon.

"That shot threw me for a loop," Ed O’Bannon said of Edney’s
reverse. "It was a great shot, but he was very much under control,
and he just put it off the glass."

The Bruins led at that point, 20-11, but Oklahoma State refused
to crumble and closed to within one point at 24-23 with just over
eight minutes left. Two consecutive jumpers by Charles O’Bannon
sparked a 7-0 UCLA run over the next three minutes and 17 seconds,
but OSU closed the half with a 14-6 run that left the halftime
score tied at 37.

The Cowboys shot 54.5 percent from the field in the first half,
and seemed to score at will from their half-court offense. Reeves
was nearly unstoppable, scoring 18 points and drawing four shooting
fouls. UCLA shot a respectable 46.7 percent, but the Bruins were in
the game mostly because of their defense, which caused 14 turnovers
that led to 16 points.

"The things I thought we needed to do, board play and transition
defense, we did a decent job," OSU head coach Eddie Sutton said.
"But we did a poor job taking care of the basketball, especially in
the first half.

"And in the second half, we didn’t shoot as well, and we did a
very poor job of playing and containing Edney."

The Cowboys were reduced to a 32.1 shooting clip in the second
period, mostly because of Harrick’s various defensive schemes. The
seventh-year head coach opened the game in a man-to-man defense
with George Zidek guarding Reeves, but he had planned to try the
zone when he went with his small lineup, which put 6-9 J.R.
Henderson at the center position.

"We planned on the zone when J.R. Henderson was in the game,
because I knew it would be a load for him to guard Reeves," Harrick
said. "The Big Eight conference is primarily a man-to-man
conference, and in our small lineup, we cover the court very
well."

For a while in the first half, the Bruins were successful with
the zone, but OSU eventually got into a rhythm and hit three
straight shots. Harrick went back to the man defense, which is what
he used to start the second half.

But Reeves, who had just seven points in the second half, drew
four fouls each on Henderson and Zidek by the seven-minute mark,
and Harrick returned to the zone after the Cowboy’s called timeout
with just under five minutes left.

At that point, UCLA had built an eight point lead at 48-40,
fallen behind by one at 49-48, and now led 58-54.

"After the timeout, we came out in the zone," Harrick said. "And
as soon as I looked out there, Reeves put his hand up looking at
Coach Sutton, and I know they talked all through the timeout about
a man-to-man play."

Chianti Roberts hit a layup and Rutherford drained his three
pointer for the Cowboys, but Edney answered with six straight
points, including the layup with 2:18 left.

Oklahoma State called a timeout nine seconds later, but the
Cowboys were unable to score, and UCLA made 10 out of 10 free
throws in the last minute and a half.

Charles O’Bannon was seven-for-nine from the field, finishing
with 19 points and six rebounds, while Ed O’Bannon tallied 15
points and eight rebounds.