UCLA barely escapes with win vs. Cougars attack

Friday, January 29, 1999

UCLA barely escapes with win vs. Cougars attack

MHOOPS: Bruins squander lead, hang on with tenacious defense,
feeding off mistakes of WSU

By AJ Cadman

Daily Bruin Staff

PULLMAN, Wash. — The Bruins found themselves fortunate to have
escaped Friel Court – not because of the snow-trodden roads that
blanket the state and surround Washington State’s basketball
complex, but for dodging another bullet Thursday night.

UCLA (15-4, 6-2 Pac-10) narrowly defeated the Cougars (8-11,
2-6) 69-66, in a game that should have been decided long before it
was. Much of this is due in part to preparation and uncontrollable
circumstances.

"You play the way you practice," said UCLA head coach Steve
Lavin. "We did not practice well on Tuesday and I could sense it
(the poor performance) coming."

"We were sluggish today," said point guard Baron Davis, who
finished the night with 11 points on two of 10 shooting and seven
of 13 from the charity stripe in 34 minutes. "We missed our flight
and didn’t get to bed until around 5 a.m."

The lack of sleep did not seem to affect the Bruins early as
they got off to a terrific start. They found themselves ahead by as
many as 17 points more than midway through the first half, even
though they averted an early disaster when Earl Watson missed an
alley-oop pass from JaRon Rush.

UCLA then proceeded to rally off a 26-9 run on the Cougars.
Washington State struggled early as their perimeter and long-range
shooting, statistically at the top of the Pac-10, went as ice cold
as the temperature outside the arena. Washington State shot under
27 percent from the field in the game’s first half.

During the Cougar drought, the Bruins shot well. UCLA was four
of seven from the three-point line and shot 55 percent from the
floor heading into the intermission. Three-point goals late in the
first half by Brandon Loyd and Matt Barnes helped the Bruins take a
35-24 lead at halftime.

But the second half told the other side of the game’s storyline.
Washington State stormed out of the gates with a 17-6 run, knotting
the score at 41 apiece with 13:44 remaining in the game. Yet, the
underlying positive for UCLA throughout the game was the
performance of freshman Dan Gadzuric.

Returning to the lineup Thursday, Gadzuric checked in the game
midway through the first half and scored five straight points. A
two-handed tomahawk slam four minutes into the second session
silenced the deceivingly boisterous crowd praying for an outcome
similar to that which occurred when the Bruins visited Oregon State
exactly three weeks ago.

"Gadzuric’s performance was one of the few positives tonight
that we (the coaches) searched for on the blackboard tonight," said
Lavin. "He came back and got into a flow."

A seesaw battle ensued for the remainder of the game as both
sides endlessly traded baskets. The Cougars first lead in the
contest at 51-49 with under 10 minutes remaining in the second
half. Jan-Michael Thomas finished the evening with 16 points on
four of seven shooting from behind the arc.

"Give Washington State credit," said Lavin. "They were quick and
hit the boards. They played with a lot of energy, intensity and
togetherness. We were fortunate to get the win up here."

The defensive play of the trio of Watson, Davis and freshman Ray
Young played vital roles late in the game. Inducing turnovers for
easy scores was essential, including Young’s dunk – created by
Rush’s defense on Thomas – with 16.1 seconds left, which preserved
the victory for UCLA.

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