LONG-SHOT ARIZONAWildcats' 13 three-pointers sink BruinsARIZONA 88, UCLA 79. Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer The momentum of the foul propelled Arizona forward Corey Williams out of bounds and, to avoid a collision, onto the endline press table. He gained his balance, stood up and realized the Kodak moment at hand.
Williams slowly raised his outstretched arms to the frenzied crowd, and from the UCLA bench his white jersey was outlined by a sea of red. The scoreboard was visible over his left shoulder. There were 20.8 seconds remaining. The Wildcats were leading by seven. The game was over and 14,683 ecstatic Arizona fans in McKale Center knew it.
"Everybody hyped up UCLA," Williams said a few minutes later, after Arizona's 88-79 victory Saturday. "They won the national championship, but all the talent in the world doesn't make up for heart. They are a great team and we give them their credit, but we don't give them any respect."
This might not have been a UCLA-Arizona classic, but it was the most riveting game of the Bruins' season. There were no technical fouls, no controversial calls to interfere with the outcome. No brilliant tactical moves to draw attention from the players.
And after 15 lead changes and five ties, no detailed explanation of the events was necessary.
The difference, simply, was Arizona's 3-point shooting (13 of 20) and the play of Wildcats guards Miles Simon (28 points) and Michael Dickerson (16), who combined to hit 10 of 13 3-pointers.
"When they needed them, (the 3-pointers) just kept raining down," UCLA wing man Kris Johnson said. "It was heartbreaking. We'd go through two or three screens and Miles would be out there with the shot clock winding down, and he'd be 28 feet away and hit it. It took away our spirit." The 3-point barrage came from the left wing and the right, from the corners, against a man-to-man and against a zone, with defenders flying and with unobstructed views. The Bruins started Charles O'Bannon on Simon, who also had seven assists and five rebounds in the game of his college life. Then they tried Toby Bailey. They switched to a 2-3 zone. Finally, Cameron Dollar gave it a shot.
"I guess they didn't find any answers," Simon said.
Arizona's 3-point shooting was one of two pregame points of emphasis for the Bruins - the other: don't allow penetration - but they had little reason to expect a breakthrough performance. In four Pacific-10 games, Simon was 3 of 12 from 3-point range and Dickerson was 0 of 3.
The dynamics of the rivalry - and Arizona's psyche - made the outcome less than surprising. Arizona is 128-7 in McKale since 1987 and
the Wildcats historically play their best when they feel most threatened. Saturday, they were without starting center Joseph Blair, who is academically ineligible. Also, with two conference losses to UCLA's none, they knew their Pac-10 title chances hinged on the outcome.
No. 18 Arizona (13-3, 3-2) was desperate and it was at home. Add the 3-point shooting and UCLA needed a performance it is not yet capable of giving. "If we're going to lose to anybody, I'd like it to be to Arizona," Bailey said. "I hate to lose, but Arizona is the second-best team in our league."
Harrick was disappointed because the No. 13 Bruins (12-4, 5-1) had several chances to win. J.R. Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.Henderson mishandled the ball on a fast break with a six-point second-half lead. Then UCLA failed on three-straight possessions with a four-point lead. And with 3:32 left, Bailey was called for traveling after an offensive rebound.
"We had turnovers in the second half in key situations," Harrick said. "That has been the MO of this team all year and we've gotten by with it. But we can't get by with it in real big games."
The loss snapped UCLA's two winning streaks - 10 straight overall and 15 straight in the Pac-10. But the locker room was
considerably more upbeat than after the Maui losses, or the collapse at Kansas. There were no blurry eyes, no one-on-one sessions with the assistant coaches in a remote corner. The Bruins lost to a good team playing at its best.
"This won't stick. The last loss that stuck with me was Tulsa," Dollar said of the 1994 first-round NCAA Tournament defeat. "We feel we're still in the driver's seat. People tend to overemphasize one loss as if we're crumbling. But there was nothing you could do."
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Photo (color) UCLA's Toby Bailey tries to drive the lane
against A.J. Bramlett of Arizona in the first half at Tucson. Associated Press
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