Monday, 2/24/97
UCLA Reigns over Duke
M.HOOPS: Defense clinches win before packed, rousing crowd
By Hye Kwon and
Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
Like a runaway freight train slowly increasing momentum, the
17th-ranked Bruins gathered some major steam Sunday morning,
upsetting sixth-ranked Duke, 73-69 in Pauley Pavilion.
In front of a nationally televised audience, UCLA (17-7, 11-3
Pac-10) was able to fend off the Blue Devils (22-6, 11-3 Atlantic
Coast Conference) and make a huge claim for a favorable seeding in
the NCAA Tournament.
"This game was so big," J.R. Henderson, who led the Bruins with
18 points, said. "It was a great win as far as (NCAA) seeding and
getting our respect back."
Being the capper on UCLA’s non-conference schedule, Sunday’s
game had post-season implications written all over it. Since losing
to Tulsa to begin the season, the Bruins have lost to Kansas,
Illinois and Louisville, all in front of national audiences.
"Hopefully, people saw that we’ve turned our season around,"
junior guard Toby Bailey, who made two free throws with 15 seconds
left to seal the win, said.
Recording the win over Mike Krzyzewkski, his coaching mentor,
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin lobbied for Pac-10 respect at the
postgame press conference.
"I think (the win) represented the Pac-10 in good fashion,"
Lavin said. "Everybody in the country got to see what’s
representative of the Pac-10 conference. It was good for the
conference power rating, and it was good for UCLA’s power
rating."
In the series involving the two basketball giants, the winner in
all three of the previous contests in Pauley Pavilion has gone onto
win the NCAA Championship. Most recently, the Bruins beat Duke,
100-77, in their ’95 run, and the ’92 Champion Blue Devil team was
victorious, 75-65.
The key to the Bruins’ win this particular time was its play on
defense, as Duke shot an abysmal 39.4 percent from the field. At
the crucial two-guard matchup, Bailey kept outside-shooting
specialist Trajan Langdon, who was coming off of a 34-point
performance against No. 8 Clemson last Tuesday, in check the entire
game.
Langdon finished with 11 second-half points, four points under
his average, but the important statistic was the 3-of-14 shooting
from the field.
"I was just hoping to get up on him and get a hand up on every
shot," Bailey said. "I didn’t have many open looks."
Frustrated by Bailey’s tenacity for 39 minutes, Langdon could
have redeemed himself by connecting on an open three-pointer with
20 seconds remaining, with Duke trailing 71-69.
But that shot was also unsuccessful, and when Ricky Price landed
out of bounds with the offensive board, UCLA gained possession of
the ball and control of the game. From that point on, the Bruins
simply needed Bailey’s free throws to seal its fourth victory over
top-25 teams, and an end to Duke’s seven-game winning streak.
"I think you have to give most of the credit to their defense,"
Krzyzewski said. "They’re a very big team and were a small team.
So, you think you have a good look and you do if it were against a
6’2" guy. But all of a sudden you have a Charles O’Bannon on you
and it’s not a good look."
Despite the overwhelming pregame energy in Pauley Pavilion on
Sunday, Henderson was missing in action for the first twenty
minutes. Self-proclaimed as a "non-morning person," Henderson
admitted to having difficulty with the 11 a.m. game time, and had
just two points and one rebound in the first half to prove it.
"I was basically sleep-walking on the court in the first half,"
Henderson said. "I was trying to take a cold shower before the
game, but I couldn’t get to it because I was sleeping in my
room."
To compound his sluggishness, Henderson picked up two quick
fouls, and sat on the bench for eight minutes. Fortunately for
UCLA, Henderson got done rubbing his eyes at halftime and went to
work down low in the second half. The junior forward dominated the
paint against shorter Blue Devils, scoring 16 points and pulling
down four offensive rebounds.
"It’s hard for me to get going this early," Henderson said.
"That’s a problem of mine and I gotta get over it somehow. I’m glad
we won."
For the second straight game, a record crowd (13, 478) assembled
at Pauley Pavilion to witness the victory. The fans, many of whom
slept outside for priority numbers, showed their support with
painted bodies and roaring cheers.
"They were great for us," O’Bannon said. "They stayed out all
night (Saturday) night, getting priority numbers to get the best
seats, so they were definitely fired up and enthused.
"It’s great to see our fans support us. (The crowd) played a
huge factor, they were like the sixth-man on the team."
But it wasn’t just the student section that got into the game.
Even the fans sitting in the alumni section, who have a reputation
of being quiet during games, stood and yelled for a good portion of
the game on Sunday.
It was especially loud in the waning moments of the contest,
after Henderson’s put-back with 56 seconds remaining gave the
Bruins a two-point edge. On the next Duke possession, the crowd
erupted, helping to confuse the Blue Devil offense and forcing
Krzyzewski to call a timeout.
"We play for ourselves, but the crowd (support) is a good
measurement of how your team is playing," Bailey said. "That just
shows us we’re playing hard and the crowd appreciates that."
When the final buzzer sounded, the student section rushed the
court for the first time this season. After the celebration had
cleared, press row tables that had separated the crowd from the
court lay in pieces on the hardwood.
"The crowd was incredible …that’s the kind of support we need
the rest of the year," Kris Johnson said. "It really got us going a
couple of times, making noise on defensive stops and everybody just
standing up. That was great, it felt like we were in Duke or Kansas
finally."
J.R. Henderson slams in two points during UCLA’s 73-69 victory
over 6th-ranked Duke. Henderson sat out much of the first half in
foul trouble, but came back with 16 of his 18 points in the second
half. JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin
Fans from the record crowd of 13,478 rush the court and
celebrate with Jelani McCoy after the Bruins upset Duke 73-69. See
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