Bruins Fall as Shots Don’t Against Rejuvenated Irish : College basketball: UCLA is outscored, 21-4, in last 5:40 as Notre Dame reaches .500 with 84-71 victory.

The expectations of the capacity crowd of 11,418 in the Joyce Center Saturday were spelled out on the T-shirts of five students seated in the first row behind the UCLA bench.

“U-P-S-E-T,” they read.

The crowd got what it wanted.

Against a team that was playing its third game in five days and had traveled Friday from Los Angeles, enduring a four-hour flight to Chicago and a 3 1/2-hour bus ride to South Bend, Notre Dame wore down the second-ranked Bruins at the end and won, 84-71.

UCLA, losing for only the second time in 23 games, missed its last eight shots and was outscored, 21-4, in the last 5:40.

“We had enough shots, but nobody could put the ball in for us,” UCLA Coach Jim Harrick said. “We had a tough schedule--three games in five days, and we traveled across the country--but that’s no excuse.

“They really, really played well and deserved to win. We had some shots we hadn’t missed in a long time--some open jumpers. We had a four-point lead with about six minutes to play. That should have been enough.

“Give them credit. They won the game. They deserve it. They’re a very good team. They’re getting better and better.”

Notre Dame, keeping alive its hopes for a berth in the NCAA tournament, improved to 11-11, reaching .500 for the first time by beating a ranked opponent for the fourth time in 6 1/2 weeks.

Led by senior forward LaPhonso Ellis and senior guards Elmer Bennett and Daimon Sweet, who combined for 65 points, the Irish took a 40-33 halftime lead by outshooting and outhustling the Bruins and extended it to 44-35 as the student section derided the visitors.

“Over-rated, over-rated,” they chanted repeatedly.

But the Bruins rallied, using an 11-2 run to tie the score, 46-46, and the lead seesawed for the next several minutes.

Later, a layup by reserve forward Ed O’Bannon capped an 8-2 run by UCLA, giving the Bruins a 67-63 lead with 5:48 to play.

They didn’t make another shot.

“So many things didn’t go right for us, it’s hard to pinpoint one particular thing,” UCLA guard Gerald Madkins said. “All it boils down to is, we didn’t hit the shots when we needed them.

“We had open shots, but they didn’t fall. It’s frustrating when you can dictate the outcome and you don’t get it done.”

A questionable goaltending call against O’Bannon, giving Sweet a basket, started a 9-0 run.

Sweet’s basket cut the Irish deficit to 67-65 with 5:40 left.

At the other end, UCLA’s Don MacLean drove toward the lane, but the ball was stripped by Bennett, leading to a three-point shot from the left corner by Sweet that put the Irish ahead to stay, 68-67, with 4:52 to play.

Tracy Murray, who led UCLA with 20 points and 10 rebounds, then missed a short jumper from the lane, leading to a pull-up jumper by Bennett. After O’Bannon missed a 12-foot shot, Sweet scored on a layup.

“Crowd goes wild for first time this season!” read the official play by play, neglecting to note that Notre Dame’s other three victories over ranked foes--USC, North Carolina and Syracuse--were accomplished on the road.

UCLA’s deficit was 73-68 when Ellis, who scored 22 points and took 14 rebounds, intercepted a pass by Mitchell Butler, raced to the other end and threw down a dunk so hard that the ball ricocheted back out of the basket.

The Bruins argued that the shot should not count, but official Sid Rodeheffer ruled that it should, saying later that it had bounced off Ellis’ head after passing through the rim, and the Irish led, 75-68.

UCLA didn’t get closer than 75-70 the rest of the way.

At the end, Irish Coach John MacLeod was lifted by the student body and carried around the court as the Bruins filed out.

“We haven’t had a crowd like that since my freshman year against Duke,” Ellis said. “It was nice to see everybody come out.”

Not for the Bruins.

“It was a tough trip,” MacLean said, “but we should be able to overcome all that stuff. Notre Dame played well. And if they hadn’t played so well, we might have been able to sneak out of here with a win.”

Bruin Notes

Notre Dame, extending its winning streak to four games, ended a seven-game Bruin streak. . . . UCLA’s Mitchell Butler, who made four of eight free throws, hadn’t made a shot from the line since Jan. 11, when he made one of two against Arizona. He had missed 13 free throws in a row before making his third against Notre Dame.