Butler Does It to Save Bruins : College basketball: He makes the decisive defensive play in final seconds to hold off Washington, 80-79.

Mitchell Butler made the play of the game Sunday for UCLA, stripping the ball from Washington’s James French with about six seconds to play in the Bruins’ 80-79 victory at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

In French’s opinion, however, all he made was a foul.

“He got me right on my forearm,” said French, who had the ball taken from him as he prepared to launch a 15-foot shot from the right wing. “I felt good being in that position, going one-on-one with Butler. I thought I could hit that shot, or go to the foul line.

“After he hit me, I was waiting for the call.”

It never came.

Justifiably so, Butler said.

“I definitely had my hand on the ball,” he said.

After French lost control of it, Butler chased it down in the corner and heaved it toward the other end.

By the time it was flagged down by French’s teammate, Brett Pagett, the game had ended and the ninth-ranked Bruins had escaped with a victory that moved them into sole possession of first place in the Pacific 10 Conference race, a game ahead of USC and Arizona.

UCLA, which improved to 23-4 overall and 14-2 in conference play, can clinch at least a share of its first Pac-10 championship since 1987 by defeating Arizona Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

A Bruin victory also would eliminate Arizona from the race, denying the Wildcats a fifth consecutive conference title.

But Washington (12-16, 5-12) almost dropped the Bruins into a three-way tie for the conference lead, overcoming a seven-point deficit by making four three-point shots in the last 5:39.

After trailing most of the way, the Huskies took a 79-78 lead on a three-point play by Chandler Nairn with 1:51 remaining.

Ten seconds later, Tracy Murray scored the last of his 25 points, making two free throws to put UCLA back in front, 80-79.

At the other end, Doug Meekins missed a 15-foot shot, but Washington retained possession when Pagett came up with the rebound. But as French went to put up another shot, he was called for traveling.

The Huskies got another chance when Murray threw a pass away.

Thirty seconds remained when the Huskies (minus leading scorer Rich Manning, who fouled out with 4:59 left after scoring 17 points) brought the ball into play from the right sideline.

“We wanted to take the ball to the basket and try to draw the foul or score,” Washington Coach Lynn Nance said.

Was French fouled?

“I’m not qualified to see those things,” Nance said. “I can’t comment on that. (But) I thought we got what we wanted.”

French said the officials favor UCLA in that situation.

“They have a certain amount of respect for teams like UCLA,” he said. “They’re going to shy away from a game-breaking call.”

If it was a gift, the Bruins were happy to take it.

“We were fortunate to win, quite frankly,” Coach Jim Harrick said. “But you need good fortune to win a league championship.”

Washington made 54.8% of its shots and outrebounded the Bruins, 28-23, as freshman Mark Pope took a game-high 10 to go with 15 points, but the Huskies kept having to come from behind.

They overcame a 9-2 deficit to open a 26-21 lead, but the Bruins scored six points in 30 seconds to regain the lead.

They overcame a seven-point halftime deficit by scoring the first eight points of the second half, but with the score tied, at 50-50, the Bruins went on a 10-2 run.

“They played awfully well,” Harrick said of the Huskies, who made six of 13 three-point shots after making only 27.9%, the Pac-10’s worst mark, in their first 27 games. “That little stretch at the end . . . I’m saying, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute. They’re not supposed to do that.’ ”

But they did, and only Butler stopped them short of an upset.

“A good stop defensively,” Harrick called the final play.

French did not agree.

Bruin Notes

Don MacLean led UCLA with 26 points and nine rebounds, the first time in nine games against Washington that he scored more than 19 points. He scored a season-low seven points last month in a 74-61 victory over the Huskies at Pauley Pavilion. MacLean made 11 of 21 shots, the first time in six games that he made more than 50%.