A Timely Push Propels Bruins Past Notre Dame : College basketball: O’Bannon comes to Edney’s defense, which seems to inspire UCLA in 92-55 victory.

With a long dash, a flash of rage and a shove that was more about symbolism than serious malevolence, Ed O’Bannon transformed UCLA’s 92-55 victory over Notre Dame on Sunday from a bore to a roar.

Ed the Enforcer?

“I think it fired us up,” said point guard Tyus Edney, who had been fouled hard and banged into the foot of the basket by Irish forward Derek Manner when O’Bannon erupted. “I think we just took that energy and transferred it to the game.”

Though O’Bannon drew his third technical foul of the season for racing the length of the court to give Manner a hard retaliatory shove, and though UCLA was already pulling away from Notre Dame with 15:12 to play, the incident set loose the Bruins for the rest of their lopsided victory before 11,617 at Pauley Pavilion.

After the bump, UCLA, which at times seemed dull and methodical, flew off on a 38-13 run that put the Bruins up by 33 points with about six minutes remaining.

Trapping and pressing at every chance, the Bruins outscored Notre Dame, 63-28, in the second half and, in the game, caused Notre Dame to commit a season-high 32 turnovers. The 37-point defeat was the sixth-most lopsided in Irish history, and the most lopsided since the Bruins beat them by 48 in the 1971-72 season.

This season, Notre Dame (13-8) hadn’t lost by more than 14.

For UCLA, 14-2 and headed to Washington this week, O’Bannon’s action was about more than points and steals and avenging last season’s big loss at Notre Dame.

It was about passion and protecting a fallen teammate who was coming back after sitting out a game because of flu. “From my view, it looked like it was intentional,” O’Bannon said of the play, in which Manner came down hard on Edney’s shoulder trying to block a fast-break layup. “We just got Tyus back, and we can’t afford to lose him for another game.

“I guess I shouldn’t have done it, but I was just sticking up for my friend. That’s something any friend would do, whether you’re on the street or on the basketball court.”

And the three technicals (the previous two came against Cal State Northridge and Arizona State)? “It’s a good thing we don’t get fined for them, or else I’d be broke,” O’Bannon said.

Said O’Bannon’s younger brother, Charles: “He’s always been protective of his family or his teammates. When he sees someone is hurting or about to get hurt, he steps in.”

Edney, who made only three of 11 shots and played like he wasn’t fully recovered from flu, said he was momentarily stunned when his shoulder and lower body caromed into the padded base of the basket. But Edney said Manner, a 6-foot-6 freshman, delivered a “good, hard foul.”

“I wasn’t mad about the foul, but it’s good to see him sticking up for a teammate,” Edney said.

Said center George Zidek, who led UCLA with a season-high 20 points: “I think (O’Bannon’s push) evoked a killer instinct in us. We had to really put them away, and we did.”

UCLA Coach Jim Harrick, however, was less enthusiastic about the incident.

“He’s got to control his emotions in a different manner,” said Harrick, who drew two technicals of his own at the end of UCLA’s loss at Oregon. “We can’t go into a big ballgame and get a technical like that.

“But I guess you have to expect our guys to get emotional when you put the hurt on our little fellah--we need that guy.”

Irish Coach John MacLeod said of O’Bannon’s show of anger: “That was uncalled-for. Our guy is just learning to play basketball, he wouldn’t intentionally do that.”

MacLeod also was less than pleased about sophomore forward Marcus Young being ejected after cross-checking Zidek in the second half, which MacLeod said was in retaliation for Zidek’s earlier pushing under the basket. And MacLeod merely said he was “aware” that UCLA kept its starters in the game and pressing until 4:41 remained, long after the outcome had been decided.

The second half was a vast departure from the first, in which UCLA shot only 32.3% from the field (10 of 31) and was out-rebounded, 23-12. “We missed about nine shots in the key area to start the game and I thought that made us a little tentative,” Harrick said.

But with Notre Dame unable to deal with UCLA’s press, led by J.R. Henderson and Ed O’Bannon, the baskets came easily in the second half--including a three-point basket by Toby Bailey, UCLA’s first since the end of the California loss Jan. 28.

Then the Enforcer, who also chipped in a career-high eight assists, stepped in. “I’ll try not to let this happen again,” Ed O’Bannon said. “It was one incident in one game. But it did seem to get us going a little bit, and, if it helped, I’m glad it happened.”