Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 23, 1996

It didn’t make Page 1 or ESPN SportsCenter, but the comeback by the UCLA women’s basketball team on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion surpassed any staged by the Bruin men during their glorious history. . . .

Trailing Arizona with 3:10 remaining, 70-53, the Bruins rallied, sent the game into overtime and won, 89-85. . . .

“A lot of people left when we were 17 points down,” Coach Kathy Olivier said. “I would have left too if I could have.” . . .

But enough fans remained to create a wild scene after the improbable finish. Among those storming the court were several members of Bob Toledo’s football team. . . .

What made the comeback even more unusual was that the Bruins were able to catch up without doing a lot of fouling. . . .

In the frantic last 3:10, they committed only three fouls, compared to eight for the Wildcats. . . .

It wasn’t a matter of the team that was ahead missing free throws. Arizona made three of four down the stretch. UCLA made nine of 12. . . .

“We put on a lot of pressure,” Olivier said. “This team gets excited when our press works. And we had four timeouts to use. That gave us time to set up the press, and Arizona couldn’t get the ball in. I don’t think they got the ball across mid-court or had a field-goal attempt while we were making our rally.” . . .

Actually, the Wildcats were one for one from the floor in the last 3:10. . . .

“During our timeouts, everyone kept saying, ‘We gotta believe! We gotta believe!’ ” Olivier said. . . .

Olivier’s players must have been the only people in the building who believed it when the Bruins moved into a tie and had possession with 20 seconds left in regulation. But UCLA turned the ball over and then fouled. Arizona made both free throws to regain the lead. . . .

All that work maybe for nothing. . . .

However, sophomore guard Tawana Grimes connected with three seconds remaining to tie the score at 75. . . .

The rest was easy. . . .

*

With so many college football players leaving school early to begin NFL careers, there probably will be a Junior Bowl, as well as a Senior Bowl, pretty soon. . . .

I still think NFL scouts put too much emphasis on all-star game performances, 40-yard clockings, and agility drills. . . .

Shouldn’t the Michigan-Ohio State game count more than the Blue-Gray game in the evaluation of a prospect? . . .

The happiest players on Super Bowl media day are the reserves and special teamers who are pretty much ignored and don’t have to answer the same questions dozens of times. . . .

The hiring of Tony Dungy as an NFL head coach was a few years overdue. . . .

Pro football announcers ought to listen to tapes of Ray Scott, who practiced the lost art of word economy. . . .

Most comments I’ve heard about the glowing hockey puck used by Fox on its NHL All-Star game telecast have been favorable. Of course, the purists don’t like it, but how many hockey purists are there in Southern California? . . .

Ed O’Bannon, who shot 53% from the field during his senior year at UCLA, is down to 37% in his rookie season with the New Jersey Nets. In three-point shots, he has dipped from 43% to 11%. . . .

TV analyst George Raveling is impressed by the competitive fire of Massachusetts, the only unbeaten college basketball team in the nation. . . .

Goncalino Almeida, the Brazilian jockey who broke both legs in a spill last Saturday, is one of the class acts in racing. The first thing he said to agent Vince DeGregory after the accident was, “I’m sorry.” . . .

Champion filly Serena’s Song and unbeaten Exotic Wood, both entered in the Santa Monica Handicap on Saturday at Santa Anita, are half sisters. Both were sired by Rahy. . . .

What a waste of talent Pat Valenzuela is. . . .

Most surprising weather conditions of the year have been the cool and windy nights at the Australian Open. . . .

Mary Decker Slaney, 35, is training in Eugene, Ore., under the tutelage of Alberto Salazar and will try to make the U.S. Olympic team at 3,000 meters. Promoter Al Franken is hoping she will be able to compete in the L.A. Invitational meet Feb. 24 at the Sports Arena. . . .

News item: A crowd of 88,155 cheers Mexico to 2-0 victory over Brazil in the championship game of the Gold Cup soccer tournament on a rainy afternoon at the Coliseum. Reaction: Maybe L.A. should bid for an expansion franchise in the Mexican soccer league.