UCLA Gets Dollar’s Worth

Finding life in the most desperate moments, the burning Bruins flickered but did not get put out Thursday night.

In overtime, in a frantic, fabulous exchange of critical plays, Cameron Dollar and the Bruins were left standing, 74-73, over Iowa State.

Practically nobody else was, including the 29,231 at the Alamodome, out of breath and glazed by the tension after Dollar’s full-court dance through the Cyclone defense with the Bruins behind and the clock set to expire.

Dollar got into the lane, head-faked shot-blocker Kelvin Cato, then lifted a three-footer softly over Cato, off the glass, into the net and into UCLA history.

How much longer can it go, how much harder can it get, how many twisting, tumbling moments are left in this endless, elastic UCLA season?

“Just trying to get it done, man,” Dollar said when asked if this was his greatest game.

For the second time in a handful of games, and the first time with the fate of this season in his hands, Dollar changed defeat into victory, and echoed the greatest moment of his good friend, Tyus Edney, who did the same thing against Missouri two years ago.

Dollar got the ball with about 10 seconds left in overtime, after Scott Bankhead lifted Iowa State to a 73-72 lead.

“I got the go-ahead from Coach [Steve] Lavin to go ahead and go to the rack,” Dollar said. “They did a great job of staying in front of me the whole night, I was blessed to get around him, and when you see a big man, never shy away from a big man.’

“So I just tried to go up in him, get a shot off, and he was going to block it. He blocks it and we go home. If I make it, we win. The only thing you want to make sure of is you go down swinging.”

“I was going with Dollar no matter what,” Lavin said. “When they were gathering at the free throw line, I pointed to him, said, ‘You take it.’ ”

Said Cato: “Coach told me to watch for him dishing, and Dollar took it and I was just a little late.”

The basket gave Dollar a career-high 20 points, and moved UCLA (24-7 and the winner of 12 consecutive games) into the Midwest Regional final against No. 1-seeded Minnesota.

But all of that almost seemed beside the point in the aftermath of this game.

In a tumultuous final 15 minutes of lead trading and critical basketball, emotions rose and the night moved into something close to nervous magic.

“I thank Tyus for showing me how to do that,” Dollar said.

After a desperate run by UCLA turned a 16-point second-half deficit into a late lead in regulation, the game was thrown into overtime when Iowa State guard Dedric Willoughby made a fade-away jumper from well beyond the three-point line with 21 seconds left to tie it.

Dollar was called for a travel in the lane with 1.4 seconds left and Cyclone guard Jacy Holloway’s desperation shot clanged off the rim, which sent it into overtime, 64-64.

The Bruins took a quick four-point lead in the overtime period on free throws by Charles O’Bannon (who had 16 points) and a basket by J.R. Henderson, who had 12 rebounds and 12 points.

But Iowa State (22-9) scored five points in a row down the last two minutes of the overtime, climaxing on Bankhead’s final basket.

The score was tied in regulation, 58-58, with 3:57 left to play.

A few possessions later, Iowa State was ahead, 61-60, with 2:19 left and the season on the line.

Then, the difference. UCLA has done it so many ways this season, from rabid defense to huge offensive rebounds. This time, it was the playmaking of Henderson, who bounced perfect passes on consecutive possessions, first to Toby Bailey (who had 13 points and 10 rebounds), then to Dollar, giving UCLA a 62-61 lead.

What was O’Bannon thinking when the Bruins were down by 16 for the third time in three weeks?

“Just the fact that we’ve been down before and we’ve come back before,” he said.

“Basically, it’s about keeping fighting, and if we go down, we can go into the locker room know we gave our all.”

And it was a fight. Iowa State had its first quiver during a four-minute stretch early in the second half, and the Bruins went charging into the breach.

With the score 46-30, and Iowa State threatening to turn this game into a rout, a combination of UCLA shooting and pressure defense brought the Bruins raging back into the game.

Dollar started the roll by swishing successive three-point baskets to cut it to eight, 46-38, and UCLA went into a full-court press that created three consecutive turnovers.

Meanwhile, Willoughby, who made five of his first seven three-point tries, wobbled a little, making only one of his next six from behind the line.

Suddenly, Bailey was back under control, scoring seven points in the rush, and O’Bannon’s floating five-footer over Cato finished a 19-4 run that brought UCLA to within one, 50-49, with about 10 minutes left to play.

The Bruins kept up the pressure, and took their first lead of the game, 53-52.

The first half, full of choking Cyclone defense and offensive maneuvering that left the Bruins dazed and uncertain, went almost precisely as Iowa State Coach Floyd could have planned it.

With O’Bannon and Henderson struggling to touch the basketball, and McCoy playing out of control, the scoring load was given to UCLA’s guards.

O’Bannon scored seven points, but he had only four shots attempts in the half, Henderson was 0 for 3 and scored only one point.

Dollar missed four out of five shots after making his first two, and Bailey was one for seven in the half, with three of UCLA’s seven turnovers.

UCLA shot only 37% in the half (10 for 27), and were kept in it only by Henderson’s rebounds.

Meanwhile, Iowa State’s Willoughby was finding open spaces along his long journeys around picks and assorted other Cyclone nudges, and lit up UCLA for 16 first-half points.

The Bruins opened in the matchup zone that was so effective against Xavier’s cold-shooting guards, but Willoughby soon forced them out of that. Even with Bailey or O’Bannon trailing him in a man-to-man defense, Willoughby floated to open spots.

Holloway’s two foul shots at the end of the half gave the Cyclones a 37-25 halftime lead, and the Bruins scampered into the locker room to either regroup or make reservations to fly back home.

SATURDAY’S GAME

UCLA (24-7) vs. Minnesota (30-3)

Midwest Regional, San Antonio 12:40 p.m.