Bailey Rallies Bruins to Win

For 27 minutes, No. 7 UCLA did everything it could to lose to Alabama-Birmingham. But 13 minutes of near-perfection fixed the problem.

Toby Bailey scored 14 of the Bruins’ final 16 points in the last four minutes to lead an 86-72 comeback victory Saturday in the Great Alaska Shootout.

UCLA (2-1) was behind by 18 points with 14:30 left, but Bailey and Baron Davis combined for 29 points down the stretch and ran the Blazers ragged. Bailey finished with 28 points, Davis 22 and J.R. Henderson 21.

Bruin Coach Steve Lavin said his squad has shown the ability to bounce back during tough games and from tough losses. No. 4 North Carolina embarrassed UCLA, 109-68, Wednesday in the tournament’s first round.

“There’s a pattern there of resiliency. . . . and that’s what we harp on in practice,” Lavin said.

UCLA tried to break its comeback down into five-minute segments, figuring it was easier to walk up a mountain than to sprint.

“We switched from our matchup zone to straight man-to-man at about the 14-minute mark,” he said. That’s when UAB stopped scoring.

Willie Mitchell led the Blazers (3-3) with 19 points, and Damon Cobb had 15.

UCLA tied it at 66 when Davis swiped a pass at midcourt and made a dramatic jam. He might well have been nailing shut the Blazers’ upset dreams. The Blazers tied it at 70 with 2:17 left, but managed only one more basket while Bailey poured in jump shots and free throws.

Davis, a freshman, and Bailey, a senior, point to one of the Bruins’ strengths, Lavin said: “I think this is one of the things this team has, is good chemistry.”

Blazer Coach Murry Bartow predicted a quick exit from college hoops and into the NBA for Davis.

“I just want to make sure [Lakers General Manager] Jerry West doesn’t take him by Christmas,” Lavin joked. “He gets mad at me when I talk about him leaving early.”

He said Davis’ goal is to become the career assists leader in college basketball.

A glum Bartow said the Blazers gave the Bruins too many second chances late in the game.

“It was a tough loss to say the least,” Bartow said. “We thought we had them on the ropes . . . but [in the second half] we just couldn’t stop the bleeding.”

The Blazers fell behind 11-1 early, but Cedric Dixon made a layup to start a three-minute run of 18-8. After tying it at 19, the Blazers used accurate free-throw shooting and aggressive rebounding to pull ahead, 42-28, by halftime.

Mitchell made 16 of his 19 points off the bench in the half, and Cobb added 10.

Henderson had in 11 points in the first half, including five of the Bruins’ first 11.

With the win, the Bruins claimed fourth place in the tournament.

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* GUNNING FOR TITLE

No. 3 North Carolina and No. 6 Purdue battled for Great Alaska Shootout title.