Johnson’s Magic Shot Is a Winner

No way was he going to pass.

His ball. His shot. His moment. His game.

With the basketball game in his hands, a confident Kris Johnson saved UCLA from 23 feet away on a snowy Thursday.

In a crackling end to an ugly game, Johnson’s three-point basket with three-tenths of a second left in regulation lifted the 18th-ranked Bruins to a desperately needed 78-75 victory over Washington State before 4,816 at Friel Court.

And from the moment Johnson touched the ball--with about 15 seconds left--everybody in the house knew what was coming next.

No play had been called during the previous timeout. It was left to fate, and Johnson, with what Coach Steve Lavin called “Charles Barkley confidence,” decided on his own there was only one way to go.

“I made up my mind I was going to take that shot,” said Johnson, who followed it up with an improvised shake dance back down the floor. “Either I was going to make it, or we were going into overtime.

“I remember a story my dad [former Bruin star Marques Johnson] told me of the first UCLA game he saw--Sidney Wicks waved all the other guys off and hit one from 25 feet. When I got the ball, that’s what flashed into my mind.”

J.R. Henderson was trying to set a screen, but Johnson didn’t even look at him as the clock ticked.

Toby Bailey thought about popping out for a pass, until it became obvious.

Baron Davis practically tried to wrestle it away with about 10 seconds left, but no human could have pried that thing loose with victory in Johnson’s grasp.

“I wanted it,” Davis said with a smile. “Then I saw he was going to take it, so I thought, ‘OK, time to get out of the way.’ ”

Said Johnson, who led all scorers with 20 points: “I had the senior override on that one.”

With Cougar defender Will Hutchens fearing a dribble drive, Johnson faked a shuffle move, then floated backward, aiming a perfect dagger straight into Washington State’s upset dreams.

“I know you could say it was crazy shot, looking at the clock the whole time and running it out,” Johnson said. “But that’s the way it was going to be.”

For UCLA (21-6, 11-4 in Pacific 10 Conference), Johnson’s basket was only the final part of a gut-check rally in the final minutes led by the team’s three seniors.

Last year in Pullman, UCLA needed a layup by Cameron Dollar to win the game with nine-tenths left. Two years ago in Spokane, a jumper by then-sophomore Bailey got the game into overtime, and UCLA ended up winning.

Johnson, Bailey (who had a flying dunk and free throw with 2:29 left) and Henderson were about all the Bruins had in the second half against the scrambling Cougars (9-18, 2-14).

Freshman guard Earl Watson was knocked face-down and unconscious for several minutes early in the second half when Washington State’s Carlos Daniel accidentally slammed his right forearm into Watson’s right cheek on Daniel’s layup try.

With Johnson and Davis beseeching Watson to talk to them, Watson finally regained consciousness and was helped off the court.

Watson was said to have suffered a concussion and did not return to the game--but he did ask Lavin if he could come back in. Watson is scheduled to undergo X-rays today.

“He knew we were losing,” said Davis, Watson’s best friend. “I knew he’s a tough guy, he doesn’t just lie down on any kind of injury. It was scary--real, real scary.”

Said a dazed Watson after the game: “I just remember getting hit, that’s all.” Did it hurt? “Not yet.”

Also, UCLA freshmen Rico Hines and Travis Reed were in foul trouble for most of the second half.

Johnson, too, played with four fouls in the final 12 minutes.

“If we weren’t on the road, if it wasn’t this late in the season, if it wasn’t what I thought was a pretty important game, I might’ve taken him out with four,” Lavin said.

But the Cougars, one of the least-talented teams in the conference, thrived against the Bruins’ continued struggling offense and soft defense.

Even by the dismal standards of UCLA’s sloppy recent play, the first half was a sour combination of poor shooting and loose defense, and ended with the Bruins trailing, 36-32.

Henderson, in particular, did not seem to be able to find a rhythm, missing his last seven shots, most from close range. Henderson was two for 10 in the half, and finished six of 20, with 15 points and nine rebounds.