Hair Tonic Works as UCLA Recovers

J.R. Henderson had a career-high in points and a career-low in hair.

The bald truth was that UCLA was facing the possibility of being swept in Arizona, and the Bruin senior was facing the need to do something to change his fortunes after a dismal three-point effort against Arizona on Saturday.

So Henderson boldly and baldly marched onto the University Activity Center court Monday night only hours after having his head shaved clean by teammate Kevin Daley, scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and led a UCLA rally that produced a 78-73 victory over Arizona State on Monday night.

“I was desperate, man,” said Henderson, who spent much of the past few days agonizing over the Arizona outing.

“I was going to try anything. And I did feel a little faster out there without hair.”

Fast enough to score eight crucial points in the last 6:07, helping to overcome a 63-58 lead for Arizona State, which outplayed UCLA most of the way but now has lost 18 in a row to the 10th-ranked Bruins (10-2, 1-1 in conference play).

Fast enough to save UCLA, which was outrebounded by the smaller Sun Devils, 45-38, and looked unorganized and ready to be beaten for much of the game.

“He’s strong--he’ll be a first-rounder,” said Sun Devil center Mike Batiste, who fouled out when Henderson beat him to an offensive rebound with 5:48 left in a play that simultaneously removed Arizona State’s biggest threat and brought UCLA to within two points, 63-61.

“He surprised me a lot. You can see he’s really stepped his game up.”

Through much of the second half, Henderson worked a sizzling two-man game with point guard Baron Davis after Toby Bailey and Kris Johnson fouled out.

With the defense concentrated on their pick-and-roll action, reserve guard Brandon Loyd was freed for a three-pointer from the left corner, giving UCLA a 73-68 lead with 2:38 left that all but sealed the outcome.

After starting the first five games, Loyd has seen his playing time diminish with the return of Johnson and Jelani McCoy after suspensions.

“Kris and I were saying that we fouled out on purpose to get those guys in the game,” Bailey said with a smile.

Said Loyd: “They better quit doing that. It’s making me too nervous.”

The shot by Loyd, though, sent the UCLA bench into uproarious celebration.

“You could tell he was ready to take the shot,” Henderson said of Loyd. “In the past few years, he’s been hesitating on that shot, looking like he didn’t want to take it. This time he stepped right up and took it.”

Said Loyd, who also made a three-pointer late in the first half to end a woeful eight-minute UCLA scoreless stretch: “I was excited for the opportunity to play, but also a little bit nervous. I’ve been trying to think more about shooting and trying not to be as hesitant.

“Now fans will probably be telling me to shoot it.”

Davis, who blamed himself for being outplayed by Arizona point guard Mike Bibby on Saturday and said he has been nursing sore hamstrings, struggled again in the first half Monday, scoring no points and committing two turnovers.

But after a pep talk by assistant coach Jim Saia, Davis scored nine points in the second half and made two key steals in the open court.

“I’ve been hurt and I’ve been fouling,” Davis said. “I’m just not as quick as I usually am. And I’ve been getting frustrated with myself. Coach Saia saw that and he told me to keep my head up and have fun and do the things I’ve always done.”

Meanwhile, guard Earl Watson and McCoy (four blocked shots) were providing the defensive pressure that forced the Sun Devils (11-4, 1-1) into an uncharacteristic one-for-16 shooting effort from three-point distance.

Arizona State guard Jeremy Veal, guarded by Watson in the final minutes, made only seven of 23 shots and was 0 for 6 from three-point distance.

“Veal was trying to back him up. He was trying everything, but Earl wasn’t going for it,” Davis said.

Overall, the Sun Devils, before Monday the top field-goal shooting team in the league, shot only 38.3% (31 for 81).

After the game, the Bruins conceded that this was without question a game they had to win--and almost didn’t--to stay in the Pac-10 race.

“Oh-and-two ain’t pretty,” Johnson said. “We had to get out of here with the split.”

Which left the biggest question: Will Henderson, who says he has never been bald, keep the hairless look?

“C’mon, man!” freshman Travis Reed shouted to Henderson. “Career-high 31? That’s obvious!”