Davis Is Mr. Big Shot Again

Forty seconds left. Score tied. On the road. As the selection committee is meeting to determine pairings and seedings for the tournament that starts a week later.

Any doubt who is going to take the shot for UCLA?

“No,” Baron Davis answered without hesitation. “It’s me. It’s me.”

It has been him all along and it was again Thursday night, when Davis made a three-point shot with 38.7 seconds remaining that turned a potential Bruin disaster into a 68-65 victory over Arizona State before 9,007 at Wells Fargo Arena.

No. 12 UCLA survived three Arizona State three-point shots that could have forced the second overtime game between the teams, following the Jan. 4 Pacific 10 opener. The last was a 25-foot straight-away banking runner by Eddie House just before the buzzer that went too hard off the glass to the front of the rim.

UCLA survived, period.

The Bruins, keeping alive their well-earned reputation as a team that struggles against zones, committed 24 turnovers, shot 36.1% in the first half and 40% in all.

The Bruins, keeping alive the mini-showdown Saturday afternoon against Arizona in Tucson for second place in the conference, had to come back from a 59-54 deficit with 8 1/2 minutes left just to be in position for Davis’ heroics.

UCLA (22-7 overall, 12-5 in the Pac-10) used an 11-2 rally to take a 65-61 lead with 3:14 remaining, only to falter again when Davis was called for a five-second violation and Kenny Crandall stole the ball from Brandon Loyd. Arizona State capitalized to gain another tie, at 65-65 with 1:53 left.

But the Sun Devils missed opportunities to move ahead. Crandall, after having made 18 of his previous 19 tries from the line, missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:21 showing.

Thirty-three seconds later, as Arizona State moved into the double bonus, Alton Mason missed both free throws.

It was Davis’ turn.

He had broken a 77-77 tie and beaten Oregon a month earlier at Pauley Pavilion on a 15-footer at the buzzer, but this, Davis said, was the first chance as a Bruin to win a game with a three-pointer, something he had been wanting to do.

“I feel comfortable shooting the three,” he said. “And I think that’s what people don’t expect from me.”

No wonder. Davis, though spectacular during conference play, has never been regarded as much of a threat from behind the line. He came into this game fifth on the team at 32.1%, and that didn’t count Rico Hines, out much of the season because of a foot injury.

When the opportunity came in a 65-65 game, when a loss would have set up a very real possibility of an 0-2 trip to end the regular season and a future as a sixth-seeded team in the tournament, Davis did not miss the chance.

“I started celebrating as soon as it was released from my hand,” he said.

The 21-footer from the right side provided the three-point lead, and the margin against the final Arizona State assault.

“It is the same old story,” Coach Rob Evans said after the Sun Devils fell to 14-15, 6-11 in the Pac-10. “We can’t fault the kids’ effort. We’re really disappointed in the loss. They had big-time players step up and make big-time plays.”

Most obviously Davis. But there were others who were at least big-time for the night.

Loyd, feeling sick the last couple of days, made three of six three-pointers, two games after making four of seven against Washington State. Jerome Moiso, in the starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 4, had a game-high 10 rebounds, his biggest output since Jan. 25.

The defense combined to hold House, second in the conference in scoring at 19.5 points a game, to 16 on six-of-17 shooting. This came as Bobby Lazor went six of 14 and Mike Batiste six of 15.

“That’s what our goal was,” UCLA Coach Steve Lavin said. “At least make them earn their points and make some other guys on their team beat us.”

Bibby Livid

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Two Big Surprises

After poor seasons, Illinois and Michigan score upsets in the Big Ten tournament. Page 6