UCLA
Syracuse
Bruins Squeeze Orangemen
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
February 21, 1999
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Everywhere Syracuse went, there was UCLA, sticking hands in faces and swiping at loose balls. Twenty minutes of pressure cracked the Orangemen.
Baron Davis tied his career-high with 27 points and keyed UCLA's second-half, full-court defensive pressure as the 16th-ranked Bruins beat the No. 21 Orangemen 91-69 Sunday.
"We want to play anybody like that," said Davis, who's averaging 22.8 points in his last five games. "When you play fast and all over the floor, that's our type of game."
Syracuse (18-9) has been better on the road with a 6-3 mark, including a victory over Connecticut, than its 9-6 home record. The Orangemen's 2-3 zone proved troublesome in the first half, but the Bruins applied full pressure at the start of the second half.
"We didn't let up. We were relentless defensively the whole game, and I think that was the big payoff," Davis said. "We had no little breakdowns and we just kept the pressure on all day."
The Bruins (19-7), who improved to .500 against ranked teams, used the press to force turnovers in a 10-0 run, giving UCLA a 16-point lead five minutes into the second half. The Orangemen never got within single digits again in the first-ever meeting between the schools.
"This was embarrassing," Syracuse guard Jason Hart said. "We let them have too many easy baskets."
The Bruins shot 59 percent in the second half when they outscored the Orangemen 60-40. They also controlled the boards, 39-30, for the first time in their last seven games.
"We really shared the ball well and played with a high level of intensity for a sustained amount of time," UCLA coach Steve Lavin said. "We seemed quicker to the punch on the press."
Syracuse trailed by six when Davis hit a 3-pointer to launch the decisive spurt. After Matt Barnes had a tipin, Davis scored off a Syracuse turnover and Ryan Blackwell was called for an intentional foul on the play. Davis made one of two free throws and the Bruins got possession.
"When UCLA has all of its parts working, they are a very good club," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Their full-court press caused us a lot of problems."
Moments later, Davis stole a Syracuse pass beyond midcourt and fed Earl Watson for the inside basket and a 53-37 lead.
"This was a big-time game. You've got to bring your best," Davis said. "Everybody is bringing that intensity."
Syracuse stayed with the 2-3 zone that helped the Orangemen build a six-point lead in the first half. Usually the Bruins struggle against a zone, but they found success getting the ball to a player in the middle, usually Davis.
"You can't take away their zone. We just attacked it," Watson said. "This is a sign of us maturing as a team. We want respect going into the (NCAA) tournament and you have to earn that."
Freshman JaRon Rush added a career-high 23 points and played a key role in executing UCLA's press. Freshman Dan Gadzuric, bothered by tendinitis in both knees, broke out of a slump with 12 points and nine rebounds.
"This is one of our best games. We went out there and dominated," Rush said. "We wanted to pick up the tempo and cause some turnovers and steals."
Two Los Angeles natives led Syracuse. Reserve Tony Bland had a career-high 16 points and Hart added 15.
In the first half, the Bruins led by six when Syracuse switched into its zone and scored 12 straight points, including seven by Bland, to take a six-point lead.
UCLA came back and outscored the Orangemen 15-5 over the final 6:31 to lead 33-29 at halftime, with Davis and Ray Young getting five each.
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
