UCLA
Arizona St
Davis Propels Bruins Past Sun Devils, 68-65
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
March 4, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Baron Davis made his video-game fantasy a reality Thursday night and helped 12th-ranked UCLA survive a scare.
Davis hit a 3-pointer with 38.7 seconds remaining as the Bruins edged Arizona State 68-65 Thursday night.
"That's the way I play video games," Davis said. "We were tied in regulation and I kept trying to shoot 3s and put the game away. I always wanted to do that, shoot a 3 with us tied."
Earl Watson scored 21 points and Davis finished with 14 for the Bruins (22-7, 12-5 Pac-10), who beat the Sun Devils (14-15, 6-11) for the 21st straight time.
Eddie House, the conference's second-leading scorer, and Bobby Lazor each scored 16 points for the Sun Devils, who missed three free throws and a pair of 3-point attempts in the final 62 seconds.
"The streak is going to end but we needed a win tonight," said Arizona State coach Rob Evans, whose Sun Devils' NIT hopes may have come to an end.
Lazor's 3-pointer capped a 28-13 run as the Sun Devils overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to take a 59-54 lead with 8:44 remaining.
But the Bruins held Arizona State without a field goal over the next 6:24 and Brandon Loyd finished a 9-0 UCLA run with his third 3-pointer as the Bruins took a 63-59 lead with 3:52 left.
"We frustrated ourselves," said Watson, who added nine points and five assists for the Bruins. "We're the type of team that pretty much is going to beat itself. We just have to stay focused."
The Sun Devils answered again, pulling even at 65-65 on a short jump hook by Mike Batiste and a pair of free throws by Lazor. However, Arizona State missed three straight free throws and a pair of 3-point attempts to set up Davis' game-winner.
"I started celebrating as soon as it released my hand," Davis said. "I knew if I drove that I wouldn't have much success."
The Sun Devils had a final chance to snap their 11-game home losing streak against ranked opponents as House drove the length of the court with four seconds remaining. But his 3-point bank shot at the buzzer bounced off the front rim.
"It's a hard pill to swallow," House said. "I can't put my finger on it. If I could we'd have come out of here with a W. We played as hard as we can. It's hard going out and playing as hard as you can without coming out with a W."
Arizona State, the conference's fifth-best 3-point shooting team, made just 2-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Davis and Watson combined for 12 of UCLA's first 14 points and also keyed the Bruins' full-court press as they took control early in the game.
The Sun Devils, meanwhile, missed seven of their first eight shots and committed four early turnovers as the Bruins took a 15-4 lead with 13:57 left in the first half.
"It (the press) definitely was effective early," Watson said. "They started turning the ball over and we capitalized on the turnovers."
Lohnnie Tape snuck behind UCLA's defense for a dunk and Batiste scored four straight points as the Sun Devils cut the lead to 19-12 midway through the half.
"These guys were a little tentative against the press early but we started attacking it better," said Arizona State coach Rob Evans. "If you don't attack it, teams stay in the press because you're not making them pay for it."
The Bruins extended their lead to 36-26 on Loyd's 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining. But House converted a three-point play and Lazor added a long jumper as the Sun Devils closed the half on a 5-0 run to cut UCLA's lead to 36-31.
