Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 23, 1990 TAG: 9003232040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. LENGTH: Medium
In advancing to the NCAA East basketball final against top-seeded Connecticut, the Blue Devils made 11 straight free throws and 12 of 14 in the final 1:40 to eliminate UCLA 90-81.
Duke (27-8) and Connecticut play at 1:40 Saturday in the Brendan Byrne Arena, from which the Blue Devils have advanced to the Final Four three of the past four years.
Sixteen of the 27 fouls in the first half went against the Blue Devils as officials Jody Sylvester, John Koskinen and Sonny Holmes called every touch - both ways.
The Bruins (22-11) couldn't handle Christian Laettner and Alaa Abdelnaby inside, but the two big men couldn't do much when they were seated on the bench.
Laettner, who had 16 points and nine rebounds in the first half, got his fourth personal with 15:04 left, and Abdelnaby picked up his fourth nine seconds later.
After that, Duke had to use a zone or seldom-seen Crawford Palmer. Nothing much helped, as the aggressive Bruins cut into a nine-point halftime deficit.
Mostly, UCLA scored at the free-throw line or on rebound baskets - six of them - after missed free throws. Duke's inability to play strong inside because of the foul trouble allowed the Bruins to operate at close range.
When UCLA took the lead at 68-67, the only time it was in front since very early, the sellout crowd of 19,502 was thinking upset.
However, Duke's poise and the outside shooting of Phil Henderson kept the Blue Devils alive until the last minutes, when they used a season-long weapon, free throws, to cement the victory.
Henderson missed badly on his first four shots and was just 4-of-13 at halftime, but he kept plugging.
The UCLA zone stifled Duke's inside attack, with Laettner and Abdelnaby unable to get the ball. So it was left to Henderson from long range.
He hit four 3-pointers, the last giving Duke the lead for good at 70-68, and finished the game with 28 points.
Then Duke, the best free-throw shooting team left in the tournament, did its thing under pressure.
Five different players contributed to the 11 straight conversions until Robert Brickey missed the back end of a one-and-one. By that time, Duke was ahead 87-78 and assured of its seventh straight NCAA win in this building. Overall, the Blue Devils are 10-1 here.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn't complaining about the officiating - "We weren't disciplined," he said - and neither were his players. But there was no question it was a major factor.
It was Krzyzewski's decision to put Laettner back in the game with 13 minutes left that made a big difference.
"I thought we were losing the game," he said. "They had taken control and we were in disarray. Christian is the most disciplined of our inside people and I felt confident he wouldn't foul."
Laettner said three of his fouls were reach-ins, "the stupid kind."
"The rest of the game, after I came back in, I kept my hands up and they couldn't call a foul," he said.
Laettner, who slumped last weekend with 1-of-11 shooting, finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds. But it was Henderson's outside sniping that gave Duke the necessary edge.
The UCLA zone might have shut off the big guys, but it left Henderson free. "They weren't really open shots," he said. "They were quick shots after good ball rotation.
"It wasn't that I thought it was up to me. The shots just were available."
UCLA MinFGFTRebAPFPts Wilson 395-186-1063516 MacLean 369-173-5150321 Murray 356-120-290315 Madkins 305-65-826417 Martin 341-92-23824 Butler 161-44-45146 Owens 20-00-00010 Mason 10-10-00010 Walker 71-20-11012 Team 6 Totals 20028-6920-3247182481\ DUKE MinFGFTRebAPFPts Brickey 333-81-33337 Laettner 328-128-8140424 Abdelnaby 205-74-571414 Henderson 3810-222-252328 Hurley 363-65-649312 McCaffrey 120-43-41203 Koubek 40-10-01030 Davis 121-10-00132 Hill 110-30-01020 Palmer 20-00-00100 Team 6 Totals 20030-6423-2842192590 UCLA 38-43-81 Duke 47-43-90
Three-point goals-UCLA 5-14 (Murray 3-5, Madkins 2-3, Butler 0-1, Wilson 0-1, Martin 0-4), Duke 7-16 (Henderson 6-11, Hurley 1-4, Hill 0-1). A-19,502. Texas drubs Xavier. C2
by CNB