Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 4, 1995 TAG: 9504050045
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SEATTLE LENGTH: Long
Top-ranked UCLA won its first national title in 20 years and kept the Razorbacks from repeating Monday night with an 89-78 victory that was even more impressive because injured Tyus Edney barely played.
The Bruins won their record 11th NCAA title before a Kingdome crowd that included John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood who guided UCLA to 10 titles in 12 years before retiring in 1975.
Ed O'Bannon stepped up as he was supposed to, but so did freshman Toby Bailey and Cameron Dollar, who replaced Edney when Edney's sprained right wrist forced him to the sideline after 21/2 minutes.
``I'm very proud,'' Wooden said. ``To be honest, I didn't think they could win it without Edney. He makes that team run. But Bailey and Dollar played wonderfully. Dollar didn't score many points, but his defense was superb.''
As UCLA received the championship trophy, O'Bannon, who was voted the outstanding player in the tournament, turned to the Bruins' fans in the stands, pointed at Edney and shouted: ``This is the real MVP right here. He got us here.''
The UCLA fans then started chanting, ``Tyus! Tyus! Tyus!''
For Arkansas, it was the end of a tournament run of close finishes and it ended one game short of becoming the second repeat champion since Wooden's Bruins won seven in a row, ending in 1973.
The Razorbacks had come to rely on their great defense and great player, Corliss Williamson, in the second half, but neither was there against UCLA.
``Our basketball team looked like we were playing in mud most of the night. It reminded me of the first ballgame against UMass where we weren't as active as we'd been,'' Razorbacks coach Nolan Richardson said referring to the season-opening 104-80 loss. ``The only way I could have totally been happy was to win the national championship and it's the same way I think our kids feel.''
O'Bannon scored 30 points and had 17 rebounds in a game that certified his All-America credentials. Bailey, who had struggled to a 1-for-2, two-point outing in a semifinal, finished with 26 points and nine rebounds. And Dollar, the backup point guard who played in the shadow of Edney, came up with eight assists.
``I owe a lot to Tyus,'' Dollar said. ``The two years we've been together, he taught me a lot, and I was able to apply it tonight.''
Edney had been UCLA's sparkplug during the tournament and beat Missouri in the second round with a length-of-the-court drive and basket in the final seconds.
``I think he had the best tournament of any player of the 64 teams up until tonight,'' UCLA coach Jim Harrick said of Edney. ``But what a gutty performance by the rest of the guys. They sucked it up and played hard.''
``It was a bad feeling knowing I couldn't play, but I had confidence in my guys,'' Edney said. ``They've played without me before. I knew they could do it.''
Williamson, who was 9-for-12 in the second half of the semifinal victory over North Carolina, finished 3-for-16 from the field against the Bruins, including a 1-for-10 effort in the second half. Williamson was stymied by 7-foot UCLA center George Zidek.
``I just played as tough as I could,'' said Zidek, who is from Prague in the Czech Republic. ``I tried to move my feet. I did it, but I don't know how I did it, but I shut him down.''
Williamson had been crying and still was emotional at the postgame news conference.
``I got too caught up into the physical play, trying to go inside,'' said the MVP of last year's Final Four. ``[Zidek] was bumping and I wanted to go in and I guess bump back and shoot over him. Today, I tried to play a power game instead of an all-around game.''
Instead of the Razorbacks swarming on defense as they had all tournament in the latter stages of the game, it was the Bruins who managed to hold Arkansas without a field goal for a 4:47 stretch that ended with Williamson's first basket of the second half, with 2:25 to play.
That made it 77-68 and the Razorbacks were out of the last-minute miracles they had managed in the early rounds.
The Bruins built a 65-53 lead with 11:27 left on a rebound basket by Bailey. Arkansas managed to pull to 67-64 on a free throw by Williamson with 5:22 left, but O'Bannon hit a jump hook, Bailey scored on yet another rebound and O'Bannon and Dollar each made two free throws and Bailey scored again and the lead was back to 12 with 3:13 left.
Clint McDaniel led Arkansas with 16 points, while Willamson had 12 and Scotty Thurman, the hero of last year's title victory over Duke with a last-minute 3-pointer, had five points on 2-for-9 shooting.
``I don't think it was the way they attacked our press, I think it was the way they finished against it,'' Thurman said. ``They did wear down, but I think we wore down also.''
UCLA extended its lead with the title, leaving Kentucky and Indiana second on the list with five each. The Bruins are 11-1 in championship games and this was their first without Wooden in front of the bench, rolled-up program in hand.
Arkansas was trying to join Duke in 1991 and 1992 as the only repeat champions since UCLA's streak ended. There have been five other repeaters, Oklahoma State in 1945-46, Kentucky in 1948-49, San Francisco in 1955-56, Cincinnati in 1961-62 and UCLA in 1964-65.
The victory was the 19th in a row for UCLA, while the Razorbacks closed the season by winning 15 of 17.
Edney started the game but played only 2:37 and never returned. His only statistic was one turnover as he looked tentative and rarely let the ball even touch his right hand. Edney had been so impressive in a penetrating performance against Oklahoma State in the semifinal round where he scored 21 points and added five assists.
``Right before he warmed up, I knew he couldn't play,'' Harrick said. ``I started him, but I knew he couldn't play.''
A frantic opening four minutes had the Razorbacks up 16-10, but the pace came to a standstill for about three minutes. Bailey hit a 3-pointer and jumper in the lane to cap a 7-0 run that gave the Bruins a 34-26 lead.
The final minute of the first half was a lot like the start, with four lead changes in that span. Freshman J.R. Henderson's layup with 10 seconds left gave UCLA the 40-39 halftime lead.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB