THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503260374
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER WEST NOTES
DATELINE: OAKLAND, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
When Connecticut's Doron Sheffer hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left in the first half of the West Regional final, UCLA's Charles O'Bannon inexplicably called time with 3.6 seconds left.
``I was a little bit upset at Charles O'Bannon for using one of our timeouts like that,'' UCLA coach Jim Harrick said.
But after the timeout, Tyus Edney got the inbounds pass and raced upcourt, much as he did last week in the game-winning play against Missouri. This time, instead of driving the lane, he pulled up and dropped in a 25-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer.
``I said, `That was a great call, Charles,' '' Harrick smiled.
Instead of going into the locker room down, 45-41, the Huskies trailed by seven at the break.
``It makes the hill a little bit higher,'' UConn coach Jim Calhoun said.
``That might have stayed with them a little bit at halftime,'' Edney said.
KODAK MOMENT: After UCLA's victory, All-American Ed O'Bannon went up to clip down a piece of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum net and lugged his camcorder up the ladder with him to record the moment. Asked how it looked through the viewfinder, O'Bannon replied: ``It was the best view I've ever had.''
CRUCIAL MOMENTS: UCLA was in command most of the game, leading for the final 33 1/2 minutes. But there were two fleeting moments in the second half when UConn seemed to have a chance.
With 16:08 left, Connecticut got four shots on one possession, and the final one by Travis Knight cut the deficit to 56-53. UCLA cranked up its transition game and went on an 11-2 run over the next two minutes.
UConn came back, cutting the 12-point margin down to 69-65 with 12:10 to play. Once again, the Bruins got their break going - including a pair of dunks by Toby Bailey - to peel off a 13-3 run.
``We couldn't afford at any time against this team to have any type of emotional letdown,'' Calhoun said.
BAILEY'S DAY: Bailey deferred to the seniors repeatedly in postgame interviews, saying he was just happy to contribute to their team. But the 6-foot-5 freshman guard with explosive leaping ability showed with his career-high 26 points and nine rebounds - both team highs - that the Bruins may be his team for years to come.
``I wasn't even thinking about scoring tonight,'' Bailey said. ``That's when I'm at my best, when I just get lost in the game.''
TIP-INS: UCLA returns to the Final Four for an NCAA-record 15th time . . . following Arizona's appearance last season. The last time two different Pac-10 schools reached the Final Four in back-to-back years was 1963 (Oregon State) and 1964 (UCLA). by CNB