The Associated Press UCLA’s Jason
Kapono, right, attempts to pass around Kentucky’s
Jason Parker, left, during the first half of their
game in the Coaches vs Cancer IKON Classic at Madison Square Garden
in New York Friday, Nov. 10, 2000. Kansas
99
UCLA 98
UCLA 97 Kentucky 92 (OT)
By AJ Cadman
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
MANHATTAN, NY “”mdash; When two teams with as much tradition as
UCLA and Kentucky get together under the national spotlight, one
would expect it to be more than a meaningless game.
The Wildcats and Bruins have 18 national championships between
them. Their paths crossed in the 1975 title game as UCLA head coach
John Wooden captured his 10th and final NCAA Championship with a
92-85 victory over Kentucky. And on Friday night, both teams faced
the reality that the loser of the 2000 IKON Coaches vs. Cancer
Classic consolation game at Madison Square Garden would go home
with an 0-2 record.
But UCLA sophomore Jason Kapono’s 21 points on 5-of-7
shooting from beyond the three-point arc ignited the Bruins (1-1)
to a 97-92 triumph over the Wildcats (0-2) for third place in the
New York City tournament.
“This was a great learning experience for our team,”
UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said after Friday’s win.
“We learned a lot about our basketball team the past two
days. I am really proud of our kids and the way they stepped up and
battled back from a tough loss last night. They picked up their
poise and composure to get the win tonight.”
Senior co-captain and all-tournament selection Earl Watson and
junior shooting guard Ray Young added 20 points apiece, while
junior center Dan Gadzuric put together 16 points and 14 rebounds
for UCLA.
Kentucky sophomore guard Keith Bogans, also named to the
All-Tournament team, led all scorers with 25 points, including a
6-of-8 clip from beyond the arc.
“We went up against top-level competition the last two
days,” Watson said. “Of course you want to go 2-0, but
we are happy at 1-1 and can use this to build from here.”
UCLA looked to establish its inside presence early, with
Gadzuric opening the scoring just 18 seconds into the contest with
a turnaround bank conversion against Kentucky center Marvin
Stone.
But the two teams knew what was on the line, engaging in a
seesaw battle all evening.
Midway through the first period, Gadzuric grabbed a rebound off
a Bruin miss and got fouled on the putback. Completing the
three-point play, UCLA held a 20-13 advantage with 10:40 to go in
the opening frame.
Kentucky responded with a 16-5 run, sparked by a three-point
goal and fast break layin from Wildcats forward Tayshaun Prince.
Not to be outdone and trailing 29-25, Kapono and Watson began to
attack Kentucky’s weak perimeter defense. Two Kapono free
throws gave the Bruins a 42-41 advantage at halftime.
“We had problems with transition defense, which allowed
UCLA to get the momentum,” Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith
said.
After the intermission, consecutive long-range bombs from
Kentucky point guard Saul Smith and Bogans put the Wildcats up
47-42. Bogans hit four three-pointers in the second half, while
Kapono and Young combined for three field goals from downtown.
With the Bruins trailing 61-59 midway through the second half,
Young went to work challenging Bogans’ defense. His
fast-break layup, circus rebound and putback put UCLA back on top
by two at 63-61.
“When we went to our 1-3-1 offense with a runner in
overtime, we were able to overload the baseline and get some good
looks, especially with Ray Young’s critical three pointer in
the corner in overtime,” Lavin said.
Watson continued to penetrate the Wildcat defense. Double
clutching in the key opened up opportunities outside for the Bruin
guards. But with 6:37 remaining and UCLA up 76-70, Kapono fouled
out of the ballgame, picking up four fouls in three minutes.
Kentucky went 7-of-10 on free throws to tie the score at 77 and
send the game into overtime. The Wildcats scored the first three
points in the extra frame, but then UCLA scored 11 unanswered
points, including a crucial three-pointer out of the left corner by
Young. The Bruins seized the momentum and the game, winning
97-92.
“It was a total team effort,” Young said. “We
kept our heads up. Coach Lavin has us run a lot of 17s in practice.
We definitely had a bounce to our step in the overtime and seemed
more fresh than Kentucky.”
“¢bull;Â “¢bull;Â “¢bull;
On Thursday night, all five Kansas starters scored in double
figures, led by tournament MVP Kenny Gregory’s 24 points, as
UCLA fell 99-98 to the Jayhawks in the tipoff game of the college
basketball season.
Bruin freshman forward TJ Cummings scored 24 points, the most
ever by a UCLA true freshman in his debut game. Kapono had 22
points on 6-of-9 shooting from downtown and Watson added 21 points
and eight rebounds in the loss.