The Associated Press (Left)Todd Ramasar,
(center) Dan Gadzuric and guard Ray
Young celebrate in the closing seconds of their 79-73
upset over top-ranked Stanford Saturday. UCLA 79
Stanford 73
By Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Staff
PALO ALTO, Calif. “”mdash; The odds couldn’t have been
piled higher against them.
UCLA had just been humiliated by Cal two days earlier, 92-63.
They were facing No. 1 Stanford, which started the season winning
its first 20 games. They were playing at Maples Pavilion, a death
sentence for opposing teams as the Cardinal had crushed its eight
prior visitors by an average of 33 points.
But whenever it seems the Bruins are in a corner pinned against
the ropes, one punch from hitting the canvas, they find a way to
come out swinging from the bootstraps.
The latest knockout came Saturday when UCLA (13-6, 7-2 Pac-10)
dropped No. 1 Stanford (20-1, 8-1) 79-73 in front of a stunned
sell-out crowd at Maples Pavilion.
Buoyed by a career game from usual benchwarmer junior Billy
Knight, the Bruins beat a No. 1 team for the second straight year
in Maples. One year ago, the Bruins stunned the college basketball
world by beating then-No. 1 Stanford 94-93 in overtime.
“We feel like we have a chance against anybody,”
said freshman forward T.J. Cummings, whose team was listed as a
15-point underdog. “We came out here and we showed the world
what we are capable of.”
“Stanford just caught us at a tough time,” UCLA head
coach Steve Lavin said. “Our kids were a little salty (after
the Cal game). They had a hard edge.”
The Bruins also caught Stanford banged up. Sophomore backup
guard Julius Barnes and super sub forward Curtis Borchardt did not
play due to a sprained ankle and injured foot, respectively.
Two other players played at less than 100 percent. Stud freshman
forward Justin Davis played with a sprained ankle while guard Ryan
Mendez played with the flu. Stanford head coach Mike Montgomery
said Mendez had a 102 temperature Friday night and had to take an
IV at halftime.
“I knew coming in what we were up against,”
Montgomery said. “But I also looked at our team and said we
got enough people to get this done. It wasn’t the optimum
situation. It was enough to get it done had we done all the things
we needed to.”
Despite the injuries and illnesses, Stanford looked like it
might take control of the game early in the second half. Boosted by
two three-pointers from forward Casey Jacobsen that sent the
Stanford student section in a frenzy, the Cardinal went on a 10-0
run to take a 53-52 lead with 11:39 left.
Knight, like he did all game, responded for UCLA. With three
seconds left on the shot clock, the much-maligned junior buried a
three to give the Bruins a slim 55-53 lead.
Spearheaded by some tough defense, especially by way of the full
court press, UCLA followed Knight’s big bucket with an 11-2
run.
Watson played a key part in the run. On one Stanford possession
with the Bruins pressing, the senior guard intercepted a Jarron
Collins pass at midcourt and went racing toward the basket. With
Collins on his heels, Watson made an acrobatic reverse layup while
being fouled.
UCLA’s press, which had been non-existent on the road,
forced Stanford into 16 turnovers and was able to set the
fast-paced tempo the Bruins prefer.
“Truth of the matter is they got us going at a pace we
couldn’t play,” Montgomery said. “That’s
what they were trying to do. They had us going pretty quickly,
taking shots running full blast and that’s not what we want
to do.”
While the Cardinal was hurrying its shots, the Bruins played
with unprecedented poise in a hostile environment. UCLA finished
the game shooting 50 percent and a blistering 47 percent from
three-point range, shooting 7 of 15 from downtown.
With Stanford forced to foul with less than two minutes left,
UCLA drilled 5 of 6 free throws to seal the victory.
The monster win comes at a time when Lavin’s coaching seat
in Westwood was reaching scorching levels. Stanford’s student
section hounded the coach the entire game with chants of
“Rick Pit-i-no” in reference to the former Boston
Celtic head coach who had been rumored to be taking over at
UCLA.
Watson said Lavin’s reaction to the chants and rumors is a
reflection of his team.
“We could lose by 30 and come back strong the next day and
beat Stanford,” he said. “Coach Lavin is the same way.
He never shows when he’s pressured or when he’s
stressed. He acts likes there’s nothing wrong with
him.”
There is no doubt Lavin’s team wouldn’t have won on
Saturday without the inspired play from Knight. Not only did he
score a career high 22 points, he played some solid defense on
Jacobsen, Stanford’s leading scorer, holding him to a
horrendous 4 of 18 from the floor.
Roommate Watson saw Knight’s big game coming.
“He probably hit about 10 threes in a row in
yesterday’s scrimmage,” Watson said. “(TV
announcer) Dick Vitale had to tap one of his friends to say,
“˜Did you see this?'”
Knight, who had been averaging 10 minutes a game going into
Saturday, said he was feeling pretty down coming into the game.
“I just prayed to God,” Knight said. “He
lifted my spirits up. My dad helps me out a lot. I just knew I was
going to have a breakout game one game this year. It just happened
to be today.”
Watson, who said he got some extra motivation minutes before the
game when he saw some UCLA students dressed in red sitting in the
Stanford student section, felt the Cardinal might have
underestimated his team.
“All year long people said the best team in L.A. was
USC,” he said. “Lot of people are starting to overlook
us. That’s cool with me as long as we continue to get the
W’s.”