University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
California
Davis Leads No. 10 Bruins Past Golden Bears
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
January 14, 1999
LOS ANGELES - UCLA coach Steve Lavin looks for any little sign to tell him the young Bruins are maturing.
They got his attention by playing tenacious defense in a 72-61 victory over California on Thursday night. It was the 10th win in 11 games for the 10th-ranked Bruins (12-3, 4-1 Pac-10).
"Our guys had their best defensive effort," Lavin said. "With a young team, things like that are kind of milestones."
Baron Davis and Earl Watson keyed the defense that forced Cal (10-4, 1-3) into 21 turnovers, including 17 in the first half. The Golden Bears had been averaging 14.
Davis scored 19 points playing most of the second half with three fouls. Watson added 17 points despite four fouls. Watson held Cal's Geno Carlisle scoreless in the first half.
"We improved a lot defensively. It's us just growing and jelling as a team," Davis said.
"Before the game, Earl was real focused. He basically shut Geno down by himself. I think he really took that as a personal challenge to show people that we can play, too," he said.
The Bears, who won four of their previous six games at Pauley Pavilion, played ragged from the start despite an experience advantage from starting four seniors and a junior. The Bruins start sophomores Davis and Watson and three freshmen.
"We came out flat and without intensity and the scoreboard reflected that," Cal's Sean Lampley said.
Cal guards Carlisle and Thomas Kilgore, who came in with a combined average of 31.1 points, never got untracked. Carlisle finished with 14 and Kilgore had 12 as the Bears shot 37 percent.
"Do not leave him for one second, get up in him, deny him the ball as much as possible," Watson said of his strategy against Carlisle.
Coach Ben Braun kept the locker room closed for 30 minutes after the game to address the Bears, who upset North Carolina last month but have lost three of their last four.
"Our team is disappointed and they should be. I'm not going to rescue them," Braun said. "We're going to continue to commit ourselves. The motivation has to come from inside. The coaches can't motivate."
Davis picked up his third foul with 14:40 remaining and UCLA ahead 40-34. Minutes earlier, Watson and JaRon Rush committed their third fouls.
Davis stayed in and scored five straight points to give UCLA its largest lead of the game, 52-38, with 11:18 to play.
With Carlisle and Kilgore struggling, Michael Gill and Francisco Elson picked up the Bears, combining for nine straight points to close to 54-47.
The Bears got within five points with 6:16 left, but Jerome Moiso hit a left-handed hook, Dan Gadzuric made a free throw and Rush converted an airball by Davis to extend UCLA's lead to 61-51. Gadzuric had 13 rebounds.
Carlisle and Kilgore hit four straight free throws to draw Cal within six. Davis singlehandedly answered for the Bruins, scoring four straight, including a layup with three seconds left on the shot clock, to keep them ahead 65-55.
"That's what we were trying to do, just establish ourselves for our team and try and outplay the guards," said Davis, who played with the flu and sore knees. "In the Pac-10 Conference, the guards are the ones that make the team go, so for me and Earl to come out defensively and disrupt the whole guard offense really helps our team."
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
