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UCLA breaks 20-year title drought

By TOM WITHERS

SEATTLE, April 3 -- After 20 tortuous seasons, the UCLA Bruins once again are kings of college basketball. Ed O'Bannon posted 30 points and 17 rebounds as the Bruins claimed their 11th national title -- and first since 1975 -- Monday night with an 89-78 victory over defending champion Arkansas. With legendary coach John Wooden watching from the stands and injured point guard Tyus Edney from the bench, UCLA (31-2) bridged the gap to its rich past with a total team effort straight out of the Wooden Era. Freshman Toby Bailey added 26 points and 9 rebounds as UCLA, appearing in its first NCAA title game since 1980, outrebounded the Razorbacks 49-31. Arkansas (32-7) failed in its attempt to become the fourth school in NCAA history to win consecutive titles. Clint McDaniel led the Razorbacks with 16 points. Corliss Williamson, last season's Final Four Most Outstanding Player, scored just 12 points on 3-for-16 shooting. After hitting two field goals in the opening four minutes, he did not score from the floor again until 2 minutes were left. Scotty Thurman, averaging 15.7 points per game for the Razorbacks, scored only 5 Monday night. As a team, Arkansas made just 10 of 28 three-pointers. O'Bannon, a unanimous All-America selection, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.2 points and 9.0 rebounds throughout the NCAAs. Upon accepting his award, he turned to the Kingdome crowd and, pointing at Edney, said: 'Here's your MVP right here.' Edney spent the final 38 minutes watching from the bench after his sprained right wrist did not allow him to dribble comfortably.

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Entering Monday night's game, he had only committed nine turnovers in five NCAA contests. With O'Bannon and Bailey doing most of the damage, the Bruins were able to open up a 12-point lead midway through the second half. Arkansas chipped away and pulled within 69-65 with 4:41 left when Williamson made the second of two free throws. Bailey dunkedhome an O'Bannon miss to ignite an 8-0 burst that pushed UCLA's advantage to 77-65 with 3:16 left. Forced to shoot three-pointers, the Razorbacks continued to misfire from the perimeter. After O'Bannon made two free throws at the 2:03 mark, Alex Dillard drilled a three-pointer to give Arkansas new life at 79-71 with 1:54 left. But after Bailey scored on a drive, Charles O'Bannon got free for a dunk for an 83-71 advantage with 1:22 remaining. With the Bruins' bench beginning to celebrate, Wooden calmly got up from his Kingdome seat and left the arena. The winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history missed two more free throws by Ed O'Bannon, a layup by Cameron Dollar and a thunderous dunk by Ed O'Bannon to punctuate the Bruins' triumph. UCLA coach Jim Harrick, who like his predecessors at the school has lived beneath the shadow of the Wooden legacy, hugged his assistants as the final seconds ticked down. Following the postgame award ceremony, Harrick was the last to climb the ladder under UCLA's basket to snip the championship-game net. 'This is the greatest feeling. This is what you dream about when you step on a court, no matter if you're coaching or playing,' said Harrick, who began his coaching career at a junior high in the Los Angeles area. (1stadd stands)

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Cameron Dollar, who ran the UCLA offense with Edney on the bench, posted six points, eight assists, four steal and only three turnovers in 36 minutes. George Zidek added 14 points and played suffocating defense on Williamson most of the night. 'They did a great job on Corliss,' Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson said. 'We didn't shoot the ball from outside very well. You've got to congratulate Coach Harrick and his ballclub. They just played lights out.' The Bruins piled up 21 offensive rebounds on the night, including at least five putbacks over the taller Razorbacks in the second half alone. Dwight Stewart added 12 points for Arkansas. Consecutive baskets by Bailey -- the second coming on a putback of his own miss -- gave UCLA a 65-53 with 11:26 remaining and placed the Razorbacks in the same situation as in the '94 title game when they trailed Duke by double digits in the second half. And, just like last year, Arkansas responded to the challenge. The Razorbacks ripped off a 10-2 run, capped by Beck's three-pointer from the top of the key, to make the score 67-63 with 7:12 left. The Bruins, now looking fatigued, turned it over against the press but Arkansas couldn't convert on three straight trips, with Williamson missing twice and Thurman rimming out a three-pointer. Ed O'Bannon finally broke the scoreless duel with an inside basket. Thurman's three-pointer, his first points of the game, at the 16:45 mark of the second half brought the Razorbacks within 48-45 and seemed to fire up Arkansas. However, it was the Bruins who seemed to have more quickness and desire. After Dollar hit two free throws, Ed O'Bannon grabbed a rebound underneath and completed a three-point play to put UCLA ahead 53-45. On Arkansas' next trip, O'Bannon grabbed a long rebound and rifled a baseball pass to Bailey for a reverse dunk, extending the Bruins' lead to 55-45 and bringing the UCLA fans to their feet. Edney had hoped his sprained right wrist would be healed enough to play Monday night, but struggled with his dribble and played only 2 minutes. The 5-foot-10 point guard hurt his wrist in the first half of Saturday's semifinal win over Oklahoma State. He skipped Sunday's practice and press conferences to receive treatment. Edney came out for pregame warmups after his teammates had already taken the floor with his wrist taped, but appeared to have difficulty shooting. He did start as promised, but was forced to the bench at the 17:23 mark and did not play again. After he was taken out, an upset Edney was consoled by teammates and coaches on the Bruins' bench. He continually tried flexing his wrist on the bench, but had problems even clapping for his teammates. With Edney out, Dollar assumed the ballhandling duties against the Razorbacks' full-court pressure. Ed O'Bannon also stepped up, tallying 15 points as UCLA led 40-39 at halftime. With Richardson electing not to press, the Bruins built a 34-26 lead with 4:04 left in the half on Bailey's bank shot in the lane. But after a timeout, the Razorbacks again applied their traps. McDaniel hit consecutive three-pointers and, after a steal, he made an uncontested layup to cap an 11-4 run that gave the Razorbacks a 37-36 edge with 1:12 left in the half. Ed O'Bannon and freshman J.R. Henderson sandwiched baskets around an Arkansas bucket to give the Bruins' their one-point lead at the break. UCLA outrebounded Arkansas 21-14 in the half and held Williamson to just five points.

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O'Bannon, a unanimous All-America selection, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 19.2 points and 9.0 rebounds throughout the NCAAs. Upon accepting his award, he turned to the Kingdome crowd and, pointing at Edney, said: 'Here's your MVP right here.' Edney, UCLA's dazzling point guard, spent the final 38 minutes watching from the bench after his sprained right wrist did not allow him to dribble comfortably. Entering Monday night's game, he had only committed nine turnovers in five NCAA contests. With O'Bannon and Bailey doing most of the damage, the Bruins were able to open up a 12-point lead midway through the second half. Arkansas chipped away and pulled within 69-65 with 4:41 left when Williamson made the second of two free throws. Bailey dunked home an O'Bannon miss to ignite an 8-0 burst that pushed UCLA's advantage to 77-65 with 3:16 left. Forced to shoot three-pointers, the Razorbacks continued to misfire from the perimeter. After O'Bannon made two free throws at the 2:03 mark, Alex Dillard drilled a three-pointer to give Arkansas new life at 79-71 with 1:54 left. But after Bailey scored on a drive, Charles O'Bannon got free for a dunk for an 83-71 advantage with 1:22 remaining. With the Bruins' bench beginning to celebrate, Wooden calmly got up from his Kingdome seat and left the arena. The winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history missed two more free throws by Ed O'Bannon, a layup by Cameron Dollar and a thunderous dunk by Ed O'Bannon to punctuate the Bruins' triumph. (more)

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UCLA coach Jim Harrick, who like his predecessors at the school has lived beneath the shadow of the Wooden legacy, hugged his assistants as the final seconds ticked down. Following the postgame award ceremony, Harrick was the last to climb the ladder under UCLA's basket to snip the championship-game net. 'This is the greatest feeling. This is what you dream about when you step on a court, no matter if you're coaching or playing,' said Harrick, who began his coaching career at a junior high in the Los Angeles area. Cameron Dollar, who ran the UCLA offense with Edney on the bench, posted six points, eight assists, four steal and only three turnovers in 36 minutes. George Zidek added 14 points and played suffocating defense on Williamson most of the night. The Bruins piled up 21 offensive rebounds on the night, including at least five putbacks over the taller Razorbacks in the second half alone. Dwight Stewart added 12 points for the Razorbacks. 'They did a great job on Corliss,' Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson said. 'We didn't shoot the ball from outside very well. You've got to congratulate Coach Harrick and his ballclub. They just played lights out.' (more)

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Consecutive baskets by Bailey -- the second coming on a putback of his own miss -- gave UCLA a 65-53 with 11:26 remaining and placed the Razorbacks in the same situation as in the '94 title game when they trailed Duke by double digits in the second half. And, just like last year, Arkansas responded to the challenge. The Razorbacks ripped off a 10-2 run, capped by Beck's three-pointer from the top of the key, to make the score 67-63 with 7:12 left. The Bruins, now looking fatigued, turned it over against the press but Arkansas couldn't convert on three straight trips, with Williamson missing twice and Thurman rimming out a three-pointer. Ed O'Bannon finally broke the scoreless duel with an inside basket. Thurman's three-pointer, his first points of the game, at the 16:45 mark of the second half brought the Razorbacks within 48-45 and seemed to fire up Arkansas. However, it was the Bruins who seemed to have more quickness and desire. After Dollar hit two free throws, Ed O'Bannon grabbed a rebound underneath and completed a three-point play to put UCLA ahead 53-45. On Arkansas' next trip, O'Bannon grabbed a long rebound and rifled a baseball pass to Bailey for a reverse dunk, extending the Bruins' lead to 55-45 and bringing the UCLA fans to their feet. (more)

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Edney had hoped his sprained right wrist would be healed enough to play Monday night, but struggled with his dribble and played only 2 minutes. The 5-foot-10 point guard hurt his wrist in the first half of Saturday's semifinal win over Oklahoma State. He skipped Sunday's practice and press conferences to receive treatment. Edney came out for pregame warmups after his teammates had already taken the floor with his wrist taped, but appeared to have difficulty shooting. He did start as promised, but was forced to the bench at the 17:23 mark and did not play again. After he was taken out, an upset Edney was consoled by teammates and coaches on the Bruins' bench. He continually tried flexing his wrist on the bench, but had problems even clapping for his teammates. With Edney out, Dollar assumed the ballhandling duties against the Razorbacks' full-court pressure. Ed O'Bannon also stepped up, tallying 15 points as UCLA led 40-39 at halftime. With Richardson electing not to press, the Bruins built a 34-26 lead with 4:04 left in the half on Bailey's bank shot in the lane. But after a timeout, the Razorbacks again applied their traps. McDaniel hit consecutive three-pointers and, after a steal, he made an uncontested layup to cap an 11-4 run that gave the Razorbacks a 37-36 edge with 1:12 left in the half. Ed O'Bannon and freshman J.R. Henderson sandwiched baskets around an Arkansas bucket to give the Bruins' their one-point lead at the break. UCLA outrebounded Arkansas 21-14 in the half and held Williamson to just five points.

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