UCLA needs overtime to beat Stanford

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford had taken control early, had withstood run after run in the second half and was just 5½ minutes from keeping its Pac-10 title hopes alive.

But No. 3 UCLA overcame an 11-point deficit in those final 5½ minutes, needed two free throws in the closing seconds to force overtime and then prevailed, 77-67, on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

The victory clinched UCLA's third consecutive conference title and 30th overall.

The Bruins took the lead for good on Darren Collison's putback with 1:58 to go.

For Stanford, it was a bitter finish to what was shaping up to be a magical night. The Cardinal had held the Bruins to 18 first-half points and led virtually the entire game. But down the stretch, the Bruins played like champions and No. 7 Stanford had no response for the first time all night.

The Cardinal had to know the run was coming, that the Bruins weren't going to lose their grip on the conference title without a fight.

When UCLA pulled to within 38-34 on Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's layup, the crowd was roaring and Stanford was calling a timeout.

Stanford had a response to every UCLA surge, and it did again this time. Brook Lopez hit a 15-foot baseline jumper, Mitch Johnson drilled a three-pointer and the lead was back to nine.

It was that way throughout the second half.

The Bruins cut the deficit to 45-43 on Collison's three-point play with 9:50 to go. But Stanford counterpunched again, going on an 11-2 run to make it 56-45 with 5:32 left.

Even that wasn't enough to put the Bruins away, however. They closed to within 56-53 on a pair of Kevin Love free throws with 3:17 left. Love's putback with 1:45 remaining again brought UCLA to within three points.

Taj Finger's 17-foot bank shot from the top of the key made it 60-55 with 1:08 to play, but the Bruins scored the next four points to pull to within one.

When Brook Lopez made only 1 of 2 free throws with 22 seconds left, Russell Westbrook was fouled during a scramble for the rebound. He sank both free throws to tie the score 61-61 with 20.5 seconds left.

Stanford went back on top when Lawrence Hill drove for a layup with seven seconds on the clock. But that was enough time for Collison to pull off his magic, with help from the officials. Hill was called for a foul as Collison drove to the basket from the left baseline. The conference's leading free-throw shooter hit two to send the game into overtime.

Just like the game in January against UCLA, the Cardinal got off to a terrific start. Robin Lopez buried a baseline jumper with Love in his face, Brook Lopez drove through the lane for a layup and Robin Lopez scored again on a putback. The Cardinal led 8-2, forcing Bruins Coach Ben Howland to call a timeout.

Howland did the same thing against Stanford two months ago, and it worked out pretty worked well. It didn't have the same impact Thursday.

The Cardinal widened its lead to 17-6 when Goods nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key, his seventh point in the first seven minutes. But the Bruins gradually started playing better defense, swarming Brook Lopez every time he touched the ball, which caused the big man to rush shots and turn over the ball four times in the opening half.

At the other end, however, Stanford was even more effective shutting down a Bruins team that came in averaging 74.1 points per game. It took two free throws and Collison's breakaway dunk in the final two minutes to give UCLA 18 points at halftime.