BRUINS USE THEIR ESCAPE CLAWS; BAILEY'S 3-POINTER SETS THE TRAP AS BEARS NEARLY STEAL ONE : UCLA 74 CAL 73.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

It was not the shot they wanted, but that hardly mattered to Toby Bailey, whose reputation for clutch baskets was built on plays such as this.

With 53 seconds left, the shot clock expiring and Cal guard Geno Carlisle hounding his every move, Bailey drained a 3-point basket from the right wing that propelled UCLA to a 74-73 victory over the Bears on Thursday night.

Bailey's shot gave the Bruins a 70-68 lead, and UCLA's defense took over from there, stopping Cal on three crucial possessions in the final seconds to preserve the win.

J.R. Henderson led UCLA with 25 points. Kris Johnson added 23.

The Bruins made one basket in the final nine minutes of the first half, turning a six-point lead into a 32-25 halftime deficit. They did not regain the lead until three minutes remained, then outscored the Bears 12-3 down the stretch.

UCLA's mission this weekend is to keep pace with Arizona, which pounded Arizona State on Thursday night and is 5-0 in league play, including a victory over the Bruins.

Technically, one victory in the Bay Area would have been enough to shadow Arizona. But when the Bruins left L.A. on Wednesday evening - weather in San Francisco turned a 65-minute flight into 2-1/2 hours - they were thinking sweep.

``In my opinion, it's going to take 17 (victories) to win the league,'' Johnson said. ``Arizona is too good, and Stanford's right there. I don't foresee any major upsets in Tucson. I don't think they'll lose there.''

Assuming the Wildcats protect their homecourt, and factoring their victory in Seattle, only four chances for a road loss seem reasonable: UCLA, ASU, Cal and Stanford.

That's why the Bruins have one eye on their schedule, and one on Arizona's.

``The league is just so bizarre, you never know what can happen,'' Henderson said. ``Like Oregon taking us to the wire.''

Cal's best chance for an upset was to slow the pace and pound the Bruins with its massive frontline. Sure enough, the Bears opened in a zone defense and never wavered. It negated UCLA's quickness, forced the slashing Bruins to the perimeter and swarmed Henderson whenever he touched the ball in the low post. The ploy kept the score low and the crowd quiet - at least until Cal's first-half surge.

UCLA jumped to an 8-0 lead and was in command 21-15 when the mistakes began. Baron Davis' second foul was the first of eight consecutive scoreless possessions - a stretch that included four turnovers. Cal countered with a 10-0 spurt, and with five minutes left the Bears led 25-21.

Davis fed Henderson for UCLA's only basket in the final nine minutes of the half. But Davis committed his third foul with 1:24 left, charging into Cal's Kenyon Jones, and Cal hit the locker room with a 32-25 advantage.

Thanks to 13 UCLA turnovers, the Bears shot 33 percent and led by seven.

Coach Steve Lavin's switch to man-to-man defense energized the Bruins early in the second half. Their passes became crisper, their feet quicker. Instead of swinging the ball around the perimeter, they punctured Cal's zone with passes and penetration.

The Bruins closed to 45-43 when Davis swiped the ball from Ray King at midcourt and converted a layup. Fouled on the play, he missed the free throw, but Johnson grabbed the rebound and stuck a gimme.

The teams traded points through the middle third of the half, until UCLA's careless ballhandling struck again. Back-to-back turnovers by Davis became Cal layups and a 61-53 lead.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (Color) UCLA's Toby Bailey gets knocked down, but he gets up again - to hit the game-clinching 3-point basket with 53 seconds left at Cal.

Associated Press 

Box: PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE STANDINGS