W. hoops fails to end losing streak
Bruins blow lead in final minute, fall to
No. 24, USC 56-55
By Hye Kwon
It was close, but no cigar for the UCLA women’s basketball
team.
The Bruins had a great chance to end their three-game losing
streak, but eventually let it slip away, 56-55, in the waning
moments against No. 24 USC Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins (7-11 overall, 2-7 in Pac-10) had a 55-52 lead and
the possession of the ball going into the final minute of
regulation. But a costly turnover committed by Kellie Bennett near
the 10-second line, followed by Tawana Grimes’ foul sent USC’s
Karleen Shields to the charity stripes for a one-and-one. Shields
converted both free throws and the Women of Troy (12-5, 5-4)
narrowed the lead to one point.
On the next trip down, the Bruins came up empty and USC had the
ball and a chance to win the game with 21 seconds to go. The Women
of Troy called a timeout and set up a play to free up their star
player, Tina Thompson. The play was executed perfectly as Audrey
Gomez drew a crowd of Bruin defenders when she penetrated the lane.
Gomez then dished the ball to a wide-open Thompson, who converted
what turned out to one of the easiest shots of the afternoon.
After a UCLA timeout with nine seconds showing on the clock,
Hilbert drove the length of the court for a layup, but her shot was
deflected out of bounds. Four seconds remained, and after another
Bruin timeout, Nikki Hilbert had one last attempt to win the game
with a 17-footer. Unfortunately for UCLA, the horn sounded as
Hilbert’s shot sailed left of the rim.
"It’s hard when we haven’t won any close ones," UCLA head coach
Kathy Olivier said. "We just lack that confidence."
Although the Bruins shot a sub-par 32 percent from the floor in
the first half, they were down by only five points at the
intermission. In the second half, UCLA mounted a steady run that
propelled them to a 44-42 lead at the 10-minute mark in the second
half. The game stayed close as USC’s frontcourt started to assert
itself toward the latter portion of the game.
Thompson scored nine of the 13 total points in the second half,
but more important than that statistic is the fact that she grabbed
nine rebounds and helped USC take control of the boards.
"Tina Thompson is a great player and you’re not going to hold
her off for two halves," Olivier said. "In the second half she
really picked it up."
UCLA’s Tawana Grimes picked up her level of defensive intensity
for the game as well. Grimes shot zero-for-six from the floor and
finished with only one free throw, but helped out the team in other
important ways. The freshman guard contributed five rebounds, five
assists and three steals.
Kisa Hughes had another double-double, finishing with 21 points
and 12 rebounds.
As a team, the Bruins shot much better than the Women of Troy.
UCLA shot 42 percent from the floor while USC shot 33 percent. The
Bruins also executed their offense, tallying 17 assists versus
USC’s ten.
With nine games still remaining in the conference for the
Bruins, Olivier remains optimistic of UCLA’s chances.
"We’ve got to take it one game at a time," she said. "I think we
showed that we can play with anyone."