A flu-ridden Michelle Greco couldn’t do it. Neither could
an ice-cold Nikki Blue.
So with the Bruins’ two most potent scorers a combined
4-of-23 from the field against Arizona, the squad’s
lesser-known players rose to the challenge as UCLA upset the No. 24
Wildcats on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion, 48-47.
The Bruins followed that up with another outstanding all-around
effort against Arizona State, defeating the Sun Devils 71-62 on
Sunday to complete the weekend sweep.
“Greco and Blue are our go-to players, but everyone seemed
to step it up (this weekend),” junior guard Gennifer Arranaga
said. “We realized that Greco was sick, and it’s really
big to see that we can still win. It gives us all a lot of
confidence.”
The pair of victories gave a huge boost to UCLA’s
once-sagging postseason hopes, and built momentum for the stretch
run. With four games left on the regular season slate, the Bruins
(14-9, 9-5 Pac-10) are in fourth place in the conference, one-half
game behind third-place Arizona (17-7, 10-5 Pac-10).
While it is too soon to make NCAA tournament projections,
defeating the Wildcats at least keeps UCLA on the national
radar.
Although Greco, the Pac-10’s scoring leader, did not tally
a point for the first time since spraining her right ankle against
Utah nearly three years ago, the Bruins displayed a lot of heart in
the Valentine’s Day matchup.
UCLA shackled Arizona’s powerful offense, holding the
Wildcats to a season-low 32.2 percent shooting from the field.
All-American candidate Shawntinice Polk finished with just 13
points, as the Bruin guards frequently double-teamed the 6-foot-5
freshman in the paint, often ripping the ball loose or forcing her
to kick it back out to the perimeter.
“We knew that they wanted to get the ball in to
Polk,” UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said. “Our
perimeter players knew to go for the steal if they had
opportunities. Arizona looked a little out of sync because of
it.”
Blue had four first-half steals, and also led the Bruins with 13
points though she shot just 4-for-18.
But in the closing minutes it was neither Blue nor Greco, but
the unheralded Arranaga who sparked the victory.
With UCLA trailing 45-42 in the game’s waning moments,
Arranaga buried a three-pointer to even the score. After the squads
traded baskets, Blue corralled a loose ball and lobbed a pass
downcourt to Arranaga, who was mauled by Arizona’s Dee-Dee
Wheeler on her way to the hoop.
Arranaga made one of two shots from the charity stripe to give
the Bruins a 48-47 lead with just over a minute to play. A missed
layup by Arizona’s Krista Warren and an errant jumper by
Wheeler preserved the UCLA victory.
“Our team stayed positive when things were not going its
way,” Olivier said. “We knew if we kept plugging away,
we could pull it off.”
That steadfast determination was also readily apparent in the
Bruins’ play two nights later against Arizona State.
After the Sun Devils (14-9, 6-9 Pac-10) cut UCLA’s lead to
one at 54-53 with 3:48 to play, the Bruins refused to relent. The
squad posted its final 15 points on foul shots, and converted 26 of
its 30 attempts overall.
Five of Blue’s game-high 20 points were from the free
throw line while Greco, freshman Lisa Willis, and junior Whitney
Jones each made crucial free throws in the waning moments as
well.
“We had the right people at the line, and they made
them,” Olivier said. “We like pressure
situations.”
Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;
Third-year civil engineering student Greg Bowser won free books
and tuition for a year after burying a shot from mid-court as part
of a promotional contest at halftime of the ASU game. Prior to the
half-court heave, the Rocklin native made a layup, a free throw and
a three-pointer.