Bloody nose, injuries don’t keep Greco down

SAN JOSE “”mdash; In what could be the last two games of an
injury-plagued career, it is fitting that Michelle Greco went down
twice this weekend.

It’s also fitting that she came back strong.

“We were here to battle and play 40 minutes of hard-nosed
basketball,” said Greco, who sustained a sprained ankle, a
head-on collision and a bloody nose during Pac-10 tournament play
this weekend. “We did that, win or lose.”

It all began Saturday, during UCLA’s quarterfinal victory
over Oregon. With 11:23 left in the second half ““ immediately
after walking off a sprained left ankle ““ Greco and Oregon
guard Alissa Edwards collided at mid-court. Both quickly met the
hardwood and Greco’s bewildered look left Bruin fans
wondering about another concussion.

According to Greco, it wasn’t, but it was a mean fall
either way. Still, she returned to score nine points in the final
eight minutes ““ two more than she had in the entire first
half.

On Sunday against Stanford, it was déjà vu all over
again, except the events were of a more sanguineous nature.

With 10 minutes left in the half and Stanford up 14-7, Greco and
fellow teammate Whitney Jones solidified their friendship in an
unconventional way. While battling in traffic, Jones elbowed Greco
in her formerly-broken nose and blood began to flow.

“I felt a little crack, a little crunch ““ which
isn’t good,” Greco said. “It was bad. I was
bleeding, my towel was just soaked. I didn’t think I was
going to go back into the game.”

But, of course, she did.

“It was the second round playing Stanford. A big game, we
have to win, all that stuff’s just kind of put in the back of
my head,” she said.

Greco came back with a face mask that was added to the travel
kit due to Greco’s “bad luck now and then.” She
also sported foam in her nostrils and an extra-thick mouth guard to
cushion possible concussions.

Greco tallied 12 points against the Cardinal, and provided a
stabilizing influence for the young Bruin squad.

No one can deny the contributions of newcomers like Nikki Blue
and freshman Lisa Willis, who led UCLA in scoring Sunday with 17
points. But it’s Greco that has led this team all season
““ bloody noses be damned.

“UCLA played their hearts out today. They didn’t
give up,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said.
“It’s a real credit to Michelle Greco how hard they
play.”

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