Sometimes all it takes is a little home cooking to right the
ship. The UCLA women’s basketball team is banking on that
sentiment after an up-and-down start to its season.
The Bruins (8-6, 3-2 Pac-10) held off a pesky Washington squad
(8-7, 1-5) 65-60 Sunday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion for their
third consecutive victory, improving their record at home to
6-1.
Leading the way for UCLA was sophomore forward Lisa Willis, who
had her second consecutive stellar game, scoring a team-high 19
points. It was Willis’ two free throws with 6.7 seconds
that gave the Bruins a four-point lead, squashing the
Huskies’ courageous comeback effort.
“I wouldn’t say I’m looking for my shot, but I
am taking what is being given to me,” Willis said.
“Lisa got very active and played with energy and made so
many things happen today,” UCLA coach Kathy Olivier
said.Â
Willis’ efforts on the defensive end also contributed to
the win. Willis, along with freshman Noelle Quinn and
sophomore Nikki Blue, combined to shut down Washington’s
Guiliana Mendiola, holding the Pac-10 leading scorer to 11 points
on 4-of-14 shooting. The Huskies were led by 6-foot-4-inch center
Andrea Lalum, who scored 18 points.
UCLA jumped out of the box quickly against the Huskies, leading
by as many as 18 points in the first half. Quinn led the
Bruins to the early lead, scoring 10 of her 17 points in the first
half.Â
And when the Bruins weren’t clicking on offense, they
relied on their defense for easy baskets. Olivier implemented
a stifling press toward the end of the first half, which geared
UCLA on a 22-3 run.
“At the end of the first half, their press was very
effective,” Washington coach June Daugherty
said. “They caused a lot of turnovers, and that hurt
us.”
In the second half, the Huskies slowed the tempo of the game and
whittled down UCLA’s lead, coming within two points in the
final minute of play. But the Bruins hit their free throws to
seal the victory.
The Bruins’ victory on Sunday came on the heels of a 78-58
win against Washington State on Friday at Pauley
Pavilion. UCLA never trailed against the Cougars, jumping out
to an 18-3 lead and never looking back. They shot 54.8 percent for
the game, their highest mark this season.Â
Bruins Willis and Quinn both achieved career highs, scoring 22
and 20 points, respectively, in UCLA’s best offensive showing
of the season.Â
“I played good defense, scored a few points. I always play
well against Washington State,” said Willis, who also had a
team-high four steals. “My teammates did a great job of
penetrating and kicking, and it left me open with the
shot.”
Willis moved into sixth place for three-point shots made at
UCLA, connecting on her 68th shot from behind the arc in the first
half of Sunday’s game.