Coming off a 23-point loss at Tennessee on Thursday, the No. 20
Bruins looked to rebound and regroup against UC Riverside, which
has never beaten a ranked team.
And behind Amanda Livingston’s first career double-double,
UCLA (2-1) grabbed a 70-60 victory on Saturday for its first away
win of the year, extending the Highlanders’ losing streak
against top-25 teams.
UCLA struggled in the early goings of the game, allowing UCR
(0-3) to take a 8-5 lead, but came back strong. The Bruins held the
Highlanders scoreless for six minutes, contributing to a 27-10 run
that was good for a 32-18 halftime lead.
Riverside had its worst offensive half of the year in the first
half of the game, shooting only 8-of-32 and 1-of-10 from beyond the
3-point line.
Much like they did in Knoxville last week, the Bruins came out
flat to start the second period, turning the ball over four times
in the first 2:22 of play. Riverside forced 26 Bruin turnovers on
the night, leading directly to 20 points for the Highlanders.
“We played very aggressive,” UCLA coach Kathy
Olivier said. “That contributed to our 26
turnovers.”
Aided by the Bruins’ inconsistent play, the school-record
crowd of 808 saw a different Highlanders offense after the break.
Riverside sank nine of its first 14 shots, contributing to a 23-9
run to tie the game with 10:59 left. The Highlanders proceeded to
have their statistically best offensive half of the year, shooting
53 percent from the floor and 5-of-10 from downtown. UCLA allowed
42 second-half points, tied for the most in one half on the
year.
But despite UCLA’s subpar play to start the half, the
Bruins ultimately managed to put away the game. UCLA held Riverside
away from the boards, keeping the Highlanders without a rebound for
over six minutes, starting with 12:33 left in the game. The Bruins
capitalized, scoring on six of their next seven possessions after
the Highlanders evened up the score at 41 with 11 minutes to
go.
UCLA kept the pressure on, building a 13-point lead with less
than three minutes to go, essentially icing the game.
The Bruins shot 54 percent in the second half. They outrebounded
Riverside 43-28, aided by Livingston’s 10 boards, Noelle
Quinn’s nine and Chinyere Ibekwe’s eight.
Quinn led all players with 19 points, followed by Livingston
with 15 and Lindsey Pluimer with 14.
“Everyone’s contributing and we’re about ten
deep right now,” Olivier said.
The game was delayed half an hour because the UCLA team bus was
stuck in traffic.
The Bruins will take on the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners tomorrow at 7
p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.