For about 32 minutes of last night’s slugfest against the
No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners, the Bruin women’s basketball team
proved it can play with anyone.
The other eight minutes the Bruins can chalk up to a learning
experience.
It was a tale of two UCLA teams at Pauley Pavilion last night,
as Oklahoma (4-0) beat the Bruins 77-68.
For most of the first half, the No. 21 Bruins (2-2) played tight
against the Sooners, who came in with one of the best players in
the country in sophomore Courtney Paris. If the Bruins had played
the entire game as they did in most of the first period, the
outcome could very well have been different.
“We were right there with them,” coach Kathy Olivier
said. “We were doing a good job rebounding.”
Even though the 6-foot-4-inch Paris averages a double-double,
the Bruins corralled her in the first half. She only played 13
minutes in the first period after getting into foul trouble early,
and without her in the Bruins were able to capitalize on
opportunities, gaining eight offensive boards and holding the
Sooners to only 17 first-half rebounds.
“We didn’t keep them off the glass quite the way we
wanted,” Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. “We knew
that them crashing the offensive boards was a strength.”
With about five minutes remaining in the first half, the Sooners
began to show their strength as a multifaceted team. Paris was on
the bench and UCLA had a size advantage but the Sooners’
guards began to shoot the lights out, hitting four treys in a span
of three minutes.
“It was very timely with Courtney coming to the
bench,” Coale said. “That’s how we went
undefeated in the Big-12 last year. That’s the strength of
our team is that we’re not one-dimensional.”
Despite the torrent of Sooner 3-pointers to end the half, the
Bruins were still in the game, down 36-29. However, when it rains
it pours, and it poured in the beginning of the second half for the
Bruins.
UCLA once again limited Paris’ action in the beginning of
the second half, as she picked up her third foul early and only
contributed four points in the first nine minutes of action.
However, that wasn’t the problem for the Bruins, who could
not stop both the inside presence of Paris and the Sooner perimeter
shooters as the game wore on. Oklahoma hit five 3-pointers within
three and a half minutes, contributing to their 21-point lead with
nine minutes left.
But the Bruins did not roll over and concede the game. Senior
guard Noelle Quinn took the game into her own hands and almost led
the squad to a monumental upset.
Down 15 with 6:38 remaining, Quinn dropped seven points on three
consecutive possessions. She then proceeded to dish out assists and
hit clutch free throws to bring the Bruins within seven with 1:48
remaining.
“Honestly, I never thought we were going to lose this
game,” Quinn said. “Even though we were down by so
much, coach kept saying just “˜plug away.’ I just never
say die. That’s just the type of player I am. That’s my
personality. I never quit.”
Quinn led the Bruins with 22 points and five boards on the
night.
Paris led all players with 24 points and 17 boards in 28
minutes.