For the UCLA women’s basketball, the third time is indeed the charm.
After falling twice to top-3 teams this season, the Bruins stunned No. 2 Stanford, 69-56, Friday night at Pauley Pavilion. The 1,300-plus crowd on hand who braved the elements to take in the game were treated to a glimpse of what the future holds, as UCLA’s young backcourt flawlessly penetrated the Cardinal defense, its veteran leader sank key shots, and the post players went toe to toe with their highly ranked foe.
“This is a huge win for our program,” an elated coach Kathy Olivier said following the game. “It was fun.”
The contest opened well for the Bruins, who stormed out to a 17-8 lead in the first 10 minutes, sparked by outstanding floor leadership by freshman guard Darxia Morris, just one of a heralded group of Bruin youngsters who are contributing each game.
“They are not freshmen anymore,” Olivier said of her highly regarded class. “They’ve played so many more minutes. Our team is fearless.”
Stanford star Candice Wiggins did her part, constantly converting drives and jumpers in an attempt to spark a comeback. She netted 29 points in a gritty effort, drawing praise from Olivier, who believes Wiggins is one of the finest players in the country.
Her efforts, however, were unable to overcome a steady and consistent approach by the Bruins, who used both an inside and outside game to thwart a repeat of their second-half letdown against Maryland.
The Bruins’ high energy level helped them create an answer for seemingly every Cardinal charge.
“We had to play hard,” said Morris, who led UCLA with 20 points and excellent ball-handling. “We needed to beat a top team.”
The waning moments of the game featured sights not recently witnessed for the Bruins and Olivier, with the coach and bench players waving their arms, imploring the upset-hungry crowd to be louder. As the buzzer sounded, the UCLA bench erupted with cheers as players stormed the floor, dancing in jubilation.
“Our home court is our safety zone,” said Lindsey Pluimer, the senior leader of this Bruin squad. “We want to sweep at home.”
With a win that has generated national attention, UCLA might be ready to turn around a season that had seen them lose seven of their last 10.
Nevertheless, coach Olivier sees continuous improvement from her ever-maturing group.
“We’re getting so much more experienced; our team didn’t panic,” Olivier said. “I could sit here and talk about everybody.”
The victory came as the result of a complete team effort defensively, which has garnered increased focus from UCLA coaches this season. The Bruins held Stanford to more than 20 points below their season average of 67.9 points per game.
“We did a great job of being active on defense,” Olivier said.
“We played for 40 minutes. It was a good feeling.”
The game against Stanford featured shades of the one against Maryland, a game in which the Bruins held a substantial second-half lead before falling to the Terps.
This time, however, UCLA was not to be denied the win, arguably their greatest home triumph in many years.
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer had high praise for UCLA.
“They were very athletic. They played hard and very, very well,” VanDerveer said.
Despite center Jayne Appel of the Cardinal scoring 17 points, the UCLA post positions held Stanford in check, including forward Kayla Pederson, who managed just 2 points without scoring from the field.
“Our team was tired of not finishing,” Morris said.
“We had to make a name for ourselves.