Statistics did not matter on Thursday night as the UCLA women’s basketball team played Washington in Seattle, Wash.
On paper, the Bruins should have fallen to the Huskies.
Washington (6-10, 1-3 Pac-10) out-rebounded and out-shot UCLA (8-8, 3-2 Pac-10) from both the field and behind the 3-point line. The only category the Bruins had more success in was turnovers, committing only 14.
Despite the numbers, UCLA was able to escape with a 59-57 victory, their first win at Washington in three years.
“Sometimes you are not going to lead in the categories that you want to lead in, but I think down the stretch we made some good decisions,” coach Kathy Olivier said.
While UCLA looked like it had the game wrapped up when the Bruins went up 45-32 with 13:29 left in the second half, the game was far from over. Starting with 12:44 on the clock, the Huskies went on a 6-0 run, and the Bruins did not score for nearly six minutes.
Washington kept the score close down the stretch. With 1:21 left in the game, the Bruins found themselves in a tough situation. With the Bruins leading 55-52, senior forward Lindsey Pluimer missed a jumper followed by an offensive rebound by sophomore guard Erica Tukiainen. Pluimer’s bad luck then continued as she missed a layup.
Lucky for UCLA, Pluimer came through in the final minute as she made two free throws and a jumper to give UCLA the 59-55 lead.
“We knew towards the end of the game that each possession was very crucial,” Pluimer said. “We did a good job defensively. We had some crucial stops on defense.”
In the last seconds, Washington’s sophomore guard Sami Whitcomb made two free throws, but the game ended with UCLA narrowly on top.
“The crowd got behind them, and we turned the ball over a couple times,” Olivier said. “But we regrouped defensively and got a couple of shots. I never thought we were going to lose. I thought our team was in control.”
Pluimer had a strong night. She was the only UCLA player to score in double-digits with 16 points, four rebounds and one block.
That one block put Pluimer’s career total at 75 blocks. She is just the fifth player in UCLA women’s basketball history to reach the mark of 1,300 points, 650 rebounds and 75 blocked shots. She joins the ranks of Ann Meyers, Necie Thompson, Natalie Williams and Maylana Martin.
“There are so many great players to come out of UCLA and play professionally,” Pluimer said. “It’s definitely a great compliment.”
Freshman forward and Seattle-native Christina Nzekwe also had a big night. She finished with eight points, seven rebounds and four steals in just 16 minutes. According to Olivier, Nzekwe and freshman center Regina Rogers, who also hails from Seattle, adjusted well to playing in their hometown for the first time of their collegiate career.
“Their friends and families came and they both probably had some jitters, but they both played a big role in today’s game,” Olivier said.
WASHINGTON STATE NEXT: The team now must travel to Pullman, Wash. and face a struggling Washington State team Saturday. The Cougars lost to USC Thursday night, 62-58, to fall to 3-12 on the season. The Cougars are led by junior guard Katie Appleton, who averages over 12 points a game.
The trek between Pullman and Seattle is known as an especially difficult one ““ 285 miles separate the two schools. But if the Bruins can pull off another road victory on Saturday they will complete their first undefeated road trip since 2006.