This is what postseason games are supposed to be like. It was a close, tense, back-and-forth affair, a roller-coaster ride for players, coaches and fans alike. This was March basketball at its finest.
And for the UCLA women’s basketball team, this was the way close games are won. A clutch basket here, a defensive stop there, and a date in the Pac-10 Conference semifinals as a reward for their efforts.
Freshman Atonye Nyingifa led the fourth-seeded Bruins with 18 points as the Bruins rallied from a 9-point, second-half deficit to beat fifth seed Oregon State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament Friday night. UCLA rebounded from a slow start, surging past the Beavers midway in the final 10 minutes and capping a thrilling and crucial victory.
“This is a team that plays defense,” UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell said. “We got after Oregon State with our defensive pressure. We’re happy to survive and advance.”
It wasn’t easy for the Bruins, who entered the conference tournament almost certainly needing to win the title in order to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament field on Monday afternoon.
Oregon State’s defense held UCLA to just 21 first-half points on 28.6 percent shooting, and a plethora of team fouls kept the Bruins from getting into the flow of their offense. Meanwhile, Beavers’ senior guard Brittney Davis was lighting up the scoreboard on her own, netting 15 first-half points to push Oregon State in front.
Despite the poor offensive showing in the first 20 minutes, the Bruins knew that the contest was far from over. Sophomore point guards Doreena Campbell and Darxia Morris elevated their level of play, driving to the rim to create open opportunities. Morris, who has been outstanding for the Bruins in recent weeks, converted three crucial layups, the last of which put the Bruins up one with 4:36 to go. Just over a minute later, Nyingifa nailed a jump shot that put the Bruins up for good.
“I’ve been told by our coaches that when you’re out on the court, your true character shows,” Nyingifa said. “In the second half, we got better shots and more open looks.”
With UCLA’s offense surging, it was the Bruin defense that clamped down to seal the victory. UCLA held the Beavers to 44 percent shooting on the night, and its pressure created several key Beaver turnovers down the stretch. Caldwell took time after the game to praise the play of Campbell and Nyingifa.
“We asked these two to be leaders on and off the basketball court,” Caldwell said. “We came back and regrouped.”
For the Bruins to complete their rally, they had to cool off the hot shooting of Davis, who finished with 22 points for the night. Davis made four long-range 3- point shots to pace Oregon State, but in the second half, UCLA’s perimeter defenders locked down, holding her to just seven more points.
“It all starts with defense,” Caldwell said.
Campbell discussed the strategy for shutting down the Oregon State standout following the game.
“We had to cut off Davis’ driving lanes and force her to take jump shots,” Campbell said.
With the win, the Bruins earned a third date with the high-powered Stanford Cardinal, the conference’s regular season champions. This is the second year in a row that UCLA will run up against the Cardinal in the conference semifinals. Last season, Stanford beat the Bruins 78-45 en route to the conference tournament title. Campbell hopes that tomorrow night’s affair will be more closely contested.
“We have to come out defensively in the first half and give it all we’ve got.”