PALO ALTO, Calif.—The Bruins have won seven straight games when holding a halftime lead.
But they couldn’t hold on this time.
“I told the team in the locker room that, on one hand, I’m so proud of the confidence that they’ve earned in these first three road games,” said coach Cori Close. “But on the other hand, I’m really frustrated.”
UCLA women’s basketball (9-6, 2-1 Pac-12) blew a seven-point halftime lead and fell 86-80 to No. 6 Stanford (12-1, 2-0) on Sunday afternoon, falling short of the upset and snapping its six-game win streak.
The Bruins jumped out to a 17-6 lead over the Cardinal after a 13-0 run midway through the first period, going 3-of-3 from long range.
UCLA shot 52.9 percent from the field and went 7-of-9 from beyond the arc in the first half. However, redshirt freshman guard Lindsey Corsaro – who finished 4-of-6 from 3 – said the Bruins fell in love with the jump shot too much in the third quarter when it wasn’t there.
“Usually our identity all year has been get it to the post,” Corsaro said. “I think we shot the ball so well in the first half that we were looking for (the perimeter shot) first (instead of the post) in the second half.”
The Bruins held forward Alanna Smith – Stanford’s top scorer who averaged 18.9 points heading into the game – to just three first-half points. However, UCLA couldn’t contain her for two more quarters, allowing Smith to register 21 points in the third and fourth quarters combined.
The Cardinal trailed 45-38 going into the third frame, but answered with a 13-0 run. Smith knocked down four straight shots, including three from downtown to give Stanford a 56-50 lead.
UCLA outscored Stanford in every quarter besides the third – when the Cardinal outscored the Bruins 26-12. But despite the poor shooting, Close said it was the Bruins’ skid on defense that allowed Stanford to get back into the contest.
“The reality was, it was defense,” Close said. “Our offense comes easier when we get stops and we can play in transition.”
UCLA cut Stanford’s lead to three points with less than a minute left in the final quarter, but couldn’t make free throws down the stretch. The Bruins shot 75 percent or better in seven consecutive games prior to Sunday, according to the sports information director, but shot just 46.7 percent from the charity stripe against the Cardinal.
“I think we’ll get that fixed, but it definitely was a really big factor in this game,” Close said. “When you get opportunities to get to the free throw stripe, especially on the road, you’ve got to deliver on those.”
Senior guard Japreece Dean made 22 straight free throws coming into the game, but never got to the line. Dean finished with 22 points and four assists.
Sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere logged her fifth double-double of the season, but was held to just 11 points after entering the game with back-to-back performances of 25 points or more.
“I think that we learned a lot about ourselves playing these three games,” Dean said. “I still think we grew as a team, and we’re ready for the next one.”
The Bruins opened up Pac-12 playing going 2-1, defeating the Trojans and the No. 18 Golden Bears on the road before falling to the Cardinal. UCLA will host No. 11 Oregon State and No. 5 Oregon next week.