Anything Noelle Quinn can do, Lisa Willis can do better.
At least that’s the competitive rivalry the Bruin guards
employed in UCLA’s 74-61 win over Bowling Green in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament.
Quinn and Willis, as they have done all season long, put the
Bruins on solid footing just when they appeared to be falling to
the ground.
UCLA (21-10) had a rough start to its tournament, shooting 1-7
from the field and committing three turnovers in the first few
minutes of the game.
Enter Quinn.
The junior standout made her next five shots, sparking a 16-0
run that turned a 15-13 deficit into a 29-16 Bruin lead.
“It got a little bit sticky there, but luckily Noelle
caught fire,” Willis said. “She couldn’t
miss.”
UCLA lost its momentum in the second half when Bowling Green
(28-3) whittled a 20-point deficit down to five. All of a sudden
the Bruins looked tired and out of rhythm.
Enter Willis.
The senior guard went off, hitting her next four 3-pointers and
puncturing any inflated hopes of an improbable Falcon comeback.
Quinn owned the first half and Willis took over the deeds in the
second, a trend that has carried on from the regular season to when
it matters most.
“I don’t know why, but it always happens like
that,” Quinn said. “In the first half I was feeling it,
and in the second half Lisa took over.”
12th-seeded Bowling Green hadn’t allowed an opponent to
break 70 points in 30 games this year, but couldn’t contain
fifth-seeded UCLA because of the mismatches on the outside posed by
Quinn and Willis. The guards were simply faster and stronger than
anyone in the Falcons’ lineup, and were at their best moving
the ball upcourt in transition.
Willis is in the midst of the most prolific run of her career.
After winning Pac-10 Tournament MVP honors, she continued to her
strong play on both ends of the court on Sunday. But she was
hesitant to call her current run the best of her collegiate
career.
“Some would say yes, and some would say no,” Willis
said. “I think I’ve played this well before, but the
difference is that I am doing it on the biggest stage. It feels so
good to play to my potential in games that matter.”
Quinn and Willis each played over 35 minutes, despite the fact
that they played the majority of the second half with three fouls.
The two guards combined to score 44 points and 19 rebounds. Nikki
Blue and Lindsey Pluimer also played 36 and 39 minutes,
respectively, while being in foul trouble. But UCLA coach Kathy
Olivier opted to keep her starting five out on the court for as
long as possible.
The strategy could have backfired if Bowling Green had kept the
game close in the final minutes, but Olivier wanted the game to
rest in the hands of her sharpshooters, fouls or not, and she was
rewarded for the coaching move.
“(Quinn and Willis) are playing with as much confidence as
they’ve ever had,” Olivier said. “They are fun to
watch right now.”
PAC-10 SUCCESS: For the second straight year, the Pac-10 has
fared well in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The
conference received six bids in the tournament, and has justified
the selection committee’s faith in its teams.
Arizona State beat Stephen F. Austin, 80-63, to play Utah today
in the Albuquerque Regional. USC advanced to play top-seeded Duke
on Tuesday after beating South Florida, 67-65.
Eighth-seeded Washington’s 73-69 win over Minnesota pits
them against top-seeded LSU tonight in the San Antonio Regional.
Stanford, the Pac-10’s highest seed at No. 3 in the San
Antonio Regional, beat Southeastern Missouri State, 72-45, and
faces Florida State today.
California lost to St. John’s in the 7-10 game of the
Albuquerque Regional.