Many thought freshman Kari Korver would take a back seat to the multiple upperclassmen on the women’s basketball team.
But none of that mattered Friday night, as the guard starred for No. 17 UCLA (23-6, 14-4 Pac-12), keeping her team afloat early against Arizona State before ultimately closing the door on the Sun Devils’ comeback attempt in a 58-50 win.
“(Korver) was huge for us. They played us all zone and her shots were contested too, but she got her feet set quick and let it fly,” said coach Cori Close.
Korver came off the bench just three minutes into the game and made her presence felt immediately.
When a back-and-forth affair early on became a six-point ASU advantage, she drained her second 3-pointer of the game. And as the Sun Devils (13-17, 5-13) pushed their lead back to six, she responded with yet another three ball.
In the first half alone, Korver scored 14 points on 4-7 3-point shooting, as UCLA turned a six-point deficit into a four-point halftime lead.
Despite holding that lead, the Bruins suffered a major loss midway through the first half when co-captain and junior guard Thea Lemberger had to leave the game with an arm injury.
For Korver, though, it was a rare opportunity for major minutes. And she didn’t falter, finishing with a career-high 17 points – the same scoring total from her three previous games combined.
“I mean, for her to be able to score like she did, that showed us that we have weapons from all areas, and it’s a big statement for her as a freshman,” said senior forward Alyssia Brewer.
UCLA built an 11-point lead midway through the second half, and it looked as though the game was over. But the Sun Devils slowly whittled the deficit down, and with six minutes left in the second half, Arizona State’s Micaela Pickens drilled a crushing 3-pointer to cut the lead to one.
With momentum slipping, and the gaping hole left by Lemberger’s absence becoming more and more noticeable, UCLA looked to be in trouble – but then Korver stepped in.
She caught the ball at the top of the arc, and didn’t hesitate in knocking down her fifth 3-pointer of the night. Those were Korver’s only second-half points, but they proved to be the dagger.
“I think it speaks not only to her ability as a shooter, but to her confidence and clutch mentality,” Close said.
Though Korver’s breakout performance might have surprised Arizona State, at least one person saw it coming.
“(Korver) could do the right thing and not get rewarded 99 times, but she’s still going to do it right the 100th time, hoping that’s her opportunity right there,” Close said earlier in the season.
“And when you expect that, and you pay the price like that, usually things work out in your favor.”
On Sunday, UCLA wrapped up the weekend and its regular season by defeating Arizona (12-17, 4-14), 68-57. With the pair of wins, UCLA clinched the third seed and a first-round bye in next week’s Pac-12 tournament.
As the Bruins head into postseason play, the team is looking to use the same mentality that has brought it this far.
“I think the coaches always emphasize that we can get a little bit better every single day,” Korver said. “And the teams that do well in March are the ones that think they can still grow, and I think that’s our attitude.”