UCLA women’s basketball has tipped-off against Stanford 80 times in the two programs’ history.
The Cardinal, a consistent powerhouse in the Pac-12, have walked off the court victorious against the Bruins in the past 19 meetings.
Meeting 81 was no different. No. 18 Stanford (19-7, 11-3 Pac-12) clinched its 20th consecutive win over UCLA (10-15, 6-8) Sunday, toppling the Bruins 68-50.
Although the Bruins were dominant defensively and shot better than the Cardinal in the first 10 minutes of the game, Stanford eventually created a deficit UCLA was unable to reverse.
The turnaround was largely due to the offensive display from Stanford sisters Bonnie and Karlie Samuelson and the rebounding efforts of forward Kaylee Johnson.
Samuelson DNA proved to be a formidable weapon from beyond-the-arc, with the sisters draining a combined total of 12 3-pointers. The pair contributed 38 of Stanford’s 68 total points. Bonnie Samuelson tallied a career high of eight 3s, etching her name into Stanford record books in the process.
“Bonnie Samuelson hit three (3-pointers) in a row, and I think that really deflated us offensively,” said redshirt sophomore guard Kari Korver. “We knew the game plan was to take away their 3-point shot and they started taking them. It made it harder for us to get in position … That’s when they took off.”
UCLA, on the other hand, left The Farm with zero 3-pointers made. Freshman guard Jordin Canada was the only Bruin able to sneak into double-digits, sinking 10 points. Junior guard Nirra Fields, who scored 22 points against the Cardinal in January, was two-of-10 from the field.
During the last meeting between the two teams, the Bruins saw a first period lead evaporate after halftime against the Cardinal. On Sunday, the lead deteriorated much sooner.
The downpour of second period 3s flooded the scoreboard with points for Stanford. What was once a seven-point lead for the Bruins in the first ten minutes became a 15-point Cardinal lead heading into the break.
“They were just knowing what to look for,” Canada said. “They knew Bonnie and Karlie (Samuelson) were hot.”
Foul trouble was an additional detriment to UCLA, as the team repeatedly sent Stanford players to the charity stripe. Both Canada and freshman forward Monique Billings picked up three fouls in the first period, forcing coach Cori Close to bench them at various points in the game in order to preserve their playing time.
“We were being the aggressor early in the game, on offense and on defense,” Close said. “But as soon as we started getting those fouls, that’s when they started making 3s. We weren’t able to be as aggressive and it dictated how the game was played.”
While the Bruins committed fewer fouls than the last time they played the Cardinal, Stanford was still able to score 10 points from the stripe.
Although the second-chance matchup ended up highlighting UCLA’s shortcomings, the Bruins were able to out-rebound the Cardinal 39-36 – a goal the team has had all season.
“(They) never want to stop growing and they never want to stop fighting,” Close said of her team. “They want to use every time out on the floor as a chance to get better … We can’t use our youth as an excuse.”
UCLA’s next two games against No. 12 Arizona State on Feb. 20 and Arizona on Feb. 22 will mark the last time the Bruins play in the familiar landscape of Pauley Pavilion before heading to Washington and, ultimately, the Pac-12 tournament.