An ovation filled Pauley Pavilion as coach Cori Close embraced her three senior players in celebration of their respective UCLA home careers playing on the Nell and John Wooden Court.
Guard Madeline Poteet, center Luiana Livulo, forward/center Corinne Costa and undergraduate assistant Rhema Gardner finished their UCLA home careers Sunday afternoon in a 75-41 victory over Arizona.
“What you saw tonight is an extension of how much the team loves these four seniors, including Rhema,” Close said. “You saw a lot of love for these seniors, and that is why you saw a lot of energy out on the court.”
Sharing the ball all game and dominating on defense against the Wildcats (9-18, 2-14 Pac-12), the Bruins (11-16, 7-9) found the consistency they didn’t have on Friday against the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils.
Nine players managed at least five points, and while it was Senior Day, two freshmen – guard Kelli Hayes and forward Monique Billings – led UCLA in scoring with 12 and 10 points respectively. Costa finished just shy of a double-double with eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds and four assists.
After the game, the seniors expressed their thanks for their careers at UCLA.
“I’m just grateful. I love my teammates and this team, and it was just a great game,” Livulo said. “It was fun to share the ball and laugh and smile.”
Livulo finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Poteet, who tallied four assists and a season-high seven points, said that being able to have a good time on the court and knowing her teammates would back her up meant a lot. The walk-on reflected on the impact that the program has had on her life.
“How cool it is to play on John Wooden Court in Pauley Pavilion with great teammates – I’m just extremely thankful for that and what this opportunity has given me,” Poteet said.
The Bruins outrebounded the Wildcats 50-32 and forced 21 turnovers while managing 19 assists, just two shy of their season high.
The win was a sign of progress after losing to Arizona State (23-4, 12-3) Friday.
The Bruins played solidly throughout the Arizona State game, shooting well and playing persistent defense, but a lack of consistency in rebounding and taking care of the ball put the game out of reach. Close said that when her players began to turn the ball over, not only were they not scoring, but they also could not set their defense, leaving themselves exposed.
One of those stretches came in the beginning of the second half, when the Sun Devils started with a 12-0 run. Another came in the last four minutes, when UCLA scored only four points.
Junior guard Nirra Fields said that her team struggled to match the intensity it had in the first half, letting it slip along with the lead.
The Bruins clawed back to within three points, but the Sun Devils’ hot start to the second half proved to be too much.
“Even in the midst of the turnovers or things we would’ve gotten back, we fought really, really hard to give ourselves a shot late in the game. We just couldn’t finish,” Close said Friday.
The loss capped a 0-10 regular season record against ranked teams. While Close and Costa admitted it was frustrating that they never were able to prevail against a top-25 team, Costa looked at the chance to play so many tough teams in a positive light.
“I think it’s good for the program. We’re trying to better the program for years to come,” Costa said.
While her time at UCLA is coming to an end, Costa said she looked beyond her own feelings and stayed focused on the program as a whole, a mindset that Close has said is one of the most important things she strives to develop in her players.