Friday, 2/28/97
Giant Oregon State defeated by underdog Bruins on road
Turnovers, benches’ performances key to both teams’ game
By Anthony Carter
Daily Bruin Contributor
So you take a 4-7 road team and send them to play a 7-3 home
team and expect them to win. David versus Goliath, right?
Well, actually it was UCLA versus Oregon State at Gill Coliseum.
Last night, the Bruins marched in there in front of a crowd of 958
and defeated the Beavers (11-14, 5-11 Pac-10) 79-68.
The loss was only OSU’s fifth in its last 31 home games, and it
was a huge win for the Bruins, who improved to 12-12, 6-9.
The win clinched a sweep of the season series and boosted UCLA’s
road record to 5-7.
Turnovers were what kept both teams in the game, and eventually
left the Beavers on the losing end. The Bruins forced 35 OSU, while
turning it over 31 times on their own.were what kept OSU in the
game.
Freshman Melanie Pearson, who tied the game-high with five
steals, also committed a team-high 10 turnovers, allowing the
Beavers to stay close early.
However Pearson did score 19 points and dish out five
assists.
Junior Tawana Grimes, with five steals as well, contributed 10
points and a game-high seven assists, while turning the ball over
only twice.
Pearson and fellow freshman Maylana Martin contributed four
points apiece in a 10-0 UCLA run with 16:07 remaining in the second
half – increasing the Bruin lead to 45-35.
Martin, before fouling out, finished with 12 points and five
boards.
The benches of the respective teams played a major part in the
game’s outcome, as UCLA’s reserves outscored those of the Beavers,
28-13. The UCLA bench also grabbed 14 rebounds, compared to the
Beavers’ six.
The biggest contributors from that bench were freshmen – Takiyah
Jackson, with 13 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes of play,
while Janae Hubbard scored 10 points and had four rebounds in only
10 minutes of action.
The Beavers did get as close as 58-55 in the second half, but
Hubbard scored six of the Bruins’ next eight points, extending the
UCLA lead to 66-59.