Hypothetically, UCLA’s winning streak could have lasted
forever.
Realistically, the women’s basketball team knew it
eventually had to come to a halt.
The Bruins finally lost a Pac-10 game for the first time this
season, as No. 22 Arizona overpowered them on Saturday in Tucson,
with a final score of 80-61. UCLA (11-5, 6-1 Pac-10) fell into
second place in the conference standings, half a game behind No. 5
Stanford.
“I challenged our team at the half,” Arizona head
coach Joan Bonvicini said. We played with poise, confidence and
intelligence.”
Much of Arizona’s smart play came from sophomore Dee-Dee
Wheeler, who tallied 27 points, two short of her career high. And
with 6-foot-5 freshman center Shawntinice Polk and 6-foot-2 senior
forward Krista Warren, the Wildcats (12-4, 6-2 Pac-10) clearly had
the advantage in interior play, notching 24 points in the paint
compared to UCLA’s six. Polk tallied her 12th double-double
of the season with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
“Offensively they had such a threat with Polk, and all
their great shooters,” said senior guard Michelle Greco.
“They had so many weapons and we just couldn’t
counter-attack.”
Trailing 42-23 at halftime, the Bruins attempted a comeback in
the second half with a 20-6 run that left them trailing only by six
with 12 minutes remaining. The last four minutes, however, were
dominated by Arizona, as the Wildcats clinched their decisive
victory. The Bruins shot just 1-for-13 over that stretch, and could
not force any Arizona turnovers.
“We made a run but couldn’t sustain it,” said
UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier.
The Bruin offense centered, once again, around freshman Nikki
Blue and Greco, who added 19 and 14 points, respectively.
However, it was not enough. The Wildcat defense limited UCLA to
just 27 percent shooting in the first half, and frustrated the
Bruins throughout much of the game.
“We know that we’re a very talented team, but it was
going to be tough to go undefeated in the Pac-10,” Greco
said. “We just have to learn from the loss.”
To stay in contention for post-season play, the Bruins will have
to recover quickly as they prepare for matchups with Stanford this
Friday and Cal on Sunday, both at Pauley Pavilion.