The UCLA women’s basketball team entered this weekend’s critical home stand against the Bay Area schools with its postseason hopes on life support and its season slipping away.
Coming into Sunday’s contest against the No. 4 team in the land, the Bruins had lost three of their last four, six of their last eight, and had just suffered a heartbreaking 69-58 loss to No. 3 Stanford on Friday.
For the first time all year, the Bruins held a losing record in conference play, and their dreams of post-season play had all but vanished.
One win changed all that.
The Bruins (17-10, 8-8 Pac-10) shocked the California Bears (23-4, 14-2 Pac-10) at home on the first day of March, blowing out one of the nation’s top teams, 71-56.
As big an upset as it was, the win was most important for the Bruins because it helped resurrect their season and gave them hope for the Pac-10 tournament and beyond.
“This gives us so much confidence that we can beat the best teams,” UCLA guard Doreena Campbell said. “Any day, any time, anyone can beat anyone else.”
Late in the second half of Sunday’s game against No. 4 California, UCLA forward Christina Nzekwe faced up for a 3-point shot, then came crashing to the floor.
Swish. And a whistle.
The next possession, Nzekwe went up for a short bucket, banking it in with another foul to boot.
That pair of plays made all the difference for the Bruins, who seized the momentum late and never looked back.
This was the crucial victory the Bruins so badly needed, and the most important of head coach Nikki Caldwell’s brief career at UCLA.
“This was definitely a huge win,” said Caldwell, who is in her first season leading the Bruins. “We did a fantastic job.”
Sunday’s contest was a tense, back and forth affair. With California in the mix for a conference title, and UCLA facing a must-win situation, intensity flowed from every corner of the court. In addition, it was senior day at Pauley Pavilion, with Bruin forward Chinyere Ibekwe playing her final home game in a UCLA uniform.
“I told the team I didn’t care who we were playing,” Ibekwe said. “We were going to go out there and win my last game, no matter what happened, no matter how it happened. I told them we were going to win.”
The extra motivation showed, with the Bruins bringing the same defensive pressure that held Stanford in check for much of Friday night’s contest. UCLA forced turnovers, hustled to loose balls and battled California’s pair of all-conference post players, Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker, for crucial rebounds. Caldwell praised UCLA’s defensive effort following the game.
“I thought we really committed to all of our different defensive looks,” Caldwell said. “We wanted to bring a lot of different looks, and brought good pressure.”
But UCLA’s star of the weekend was undoubtedly sophomore guard Darxia Morris, who turned in a pair of outstanding offensive performances to pace the Bruin offense. Coming off the bench to run the point, Morris dropped 18 points in Friday’s contest with Stanford and another 18 against California on Sunday afternoon.
After UCLA’s letdown Friday night, Morris was determined to come out with all cylinders firing against the Golden Bears. Morris, who sat out much of last season with a knee injury, showed off a diverse repertoire of offensive skills, driving to the basket, pulling up for jump shots and dishing to teammates for open looks.
“Morris had two really solid back-to-back games,” Caldwell said. “Playing her at the swing guard really freed her up.”
Sunday afternoon was a complete team effort. Junior Erica Tukiainen played perhaps the best game of her three-year UCLA career, scoring 25 points, including several clutch buckets from behind the three-point arc.
Tukiainen, who played just 16 minutes in Friday’s loss, was ecstatic to be out on the floor making plays down the stretch.
“You really don’t think about things when you are out there,” Tukiainen said. “This was a great feeling. Everybody was really in sync. This was all about trusting myself, and knowing what I could do.”
The Bruins will now look to capitalize on their huge win during a weekend trip to face the Oregon schools. UCLA now sits tied with USC for fourth place in the Pac-10.
UCLA FALLS TO NO. 2 STANFORD: Friday night’s game against Stanford proved to be a hard-fought battle throughout. UCLA used an effective full-court press to stymie the Cardinal offense early in the first half.
The Cardinal committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions as UCLA took a 14-8 lead. Using excellent pressure to create steals, the Bruins were able to convert on some easy scoring opportunities against Stanford’s defense.
But in the second half, the Bruins began to suffer defensive lapses as Stanford’s shooters got open on the perimeter.
Cardinal guard Lindsey Pohlen nailed a 3-pointer early in the second half to put Stanford up by 11, a lead which they would not relinquish. The Bruins made some late runs, sparked by the heady play of Morris.
UCLA got as close a seven with just over eight minutes to go, then hit a six-minute dry spell. By that time, the game was out of reach, and the Bruins were left to lament another lost opportunity.
“Stanford is an excellent basketball team,” Caldwell said. “With their shooters, we can’t let up. We needed to play a full 40 minutes of basketball, and we didn’t.”
For Morris, the result was another frustrating one in a long line of disappointing finishes this season. With the Bruins in desperate need of a signature win, Morris felt that the team had let a tremendous opportunity escape their grasp.
“We should have won this game,” Morris said afterward. “We had this game, and then we let it go. I hope the rest of the team is as upset as I am.”
DRIBBLERS: Junior center Monique Alexander and senior guard Tierra Henderson missed Sunday’s game after being suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules … Tukiainen’s 25 points was a career high … Ibekwe grabbed her 600th career rebound over the weekend, making her eighth player in UCLA history with 600 career rebounds and 60 career blocks … Cal junior point guard Alexis Gray-Lawson went down late in the first half with a sprained left knee and did not return. It is unclear how long she will remain sidelined … The win over No. 4 California was UCLA’s first over a ranked team this season.