In terms of drama, it’s not often that a game-winning shot
in the final seconds of a women’s basketball game plays
second fiddle.
But the tragic and unexpected death of California’s
women’s basketball player Alisa Lewis on Jan. 19 still
lingered in the minds of many when UCLA hosted Cal at Pauley
Pavilion on Sunday.
After honoring Lewis in a memorial service Thursday at Haas
Pavilion, the Golden Bears courageously decided to make their
scheduled road trip to Southern California and fight onward with
their season, saying it was what Lewis would have wanted.
And fight they did, fiercely and emotionally, against UCLA, only
to lose 67-66 when Bruin sophomore Nikki Blue’s driving
lay-up with 1.6 seconds left fell through the net.
“Coach told me to take the ball all the way to the basket
and not pull up (for a jump shot),” said Blue, who finished
with a team-high 19 points.
“I knew (Blue) was going to make it because she’s
clutch,” said freshman Noelle Quinn, who finished with 18
points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists.
Although UCLA (9-9, 4-5 Pac-10) was excited about the dramatic
victory and about ending its three-game losing streak, the Bruin
celebration was tempered given the tragic circumstances. Their
hearts went out to a gutsy Cal squad (9-9, 2-7) on one of the worst
emotional roller coaster rides fathomable.
“I was (surprised at how well Cal played)” Blue
said. “It takes a lot of guts and a lot of heart to come out
here and compete with us like that after a death (of a teammate).
That’s so hard, and I really respect them for
that.”
Admitting they were emotionally exhausted after losing to USC
67-47 on Friday, the Golden Bears declined to have a moment of
silence to pay respect to their fallen teammate before
Sunday’s game, citing that it would be too emotional.
“I think we were a little more rested emotionally and
physically for today’s game,” Cal head coach Caren
Horstmeyer said. “We just had to get through the USC game,
and then be able to move on.”
Hoping to start a new chapter on its season, Cal jumped on the
Bruins early, forcing UCLA into committing 14 first-half turnovers
en route to a 38-29 halftime lead.
But the renewed energy they displayed in the first half failed
to carry their legs over the final 20 minutes, as UCLA whittled
down the deficit by utilizing its frantic and disruptive full-court
pressure, forcing 14 Golden Bear turnovers in the second half.
Cal junior Kiki Williams led the Golden Bears with a career-high
24 points, but it wasn’t enough to withstand UCLA’s 9-2
run to close the game.
“We’ve lost other games like this, and we’re
emotional as it is, so that makes it that much more difficult to
deal with,” Williams said.
While UCLA was fortunate enough to beat Cal on Sunday, the team
didn’t fare as well against No. 6 Stanford (15-3, 8-1) Friday
night at Pauley Pavilion.
Pumped and energized at the chance of upsetting the Cardinal,
the Bruins came out and did something they hardly ever do ““
play 40 minutes of consistent, hard-nosed basketball.
Too bad for the Bruins the game went into overtime.
Stanford senior Nicole Powell, the Pac-10’s leading scorer
and rebounder, scored seven of her game-high 27 points in overtime
to stake the Cardinal to a hard-fought 78-71 victory over UCLA.
“It never crossed my mind that we’d lose this
game,” said Powell, who led all players with 14 rebounds.
Down the stretch, Stanford’s poise and execution was too
much for coach Kathy Olivier’s youthful Bruins to
overcome.
“In overtime, we got a little impatient, almost
anxious,” said Olivier, whose team went 1-of-9 from the field
in the extra period. “We had a lot of people play a lot of
minutes, and mentally, even physically, you get a little tired and
don’t make as good of decisions, and I think that kicked
in.”
In an up-and-down game that saw neither team pull away from the
other, the Bruins had their chance to pull off the upset victory at
the end of regulation, but Quinn’s 16-foot jumper fell
short.
UCLA’s offense came from the big three of Blue, Quinn, and
Lisa Willis, who combined for 59 of the Bruins’ 71 points,
but on 21-of-57 shots. Despite their woeful shooting, the Bruins
stayed in the game thanks to their defensive pressure, forcing the
Cardinal into 22 turnovers, while only committing nine
themselves.
However, the outcome must be all too familiar to Olivier, who
with the loss, is now 3-20 all-time against Stanford under the
tutelage of head coach Tara VanDerveer.