Trailing for the majority of the second half and tying the game
on 14 different occasions in the final 20 minutes, it looked as if
the UCLA women’s basketball team would succumb to Washington
and drop just their third game of the season at home.
But the leadership and maturation of the Bruins peered through
Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion. Never was it more evident than
in the game’s final three minutes as UCLA went on a 10-2 run
and coerced the Huskies into committing three turnovers, leading to
a crucial 86-81 conference victory over Washington (9-13, 5-7
Pac-10).
“It’s going to get harder and harder as the year
goes on to survive,” junior Nikki Blue said.
Though Blue led the Bruins in all facets of the game, finishing
with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds and eight steals, the
defensive stance that the Bruins (14-7, 8-4) were able to conjure
up was the key to victory in coach Kathy Olivier’s mind.
“Defensively we all stepped it up,” Olivier said.
“Ortal (Oren) was a big part of it, Nikki was a big part of
it. Lisa (Willis) and (Lindsey) Pluimer were active. The last few
possessions we really got after it and we were determined to not
let them get a three.”
More than anything, Thursday night’s game for the Bruins
was about reforming their identity.
And for freshman Pluimer, it was a perfect opportunity to snap
out of her slump on the offensive end.
Shooting a paltry 14-for-59 from the field in her last six
games, the forward erupted against the Huskies for 21 points on 10
of 16 shooting. Pluimer converted UCLA’s first six shots
while the rest of her teammates were in a collective funk,
combining to shoot a lowly 6-for-25.
“I just wanted to come out strong and play with confidence
especially on our home court, and get out there and help the team
out,” Pluimer said.
“(Pluimer) knows she can score despite what anybody
says,” Blue said.
However inspiring Pluimer’s performance might have been,
the Bruins found themselves in a dogfight for most of the second
half. Fortunately, the Bruins maintained their composure under the
leadership of Blue and finally leaped over the Huskies, 80-79, at
the 2:15 mark after a four-foot runner from Blue.
“Both teams got in a rhythm,” said Olivier, whose
team shot 57 percent in the second half. “We played a little
more uptempo. When (Washington) started hitting we just said,
“˜OK, let’s inbound quickly and not let them set
up.’ We did a good job of pushing the ball.”
UCLA established the run-and-gun style earlier, using a 14-3 run
in the first half to go up by eight. Sophomore Amanda Livingston
had a pair of crafty moves during that stretch, slipping by three
defenders for a scoop shot on one possession and spinning off a
Husky defender on the following trip down the floor. The forward
had yet another impressive performance on the offensive end,
tallying 17 points on 6-for-11 from the field.