Another shot, another swish. A groan, and then silence.
It was a microcosm of the first nine minutes of the UCLA women’s basketball game against Oregon State on Saturday afternoon. The Beavers came out hot, hitting seven 3-pointers in the first half and leading by as many as 15 points.
But as it turns out, the enduring images from the rest of the game would be entirely different.
A tipped ball and a streak of white uniform. A layup with a drawn foul, and then a fist pump.
UCLA (11-9, 6-3 Pac-10) locked down on defense after the break after their slow start, rallying to defeat Oregon State (10-10, 3-6 Pac-10) on Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion, 74-70.
The win finished off a weekend sweep for the Bruins, but the team continued its recent habit of falling behind early.
“The thing that troubles me is we wait too long to get going,” coach Kathy Olivier said following the contest. “But we tightened things up in the second half, which is better than the last five minutes of the game.”
After trailing 22-7 with 11:13 to play in the first half, UCLA tightened up on defense, employing a full-court press that forced the Beavers into an astounding 27 turnovers. The Bruins hustled for each rebound and loose ball, creating offensive opportunities on the other end.
Tierra Henderson, the Bruins’ defensive specialist, went to work throughout the second half, poking the ball away from OSU guards and converting on the offensive end to lead the Bruin surge.
“My role is to bring defensive energy,” Henderson said. “I thought I played good defense and helped my teammates.”
After freshman guard Darxia Morris, who recently returned from a knee injury, nailed a mid-range jumper to give the Bruins their first lead midway through the second half, teammates high-fived and chest-bumped their way into the ensuing time-out. The energy missing at times in the first half had reappeared.
“It’s really nice to get back out on the floor,” said Morris, who returned this weekend after missing the past three games. “I love the game, and I think my team needed me as much as I needed them.”
With dazzling dishes and tenacious defense, Morris helped the Bruins by shutting down the Beavers shooters in the second half.
“(Darxia) is a spark, she makes things happen,” Olivier said. “As much as I want to talk about her offense, I think she helps us most defensively.”
The Bruins struggled at times to contain Beaver guard Talisa Rhea. Rhea converted five of her six 3-point attempts, finishing with 17 points for the Beavers, who made 10 from beyond the arc in the game.
After giving up a total of 20 3-pointers to the Oregon schools over the weekend, perimeter defense may be a concern for the Bruins down the road.
“Our 3-point defense could be a little stronger,” Olivier said. “We tend to help too much on the ball, and then they find an open person, and that’s what hurts us.”
In the end, it was the extra help that made the difference for UCLA as the Bruins pulled down 14 offensive rebounds, converted their free throws, and made all the key plays to come out on top at home.
It was a crucial win for UCLA, which improved to 6-3 in Pac-10 play entering this upcoming weekend’s Bay Area trip. The Bruins hope to avenge their overtime loss to California, and pull off another stunner against Stanford.
“We can win (in the Bay Area),” Morris said. “Everybody has to show up ready to play all 40 minutes, not just 20.”
As March looms and the Bruins turn their focus to the Big Dance, every game becomes crucial.
“It was important to sweep,” Henderson said. “It brings us a little closer to our goal.”