There was only one lead change in the second half of Thursday night’s women’s basketball game against Oregon (10-9, 4-4). It’s a good thing it was in the Bruins’ favor.
Oregon led throughout the majority of the game, but UCLA (10-9, 5-3) had the drive for a big comeback after halftime, pulling out a 63-59 victory.
With the Ducks up by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Bruins went to work.
After a key 3-pointer from senior forward Lindsey Pluimer and a jumper by freshman guard Darxia Morris, UCLA was down by only two at 52-54.
Then, with 3:55 remaining, freshman guard Doreena Campbell scored her first and only two points for the Bruins to tie the game at 54.
Despite starting for UCLA and playing 25 minutes, Campbell had an off shooting night, going 1-7 in total field goals, but her two points came at a crucial time.
After a Campbell steal and a layup by junior guard Tierra Henderson, UCLA took the lead on their way to a dramatic come-from-behind victory.
“I have faith in this team,” Pluimer said. “We’re fighters, and we go after it. We never lie down and die, and I know that this team believes in itself. We knew we weren’t playing well in the first half and that we could go at it in the second half.”
Oregon did have a chance to tie the game late down the stretch.
With 10.8 seconds left, UCLA was up 62-59. The Ducks fouled Pluimer, giving her the opportunity to put the game out of Oregon’s reach. However, Pluimer, a 77.4 percent free throw shooter, missed her first free throw attempt.
“I really take pride in my free throws, so I wasn’t thrown off, but I was disappointed that I missed the first one,” Pluimer said. “So I knew I needed to put the second one in, in order to make it a four-point game.”
Pluimer sank her second attempt to finish off the game, turning in a game-high 19 points.
The key to the Bruins’ comeback was their defense, something the team constantly puts emphasis on.
The Bruins forced Oregon to turn the ball over 18 times throughout the game, with eight of those turnovers occurring in the last six minutes. Campbell and Henderson contributed four steals each.
“The defense means attitude to this team because, without the defense, we can’t have offense,” Morris said.
The Bruins welcomed back Morris, who sat out the past three games with a right knee sprain. She played 20 minutes and had eight points and two steals for the night. Morris played with the aid of a knee brace and said that, while she still feels a little pain when playing, she is 80 percent recovered.
“I was very excited coming back,” Morris said. “I had a lot of energy because I was sitting down watching my team play.”
Before Thursday’s game, UCLA and Oregon were in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Pac-10 with USC. With equal conference records, both teams put out a high-energy performance.
As the schools approach the halfway mark of the season, each game helps decide who will place into the upper half of the standings and who will fall to the lower half.
“I think both teams had three losses in the Pac-10, so it was a separation game,” coach Kathy Olivier said. “Oregon came out with very good energy. They did a very good job on the road.”
OREGON STATE NEXT: UCLA faces Oregon State (10-9, 3-5) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion to conclude the first half of the Pac-10 season. The Beavers lost to USC on Thursday, 59-47. Senior guard Ashley Allen leads Oregon State, averaging 17.1 points per game.
“Oregon State is a very physical basketball team,” Olivier said. “Allen makes them very aggressive.”