Track and field claims four first-place finishes at MPSF Indoor Championships

The Bruins opened their postseason this weekend.

UCLA men’s track and field earned second place at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championships in Seattle behind four first-place finishes.

Junior distance runner Robert Brandt claimed wins in the 3000-meter and 5000-meter, logging a personal and UCLA record in the 3000-meter with a time of 7 minutes, 50.27 seconds. Brandt is now the all-time record holder in both the 3000-meter and 5000-meter in UCLA history.

“It’s definitely a little surreal at times. I came into the weekend expecting to place highly but I didn’t think I’d win in both,” Brandt said. “It was definitely a pleasant surprise and it just goes to show all the work I’ve put in. It feels really rewarding.”

Freshman Sondre Guttormsen earned his third event win of the season in the pole vault. He and Brandt were joined by senior thrower Justin Stafford, who broke the 21-meter threshold in the weight throw for the first time in his career en route to a first-place finish.

“It feels great to have thrown a new (personal record) and hopefully gotten into indoor nationals,” Stafford said. “(Assistant coach) John Frazier prepared me to do my best this past weekend and we are excited to get back to work to prepare for nationals.”

The men’s team recorded eight top-5 finishes, including from redshirt junior distance runner Colin Burke in the 5000-meter, freshman Sean Lee in the high jump, sophomore Tate Curran in the pole vault, and redshirt senior thrower Dotun Ogundeji in the shot put along with Brandt, Guttormsen and Stafford. The men’s team finished with 76 points on the weekend, second behind BYU’s 93.

The women’s team finished 13th with 20 points across all events. The team’s top performers were sophomore distance runner Christina Rice, who finished second in the 5000-meter, redshirt senior Elleyse Garrett, who finished third in the pole vault, and redshirt senior thrower Ashlie Blake, who finished third in the shot put.

“It was an interesting start to the race because we got out and it was pretty slow through the first couple of laps,” Rice said. “It was about going out there and running and staying there with the top girls. I’m more happy with the overall place because that’s what I was focusing on in the race.”

UCLA’s next meet is the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Athletes qualify for the national championships if they are one of the top 16 athletes in their event throughout the season.

As the rankings currently stand, the Bruins would be represented by Brandt, who is currently No. 7 and No. 14 in the men’s 3000-meter and 5000-meter, respectively; Guttormsen, who ranks No. 4 in the men’s pole vault; Ogundeji, who is No. 8 in the men’s shot put; Stafford, who is No. 15 in the men’s weight throw; sophomore Alyssa Wilson, who ranks at No. 4 and No. 6 in the women’s shot put and weight throw, respectively; and Blake, who is No. 12 in the women’s shot put.

“Winning conference was a level I didn’t think I’d reach this year; I’ve got to readjust my mindset and give myself the confidence that I can compete for national titles now,” Brandt said. “There are some good guys in there, and some guys that I’ve never really even been close to, but I need to start shifting my mindset and get more confident in my ability to compete with the best.”

Women’s tennis sweeps Saint Mary’s, clinches close victory over Cal

Abi Altick turned her match around from a blowout loss into a clinching win.

“I was in (a similar) situation last year,” the sophomore said. “It was just really a good feeling when I finally won.”

No. 5 UCLA women’s tennis (7-1) rebounded from its loss last weekend by sweeping Saint Mary’s (1-6) on Friday and defeating No. 24 California (4-3) by a score of 4-3 Saturday.

Saturday’s result hinged on the final match between sophomore Abi Altick and Cal’s Anna Bright. Altick fell behind early to Bright, conceding the first set 6-1.

“My teammates were so helpful on the sideline,” Altick said. “I knew that they had my back.”

Altick slipped into another deficit in the second set, falling behind to the nation’s No. 69-ranked player 4-1. On the verge of defeat, coach Stella Sampras Webster said Altick turned a would-be blowout into a competitive match.

“She was able to maintain her composure and calmness and go out and execute her shot,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s not easy in that situation, especially when you’re playing away.”

Altick rallied back to defeat Bright 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the second and third sets. Her victory clinched the Bruins’ seventh win of the season.

“I think it’s a huge confidence booster just knowing that I can stay mentally and physically strong,” Altick said. “Everyone is going to play well against us because we’re ranked high.”

Senior Alaina Miller extended her winning streak to seven this weekend, notching a victory against Saint Mary’s Chloe Goyette by scores of 7-5, 6-1.

“I haven’t been focusing on my matches as much,” Miller said. “I’ve been focusing a lot on cheering on my teammates.”

Miller went on to defeat Cal’s Maria Smith in 6-3, 6-3 straight sets. The senior said she hopes to stay focused on each individual game instead of getting carried away by the rankings.

“I think all the rankings and the whether or not we’re playing a good team drops away,” Miller said. “Focusing on little things are going to matter in the bigger picture.”

After dropping her first match of the season last weekend, No. 11 freshman Elysia Bolton rebounded with a victory of her own against Cal’s Olivia Hauger. Hauger, ranked No. 20 in the nation, could not handle Bolton’s performance, losing 6-3, 6-3.

“We just let the freshmen know that we’re playing really good teams,” Miller said. “Knowing that they have three more seasons, they were able to go out and really play freely.”

The Bruins move to 7-1 on the season, after breaking into the top 5 of the rankings for the first time this year. Sampras Webster said the early-season success will not distract her team down the stretch.

“Obviously it’s nice to be ranked high but there’s so much more tennis to play,” Sampras Webster said. “The rankings are so crazy right now, that it doesn’t really mean anything to me.’’

UCLA will host UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Ducks hunted in second-half comeback as UCLA men’s basketball takes close victory

This post was updated Feb. 23 at 10:37 p.m.

With 13:25 left in the game, Pauley Pavilion got loud.

There wasn’t really a reason why – the Bruins were down by nine and hadn’t been able to stop the Ducks all night.

But then, Oregon picked up a shot clock violation amid the noise, and the building got even louder.

Riding the crowd’s newfound energy, UCLA men’s basketball (15-13, 8-7 Pac-12) put together a 17-0 run and – after being down by as much as 19 – beat Oregon (15-12, 6-8) by a score of 90-83. Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands didn’t register a single point in the first half, but he went 7-of-8 from 3 in the second to finish with 27 points and nine assists.

“It felt good,” Hands said. “I have to give the credit to my teammates. They set good screens, (pushed) the ball after rebounds. … (I’m) really proud of my teammates for helping me get that.”

Hands was shooting from well beyond the 3-point line on the majority of his attempts, culminating in a dagger from 30 feet out with 43 seconds left.

“(It) wasn’t any magical sets we were running, (Hands) just made some incredible shots and some incredible plays,” said interim coach Murry Bartow. “He’s got NBA speed and he can make shots and he can get to the rim.”

Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes picked up 20 points, drilling four triples of his own – three of which came in the second half. Wilkes was smiling and clapping along with the crowd during the Bruins’ big run, pumping up the fans almost every time he went back on defense.

“I always see it on TV, everybody pumps up the crowd and everybody gets hyped,” Wilkes said. “It just felt good to be that guy now.”

The Bruins entered the second half down 44-28, but they outscored the Ducks 62-39 in the second frame.

Freshman center Moses Brown played 14 minutes and scored six points in the first half, but Bartow said limiting Brown to six minutes in the second helped the Bruins flip their 2-3 defensive zone into a 3-2.

Freshman guard Jules Bernard scored a career-high 20 points and went 9-of-11 from the free throw line, just two nights after posting an 8-of-10 mark against Oregon State. Bernard played 18 minutes in the second half and said changing up the defensive set helped his team change the tone of the game.

“Our first half, we didn’t have as much energy on defense,” Bernard said. “Bringing that energy and bringing that fight is something that we needed and we started getting that going, we picked up on that.”

Between Bernard, Hands and Wilkes, the Bruins got 67 points out of their top-three scorers. Their top-six scorers against the Beavers on Thursday all finished with between eight and 14 points.

Oregon had five players score in double-digits, led by forward Paul White’s 18 points. The redshirt senior scored 14 in the first half, but went 2-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 from long range in the second.

UCLA came back from trailing 19 on Saturday, but in its first meeting with Oregon on Jan. 10, put together a similar run to overcome a 17-point deficit and win in overtime. Wilkes said he and his teammates used that first game as motivation when they were down big again tonight.

“That’s really what we said,” Wilkes said. “We knew for sure that we were going to play hard and come back, and I’m just glad we did that.

The comeback started with 14:53 remaining and the Bruins down by 15. Redshirt junior forward Alex Olesinski – who Bartow said was integral in holding down the back line of the zone defense in the second half – hit a layup, but it was Hands who scored 16 of UCLA’s next 18 points.

During that run, Bartow shed his sports coat and spent the rest of the game jumping, yelling and fist-pumping, something Bernard said was fun to see.

“Bartow was a little crazy on the sideline,” Bernard said. “We just had a lot of energy and when you have energy with such great, talented players, you can do some special things.”

And Bartow said that was exactly what he was trying to do.

“When they’re animated and feeling good, I just like to show them that I’m feeling good too,” Bartow said. “Hopefully, it helps them when they see my enthusiasm and my energy and my passion, but our guys just made incredible plays in the second half.”

The Bruins are now 1 ½  games out of second place and just one game from a top-four seed in the Pac-12 tournament. The win clinched the season sweep over the Ducks, the first time the Bruins have done so since the 2010-2011 season.

Men’s basketball outscored by Oregon Ducks 44-28 in first half of rematch

The 3s were falling in the first half.

UCLA men’s basketball (14-13, 7-7 Pac-12) trails Oregon (15-11, 6-7) 44-28 at halftime. The Bruins bested the Ducks in the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 10, coming back from a 13-point deficit to clinch a 87-84 victory in overtime.

Oregon hit three straight 3s to put UCLA in a 11-2 hole, but a 13-4 run capped off by a David Singleton triple tied the game at 15 apiece.

The freshman guard made his second straight appearance in the starting lineup and scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting.

Both teams took a combined 22 shots from downtown, with the Ducks converting on eight and the Bruins knocking down four.

Forward Paul White led the charge for Oregon, knocking down 5-of-7 field goal attempts and four of his 3-pointers en route to 14 first-half points and four assists. Guard Victor Bailey Jr. did not attempt a 2-point field goal or record a single rebound, assist, block or steal, but he went 3-of-4 from long range.

The two teams were knotted at 20 with 11:17 to play, but the Ducks used a 24-8 run to take a 16-point lead at the half. The Bruins were shooting 7-of-14 up until that point, but went 3-of-14 during that run.

Freshman guard Jules Bernard leads UCLA with seven points while sophomore guard Kris Wilkes has seven. Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands’ team-high four assists helped the Bruins pick up eight of their 10 field goals off helpers.

Freshman center Moses Brown is shooting 3-of-7 from the field and is 0-of-4 from the free throw line after going 4-of-5 on Thursday against Oregon State. Brown has six points and a team-high six boards – four of which came on the offensive glass.

 

Gymnastics leaps ahead of No. 4 Utah to continue season’s win streak

The Utes’ student section covered its faces with newspapers during the Bruins’ performances.

But the fans could not resist peaking their eyes out a few times to catch a glimpse of UCLA’s routines.

No. 2 UCLA gymnastics (7-0, 6-0 Pac-12) handed No. 4 Utah (7-1, 5-1) its first loss of the season in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,558 in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The 198.025-197.625 win was the Bruins’ first dual-meet victory over the Utes since 2016.

“One hundred ninety-eight and above can definitely be (our new normal) because they’re dialed in,” said coach Valorie Kondos Field. “They’re in their zone. They’re excited but they’re not nervous, and that stuff only comes with great preparation, which they have as well.”

Junior Kyla Ross posted her third 10 on uneven bars. Ross has recorded a perfect score in each of her last four meets and owns a total of five 10s this season − half her career total.

Ross took the top spot on vault and tied Utah’s Mykayla Skinner for first on beam. Ross’ all-around score of 39.775 is second nationally this season, only to her career-best score of 39.850, which she posted last weekend.

“(A 10 on beam) is definitely in my sights,” Ross said. “I thought today was one of my best beam routines. I felt really calm, even under the pressure of having to go up after (junior Madison Kocian’s) fall.”

Ross is ranked in the top five nationally for all four events and is ranked No. 1 on all-around. As an individual this season, the former Olympian has more perfect scores than every other team in the country combined. As of Saturday, No. 1 Oklahoma has recorded three 10s as a team and Lynnzee Brown of No. 6 Denver has scored one 10 on floor exercise.

“(Ross) is in the stratosphere with the greats,” Kondos Field said. “She’s with LeBron, with Kobe, with Simone Biles, the greats. (Ross) is of that caliber in every single thing she does − physical, social, as a human being − she’s just amazing.”

For the second week in a row, senior Katelyn Ohashi clinched the win and the 198.025 for the Bruins with her final routine. Ohashi posted 9.925s on both floor and balance beam.

“For (Ohashi) to be able to do the gymnastics that she is doing, week after week, with her body, as beat up as it is, it’s just a testament to the fact that she really is a mature athlete,” Kondos Field said. “I am so honored because she is still so coachable. She looks me in the eye and she takes it all in. It’s remarkable.”

Ohashi recorded her lowest floor routine score of the season − 9.925 − Saturday. She tied with Skinner and Sydney Soloski of Utah for first on floor. In Ohashi’s six previous floor routines, she has averaged a 9.979.

Ohashi posted a 9.800 on vault in her second vault performance of the year. Before last week, she had not competed on vault since Feb. 25, 2018.

Freshman Norah Flatley scored a 9.900 on beam after Kocian’s fall caused her to post a 9.225.

“I don’t want to let a fall affect me at all,” Flatley said. “It’s no big deal. Accidents happen and I just do what I need to do for my team. It was fun.”

Junior Felicia Hano tied for first on vault with Utah’s MaKenna Merrell-Giles with a 9.950.

Both teams posted 49.375 or above on all four events, extending UCLA’s streak of events with scores of 49 or above to 48 − the highest in the country. The Bruins won by just .400, the lowest deficit by an opponent of UCLA this season.

“It’s always a little bit different coming to Utah because their fans are so passionate about their team,” Ross said. “That’s why all week we talked about staying in our Bruin bubble and controlling only what we can control, and it worked.”

The meet was Utah’s highest-scoring meet of the season by .250.

The Bruins next meet No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0) on the road March 3.