UCLA
UC Riverside
UCLA Continues Winning Ways with 57-43 Victory Over UC Riverside
December 11, 2014 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA won its second consecutive game of the 2014-15 season with a 57-43 come-from-behind win over UC Riverside on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins improved to 2-4 on the year while the Highlanders dropped to 5-3.
Junior Nirra Fields led the Bruins with 11 points and five rebounds and a season-high five steals. Freshman Recee' Caldwell came off the bench and recorded season-highs of 10 points and nine assists to help the UCLA bench outscore UC Riverside's 27-5.
The Bruins struggled defensively in the first half, allowing UCR to shoot 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the floor. But UCLA managed to hold a slim 28-25 lead at the break by forcing 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes and shooting 52.2 percent from the field (12-for-23).
UCLA opened the first half making just three of its first 13 shots (23.1 percent) while allowing UCR to shoot 72.7 percent (8-for-11) from the field. The Bruins trailed 18-8 at the 9:44 mark of the first half. But 14 seconds later, freshman Jordin Canada turned the ball over and took a hard spill at the other end of the floor trying to get back on defense and stop a fast break. She did so, but paid a price in the end, and was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for x-rays on her lower back. X-rays were normal, showing no fractures, but she did have bruises.
That seemed to inspire the troops and her Bruin teammates rallied around her after she was carried off the floor. UCLA engineered a 40-15 run over the next 23:26 to turn a 10-point deficit into a 48-33 lead.
The Bruins held UC Riverside to just 18 points in the second half and to just 20.0 percent shooting (6-for-30). For the game, UCR shot 34.7 percent (17-for-49) while UCLA shot a season-best 54.8 percent (23-for-42). The Bruins still struggled with turnovers, narrowly losing that battle 18-17. But UCLA had a slight edge on the battle of the boards, 30-27. The Bruins were also dominant in points in the paint, 28-12.
Brittany Crain entered tonight's game as the fifth-leading scorer in the country and was held to well under her average with a game-high 14 points. She was the only Highlander to reach double figures.
The Bruin bigs all had solid outings with senior Corinne Costa registering nine points, five rebounds and three assists while freshman Lajahna Drummer had eight points and four boards. Redshirt junior Kacy Swain had seven points, two boards, one block and one steal while senior Luiana Livulo had six points, two boards and two steals.
UCLA returns to action on Dec. 12 when they host Sacramento State in the final game of the Bruins five-game home stand. Don't forget, you get free admission with the donation of any package of athletic socks or a pair of new or unused athletic shoes (kids size 3 through adult size 8). The game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.
Women's basketball season tickets are on sale at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (310-UCLA-WIN). For more ticket information, or to buy tickets now, click here.
