UCLA
Samford
UCLA Rebounds with 71-52 Win Over Samford
December 19, 2014 | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – UCLA rebounded for a 71-52 win over Samford on Friday night in the Bruins' final game of the Tulane DoubleTree Classic at Devlin Fieldhouse on the campus of Tulane. The Bruins improved to 4-5 while Samford dropped to 5-6.
Junior Nirra Fields led UCLA with a game-high 21 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team. She had five of UCLA's season-high 18 steals which led to a season-high in turnovers forced (29) and points off turnovers (36).
The Bruins jumped out to an early 9-0 lead and built a 15-point advantage in the first half before allowing the Bulldogs to get back in the game. Samford missed its first six shots of the contest and committed five turnovers before making its first shot, a three-pointer by Lydia McGee at the 13:33 mark to make it 9-3.
UCLA came out with fullcourt pressure and Samford couldn't handle it, committing 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and shooting just 39.3 percent (11-for-28) from the field. Meanwhile the Bruins shot 44.4 percent (12-for-27) and won the turnover battle, 12-7. Samford held a slight 19-16 edge on the glass.
The Bruins opened the second half just like the first, with pressure that forced the Bulldogs to play at a pace they couldn't handle. UCLA scored 16 points off turnovers in the first 9:05 of the second half to turn a 33-30 lead at the break into a 15-point lead (55-40) with 10:55 remaining. The Bruins maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, including a 21-point cushion (65-44) with 7:41 to go.
Hannah Nichols led a trio of Samford players in double figures with 12 points. Amara Mayers and Destiney Elliott each scored 10 points for the Bulldogs.
Freshman Jordin Canada was the only other Bruin to reach double figures with 12 points and added a game-high seven rebounds to help UCLA win the battle of the boards, 32-30. Junior Kacy Swain and freshman Recee' Caldwell tallied eight points apiece. Redshirt sophomore Kari Korver had a solid all-around effort, sinking her only three-point attempt and finishing with five points, six rebounds, four assists without a turnover and two steals in 24 minutes.
For the game, UCLA shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field while Samford finished at 37.0 percent (17-for-46). The Bruins dominated in points in the paint (46-18), points off turnovers (36-16) and in bench production (29-10).
UCLA returns to action on Dec. 21 when they take on No. 2 Connecticut in the Hall of Fame Women's Challenge in Uncasville, Conn., at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. (PT)/5:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
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.
