UCLA
USC
UCLA Opens Pac-12 Play with 59-52 Win at USC
December 31, 2014 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – Recee' Caldwell scored a game- and season-high 17 points to lead UCLA to a 59-52 win at USC on Tuesday evening at Galen Center. The Bruins improved to 5-7 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-12 while the Trojans dropped to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.
The Bruins arrived late thanks to L.A. traffic, but it didn't affect their start as UCLA scored the game's first five points in a game that featured six ties and six lead changes and multiple scoring runs by both teams.
Kaneisha Horn scored a jumper to give USC its largest lead of the game at 17-14 (7:48). But the Bruins went on a 12-2 run to take a 26-19 lead with 3:29 to go in the first half after a step-back three-pointer by Caldwell. The freshman was unfazed by the rival game, making her first five shots of the contest, including three from downtown, before her fourth trey attempt rimmed out.
Leading 26-24, the Bruins closed out the half by scoring the last six points to build their largest lead of the game at 32-24 at the break.
UCLA opened the second half with eight consecutive missed shots, allowing USC to open the period with a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 34-32 (15:42). The Bruins then engineered a 15-6 run over the next eight minutes to lead 47-40 (7:31). Again UCLA's offense stalled for nearly five minutes, but USC could only manage to close the gap to 47-44. After freshman Jordin Canada came up with a steal, Caldwell found junior Nirra Fields in the corner and she buried a three to push the lead back to six points (50-44) with 2:33 to go. The Trojans would get no closer than four points the rest of the way as Canada calmly sank all six free throws in the final 0:39 seconds to seal the win, handing USC Coach Cynthia Cooper her first-ever loss to UCLA as a player or a coach.
Canada finished with 12 points while Fields rounded out the trio of Bruins in double figures with 10 points. Freshman Lajahna Drummer had eight points and a personal best and game-high 11 rebounds. Freshman Monique Billings provided a spark off the bench with six points, four rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal.
McKenzie Clavert led a pair of Trojans in double figures with 16 points. Horn finished with 12 points and seven boards. Alexyz Vaioletama was held to six points, but she added 10 boards to help the Trojans win the battle of the boards, 46-42.
TIPS-INS
USC: The Trojans entered the game shooting 40.0 percent as a team from three-point range (56-for-140), but was just 3-for-22 (13.6 percent) in tonight's contest. The Trojans were also a paltry 45.5 percent (5-for-11) from the charity stripe.
UCLA: The Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak to USC, earning valuable points for the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup, which UCLA is out to a commanding 45-10 advantage.
CHARITY STRIPE
The Bruins struggled from the foul line in the loss to Notre Dame (.519), but tonight, it was a strength as UCLA shot .786 (11-for-14), which included an 8-for-8 performance by Jordin Canada.
NOT IN A GIVING MOOD
The Bruins entered the game averaging 19.3 turnovers per game, but tied their season-low of 13 turnovers against the Trojans (also had 13 in the loss to No. 10 Texas).
UP NEXT
USC: Hosts Oregon on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 on the Pac-12 Networks at 3:00 p.m.
UCLA: Hosts No. 13 Oregon State on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015 on the Pac-12 Networks at 5:00 p.m. (PT).
