UCLA
5-1 #9/10
Toledo
4-1
Jordin Canada Paces No. 9 UCLA To Victory
November 25, 2016 | Women's Basketball
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CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- Junior All-American Jordin Canada scored 27 points to lead No. 9 UCLA to a 75-73 victory over Toledo on Friday evening at the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
Trailing by 14 points at the half, Toledo (4-1) rallied within 74-73 with 32 seconds left after Mariella Santucci hit a 3-pointer. Monique Billings was fouled with 2 seconds left after she grabbed an offensive rebound to post her fourth double-double of the year. She hit the second of two free throws and the Rockets couldn't get a tying shot off.
Billings finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bruins (5-1), which won their fourth game in a row.
"Tonight showed us we can't get comfortable in the middle of the game," Billings said. "We had a solid lead and we need to work on maintaining that. When we get back to practice, we will work on that and keep progressing forward."
Canada made the last two baskets for UCLA, the last with 0:51 seconds to go was with 0:01 on the shot clock. She had a defender draped all over her and spun away from the defense and with one giant step, drained an off-balance 15-foot jumper to put the Bruins up 74-70.
"I was just trying to get a shot off," Canada said. "I had picked up my dribble and was getting pressured and I saw that there was three seconds left on the shot clock so I had to find a way. Fortunately, when I spun and took the step, I was wide open and made it."
Santucci and Janice Monakana scored 16 points each for Toledo. But it was the sharp-shooting of Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, who made four consecutive three-pointers in the second half to finish with a team-high 18 points for the Rockets.
Trailing by one midway through the first quarter, UCLA closed the opening period with a 14-5 run spurred by Kari Korver's two 3-pointers. The Rockets got within 24-19 before Canada scored the final 11 points for the Bruins before the half, including two 3-pointers, to give UCLA a 38-24 lead.
"I said to our staff in the second half, this is exactly what we need," UCLA Head Coach Cori Close said. "That's why you play these good teams in the preseason. It exposes things you need to work on. As much as I don't like seeing our weaknesses exposed, we are going to deal with it. We will learn from this. I'm thrilled to be able to teach through a win, rather than a loss. But I think this game taught us a lot."
Korver finished with 11 points for the Bruins while Kennedy Burke added 10 points in her second straight start.
BIG PICTURE:
Toledo: The Rockets started the season with three consecutive wins for the first time since 1996-97. UT has started a season 3-0 on four occasions in school history.
UCLA: The Bruins have a challenging schedule ahead with a game against Michigan in early December before visiting No. 3 South Carolina at the end of next month.
UP NEXT:
Toledo: The Rockets host Illinois Chicago on Thursday.
UCLA: The Bruins have a week off before hosting Hawaii on Sunday, Dec. 4.
Toledo vs. No. 9 UCLA (Cancun Challenge)
| SCOREBOARD | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Toledo | 12 | 12 | 27 | 22 | 73 |
| No. 9 UCLA | 20 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 75 |
