UCLA
26-5,14-4Pac-12
Stanford
27-5,14-4Pac-12
UCLA Falls to Stanford in Pac-12 Tournament Semis, 67-51
March 07, 2020 | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS, NEV. โ No. 2 seed UCLA women's basketball fell to No. 3 Stanford, 67-51, on Saturday evening in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Bruins (26-5) had just three players in double-figure scoring, as Michaela Onyenwere, Japreece Dean and Charisma Osborne each scored 14 points. UCLA shot just 31.7% from the field, while the Cardinal (27-5) shot 50.9% and outrebounded the Bruins, 37-32. Stanford was led by guards Lexie Hull, who put up 28 points on 11-19 shooting, and Kiana Williams, who scored 12 points.
UCLA turned up the intensity to open the first quarter, forcing four Stanford and jumping out to an early 4-0 lead after the first two minutes. The Cardinal responded with six-straight points, but Lauryn Miller responded with a long jumper to tie the score at 6-6 at the first media timeout. After a free throw from Dean put the Bruins up one, Anna Wilson drove hard into the paint for the lay-in to give the advantage back to Stanford with 1:54 to play (13-12). UCLA hit three free throws to take a 15-13 lead heading into the second. Dean led the Bruins with six points in the opening frame.
Stanford opened the second quarter with a 9-2 run aided by three baskets from Hull, forcing a UCLA timeout (5:59). Onyenwere put an end to the stretch with a steal and score at the other end (22-19). A triple from Nadia Fingall extended the Cardinal's lead to six before Onyenwere ran the floor and scored in transition to pull it back 25-21. Stanford had the last possession of the half and couldn't convert, leaving the Bruins with a four-point deficit at the break. Hull was impressive in the first 20 minutes for the Cardinal, notching 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Onyenwere and Dean each put up eight points in the half for UCLA.
The Cardinal was strong to start the third, going on a 9-3 run to take a 34-24 lead at the 8:53 mark. After an exchange of baskets left Stanford back up 10, Williams drove the length of the floor for the lay-up inside to extend Stanford's lead to 40-28. Hull and Williams continued the run with three-pointers, making it an 18-point game with 2:56 to play in the frame. A 16-0 run from the Cardinal finally ended with a triple from Osborne, but Stanford would take a 50-31 lead into the final quarter.
Stanford continued to surge in the fourth quarter, scoring the first seven points of the frame before the Bruins responded with their own 7-0 run to cut the score to 57-38. Osborne then converted a four-point play to cut the lead to 15, but Wilson drained a momentum-killing triple at the other end (60-42). UCLA fought back, scoring the next five to cut the deficit to 13 (2:45). Hull answered with four-straight points, effectively icing the game with two minutes to play.
UP NEXT
The Bruins now await their NCAA Tournament seeding. The 2020 bracket is set to be announced on Monday, Mar. 16.
