The odds continue to stack up for the UCLA women's basketball team in what's surely been an increasingly trying season, and yet, the Bruins keep on fighting.

After losing to Arizona 74-66 Thursday in Tucson, UCLA took another personnel hit midway through the first half of Saturday's game against Arizona State, when Moriah Faulk went down with an injury and would not return the rest of the way. And yet the Bruins managed to clinch their first Pac-12 road win of the season, beating the Sun Devils 64-48 in Tempe.

Notes from the two games in the desert are as follows:

Against the Wildcats

Foul trouble simply sealed the Bruins' fate on Thursday. Never mind the fact that the Wildcats enjoyed a 25-10 advantage in free-throw attempts, the key stretch was when Markel Walker and Thea Lemberger had to sit out a good chunk of the second half, each with four fouls. Just how crucial was the absence of those two players? After Lemberger picked up her fourth personal and took a seat on the bench with 9:18 left in the game (Walker had already sat out at the 14:04 mark), Arizona went on an 18-6 run to complete the come-from-behind win.

Against the Sun Devils

At this point, the Bruins' season is going the way of some cruel Shakespearean play, especially so after Faulk became UCLA's fourth casualty to injury in the first half. But behind the efforts of Walker, the Bruins persevered. The third-year forward played a game worth of a fantasy basketball league, sprinkling the box score with 15 points (she went 2-for-2 from behind the arc), 13 rebounds (six offensive and seven defensive), five assists, and three steals.

"I just want to do whatever I can to help this team win," Walker said. "I know I'm one of the more versatile players on the team, so I try to get my teammates good looks when I can, rebound the ball, and whatever else I can."

"I can't put a price tag on Markel's efforts," UCLA head coach Cori Close added. "She is one of the smartest basketball players I've been around, and she was very steady for us today. Her work on the boards, both offensively and defensively, was such a huge boost for us."

But more than anything, Close attributed today's win to the team's preparation coming into the game. The Bruins apparently went through some rigorous practice and film sessions, and their efforts certainly paid off.

"I'm most impressed with our preparation yesterday. Honestly, that's what led to the victory today," Close said. "Yesterday, every single player watched every single one of their minutes from the game before with an individual coach. The reality is, I thought our players were in a battle, and they responded so well to different things. When Arizona State went to zone defense in the second half, we were right on target. We knew exactly what we were going to do, we moved the ball quickly and got ourselves quick, easy shots."

Other observations to note: Corinne Costa had the jumper going today, knocking down a few shots from 10-15 feet away from the basket. It's a facet of her game that the sophomore center isn't quite known for, but apparently the ability has always been there.

"She hasn't had too many opportunities with that shot, but Corinne is actually a really good shooter, and she's more confident shooting the ball facing the basket than she is with her back to the basket," Close said.

And on the subject of role players, Close also dished credit to Rhema Gardner, who grabbed eight rebounds (several of which came at key junctures down the stretch), and Mariah Williams, who had six assists.

Said Close: "I think about the role players on this team, and they all did their jobs today. Corinne was hitting those jumpers and was a force in the middle, Rhema came through with eight rebounds in 16 minutes, and Mariah was really selfless. The role players were the glue for us today."