Talk about snatching one from the jaws of defeat. The Bruins (or is it Comeback Kids?) did just that, though perhaps to the most extreme and numbing degree Thursday night. What took place on the hardwood floor of Collins Court on this occasion was so improbable that when it became reality, the UCLA alumni were literally dancing from the stands, lost in the euphoria of a complete and breath-taking stunner.
"I was telling assistant coach Shannon Perry that I'm seeing way more gray hairs than I've ever seen before," UCLA head coach Cori Close deadpanned after the game.
Down 63-56 to Washington with only 49 seconds left in regulation and looking like goners, the Bruins scrapped and gutted their way back, carving out a 79-73 can-you-believe-it victory in overtime against the Huskies. The takeaways from the wily turn of events are as follows:
Clutch (Again) Down the Stretch
After pulling off two come-from-behind wins on the road last week, the Bruins went for the hat trick with possibly the most impressive one of the three. And yet again, it was the uncanny ability to convert the critical plays with the clock ticking down.
Smack in the middle of it all were Rebekah Gardner and Mariah Williams. With her team down 65-62 at the 18-second mark of regulation, it was Gardner who got the steal off of a turnover by the Huskies' Jazmine Davis and took it all the way for the breakaway layup to make it a one-point game. The senior guard then attacked the basket again, slicing her way into the paint for another bucket with just two seconds left to essentially force overtime.
Enter Williams: Already, the junior guard had banked in a runner at the 2:40 mark of overtime for the 71-68 lead. Then, she went on to hit arguably the biggest shot of the night, nailing her third three-pointer with the shot clock expiring with 1:43 remaining to extend UCLA's lead to 74-68.
"I think that shot is actually the easiest, because everyone in the gym knows that the shot clock is running down," Williams said. "Whether it goes in or not, you just have to get that shot up really fast, though it's always exciting when the shot goes in."
All in all, Williams (11 points on 4-of-4 shooting) and Gardner (17) were just two of five Bruins scoring in double figures.
The full-court press proves deadly yet again
It's no coincidence that in each contest from their now three-game winning streak, the Bruins went to the press defense in the waning minutes to fuel each comeback. Indeed, it was because of the swarming, smothering defense applied by Williams and Markel Walker that Davis turned the ball over with 14 seconds left in regulation.
The Bruins actually showed press in spurts earlier in the game, but with less admirable results. Come crunch time, though, they were on-point.
"It's high risk, high rewards," Close said. "Toward the end of the game, we had to go to the full-court press; we had nothing to lose and there was no choice, so we had to go high risk. I'd like to see us get more into that situation where on dead balls and free throws, we're speeding people up and getting them out of rhythm."
These Bruins are learning and growing
Make no mistake, these wins hold significant weight where the Pac-12 race is concerned; UCLA is now tied for third place in the conference standings with USC at 6-4 (the Bruins are 11-10 overall).
But what Close will undoubtedly agree is going to pay dividends in the long run is the growth that is to be gleaned from the last three victories. Simply put, it's a matter of the Bruins proving to themselves that they have what it takes to win, even under, again, improbable circumstances. In the context of Thursday night, UCLA notched the win, despite being down by seven with less than a minute remaining in the game, and despite Washington's Regina Rogers going off for 21 points and 12 rebounds.
"These players are showing that they have something inside of them," Close said. "When their backs are against the wall, they come out swinging, and that says a lot for who they are. It is the only way we can win; it's that grit coming out that says, 'I will do whatever it takes - as unconventional as it might be - to figure it out and come out swinging.' And as a coach, I couldn't be any more proud of that."
