Frankly, it wasn't the ending UCLA was hoping for, at all. The Bruins came into the final week of the regular season with the hopes of locking up the No. 4 seed in next week's Pacific Life Pac-12 Tournament (with a slight chance of overtaking USC for the No. 3 seed). But in the end, that plan was foiled after the Bruins lost out to Washington State 76-65 on Thursday before faltering against Washington 67-59 earlier today. The wrap-ups of the two games and the tournament implications are below:
Against the Cougars
Never mind that the Bruins looked flat-flooted coming out of the gate; the Cougars got off to a blazing start on Thursday night, instantly building a big lead by dialing and connecting from beyond the arc. Washington State's Sage Romberg and Rosie Tarnowski each went 2-of-2 on three-point baskets in the first half, and the Cougars collectively shot 10-of-21 from distance by game's end. Trailing by as many as 19 points at the 15:27 mark in the second half, the Bruins managed to make a game of it during the waning minutes, but the slow start ultimately proved too costly.
Also of note: Markel Walker, who has been a warrior when it comes to playing with pain this season, looked down and out for the count on several occasions in this game. The worst run-in came with 9:08 left in the first half, when the Cougars' Rosetta Adzasu shouldered into Walker going after a loose ball, and the Bruin forward had to come out of the game nursing her shoulder. But Walker eventually returned to action, her uncanny propensity to tolerate pain showing through once again.
Against the Huskies
The last time these two teams met, UCLA pulled off a stunning, come-from-behind win against Washington that had the Bruin home crowd in an absolute tizzy. Well, it wasn't quite as dramatic, but the Huskies returned the favor from their turf this afternoon, the 67-59 loss marking an anticlimactic end to the Bruins' regular season. While they never held a lead in this one, the Bruins were well within striking distance for much of the contest, thanks in part to their ability to pick apart Washington's zone defense with quick passes into the paint for easy baskets (15 of UCLA's 21 made field goals came off of assists). But with just under three minutes left in the game, the Huskies went on a 10-3 spurt to expand their lead, and the Bruins just couldn't respond, settling for hurried jumpers instead of looking for the open player.
"Washington did a good job of keeping us outside of the lanes and forcing us to take jumpers," Close said. "We needed to get easier looks by either getting post touches inside or getting the ball to the basket off of dribble penetrations. That was the difference in the second half: We settled for jumpers when they were in their zone defense, and we didn't convert."
The Aftermath
With Colorado having defeated Oregon State 67-57, the Bruins (9-9) are unofficially the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament, thanks to the tiebreaker that is their win earlier in the season against the Beavers (9-9). That means No. 5 UCLA will take on No. 12 Arizona Wednesday at the Galen Center, with tip-off at 2:15 p.m.
"At this point, we just have to get our minds right and get our legs back underneath us," Close said. "We see upsets happen all the time, so whether it's Arizona or whether it's us, it's going to come down to who can dig in and take advantage of their opportunities more."
Against the Cougars
Never mind that the Bruins looked flat-flooted coming out of the gate; the Cougars got off to a blazing start on Thursday night, instantly building a big lead by dialing and connecting from beyond the arc. Washington State's Sage Romberg and Rosie Tarnowski each went 2-of-2 on three-point baskets in the first half, and the Cougars collectively shot 10-of-21 from distance by game's end. Trailing by as many as 19 points at the 15:27 mark in the second half, the Bruins managed to make a game of it during the waning minutes, but the slow start ultimately proved too costly.
Also of note: Markel Walker, who has been a warrior when it comes to playing with pain this season, looked down and out for the count on several occasions in this game. The worst run-in came with 9:08 left in the first half, when the Cougars' Rosetta Adzasu shouldered into Walker going after a loose ball, and the Bruin forward had to come out of the game nursing her shoulder. But Walker eventually returned to action, her uncanny propensity to tolerate pain showing through once again.
Against the Huskies
The last time these two teams met, UCLA pulled off a stunning, come-from-behind win against Washington that had the Bruin home crowd in an absolute tizzy. Well, it wasn't quite as dramatic, but the Huskies returned the favor from their turf this afternoon, the 67-59 loss marking an anticlimactic end to the Bruins' regular season. While they never held a lead in this one, the Bruins were well within striking distance for much of the contest, thanks in part to their ability to pick apart Washington's zone defense with quick passes into the paint for easy baskets (15 of UCLA's 21 made field goals came off of assists). But with just under three minutes left in the game, the Huskies went on a 10-3 spurt to expand their lead, and the Bruins just couldn't respond, settling for hurried jumpers instead of looking for the open player.
"Washington did a good job of keeping us outside of the lanes and forcing us to take jumpers," Close said. "We needed to get easier looks by either getting post touches inside or getting the ball to the basket off of dribble penetrations. That was the difference in the second half: We settled for jumpers when they were in their zone defense, and we didn't convert."
The Aftermath
With Colorado having defeated Oregon State 67-57, the Bruins (9-9) are unofficially the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament, thanks to the tiebreaker that is their win earlier in the season against the Beavers (9-9). That means No. 5 UCLA will take on No. 12 Arizona Wednesday at the Galen Center, with tip-off at 2:15 p.m.
"At this point, we just have to get our minds right and get our legs back underneath us," Close said. "We see upsets happen all the time, so whether it's Arizona or whether it's us, it's going to come down to who can dig in and take advantage of their opportunities more."
